Pre-season events are all part of preparations to start the 2020-2021 KHL season on September 2.

Jokerit, whose ability to stage games will be governed by Finland’s restrictions in response to the covid-19 pandemic, has announced that it expects to play before a reduced audience at the Hartwall Arena during the first month of the campaign. The present plans allow for indoor events to take place before a crowd of up to 500 after August 1, with restrictions to be lifted on October 1, just in time for the start of the local Liiga. As club president Jari Kurri told local newspaper Ilhalehti, that means Jokerit will play the first month of the campaign in front of reduced crowds.

“Nobody has any direct answers to anything at the moment, and nothing can be nailed down,” Kurri said. “But at the moment we are expecting to start on September 2. We can divide the tribunes into blocks and we hope we can allow a decent number of people into the building.”

photo courtesty of photo.khl.ru