In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone, the Western Hockey League announced Tuesday night that the season will not begin on January 8 as they had hoped to.

The league says with public health restrictions in place across the jurisdictions where league teams come home, they are simply not able to start as planned with talks to continue between government and health authorities in the different jurisdictions.

“We continue to make every effort to get our season started, but our first priority has always been the health and safety of our players, and everyone associated with the WHL,” Commissioner Ron Robison said. “Given the public health restrictions that are currently in effect, we are not in a position to determine a new target date for our season. We will continue to consult with health authorities to determine when it is safe and responsible to get our season started.”

The league’s Board of Governors will meet in January to consider potential start dates.