Ottawa BlackJacks Announce 2021 Season Schedule

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) led the NHL, NBA and later the CPL in returning to play in Canada after the coronavirus shut down the sports world in March of 2020. The CEBL Summer Series put professional basketball on the television and digital screens of millions of viewers across Canada and around the world, establishing the CEBL as the top Canadian-based global team sports brand. The 2021 season will build on that momentum with an expanded viewing audience around the world, and locally through an innovative approach to addressing the uncertainties due to the pandemic around having fans in arenas across the league.

 The Ottawa BlackJacks in collaboration with the CEBL, announced its 2021 regular season schedule Thursday, a 14-game slate reduced from the standard 20 games and pushed back from a mid-May start to June 5 to accommodate the possibility of fans being able to attend games in person this summer. The league cannot push its season beyond a late-August playoff finish because most of its players must report to their international pro teams by September.

 “The CEBL has created a 49-game regular season schedule and a set of protocols with the health and safety of fans, players, officials, and staff at the forefront,” said Michael Cvitkovic, president of the Ottawa BlackJacks. “Ottawa health officials have been working relentlessly to put our region into the best position in the fight against Covid-19. It is up to all of us to follow their guidelines and if we comply, our chances of fans attending games will rise. We understand the impact live events play in bringing joy to our community. I cannot express how excited members of the BlackJacks organization are at being able to play at home in less than four months.”

 With uncertainty around government regulations of people attending events, and in recognition that some people may not feel comfortable attending events in 2021, an innovative approach has been created to protect the investment of those who have purchased tickets to BlackJacks games.

All season tickets, season ticket deposits and flex packs that have been purchased for 2021 are automatically being moved forward into 2022 and applied toward next season’s ticket packages. If fans will be allowed into the Arena at TD Place, those ticketholders may choose to draw tickets from their 2022 package to use for any games they wish to attend in 2021. There will be no obligation to use any tickets in 2021. All unused tickets will remain on account and applied toward the same ticket packages in 2022.

 Fans who had purchased season tickets for the 2020 season and left their tickets on account for 2021 received retention benefits that included a 20 per cent credit toward additional tickets and a 25 per cent discount on team merchandise. Those benefits will be extended to all ticketholders through August of 2022.

Additional ticketing details will be announced closer to the start of the season when it is expected there will be more clarity from government and health officials around public gatherings.

The BlackJacks have received amazing support from the Ottawa/Gatineau community and local businesses during the past year. Not only did almost all fans who purchased 2020 season tickets hold their purchase on account for 2021, but the team also increased its season ticket base and sponsorship revenues. The team is ensuring the full protection of any investment in tickets through a plan that provides the ultimate in flexibility and makes sure that no one will feel pressured to have to use their tickets this season if they are not comfortable attending games. This concept is believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in professional sports.

“The success of the club, despite having played its first season offsite at the CEBL Summer Series, has been truly incredible,” added Cvitkovic. “Since last year, we have made headlines at home and around the sports world. This momentum speaks to the quality of individuals we have brought into the organization. Great basketball people. Leaders with NBA, NBA G League, major FIBA pro leagues, U SPORTS and NCAA experience. We are on the cusp of something special and Ottawa sports fans can feel it.”

The BlackJacks open the 2021 season on the road versus Hamilton on Saturday, June 5 at 7 p.m. After starting the campaign on a three-game road trip, Ottawa will play its first home game in franchise history on Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. versus the Niagara River Lions.

The seven home games are highlighted by a special Canada Day contest against the Hamilton Honey Badgers, which will be the only CEBL contest celebrated on our country’s birthday. Other games played at the Arena at TD Place include visits from the three CEBL western opponents: the 2020 CEBL finalists Fraser Valley Bandits on July 10; the league champions and the team that knocked out Ottawa in last year’s semifinal, the Edmonton Stingers, on Saturday, July 17; and the 2019 champion Saskatchewan Rattlers on Monday, July 26. A pair of games against the Guelph Nighthawks are scheduled for June 28 and the regular-season home finale on August 4.

Ottawa’s road schedule includes single trips to Edmonton, Fraser Valley, and Hamilton, in addition to two games at Niagara and Guelph. The CEBL will announce its plans for the postseason at a later date.

CBC is the premier media partner of the CEBL and will broadcast nationally televised games on seven consecutive Saturdays beginning June 5. The BlackJacks will appear three times on national television, including back-to-back weekends June 12 at Guelph and June 19 at Niagara. Ottawa will host its first nationally televised game on July 17 against the defending-champion Edmonton Stingers. All regular season games will also be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, and on a new OTT streaming platform the CEBL will unveil this spring.

Highlights of the 2021 Ottawa BlackJacks regular season schedule include:

• Three consecutive Saturdays on the road to start the campaign (June 5, 12, 19).
• The first CEBL Canada Day game at home against Hamilton.
• Seven games on Saturday, the most of any day in the week.
• Ottawa plays every day of the week except Tuesday and Sunday.
• One trip out west (July 3 at Fraser Valley and July 5 at Edmonton).
• The team will not travel to Saskatchewan.
• Four games against Guelph, the team Ottawa knocked out in the 2020 CEBL quarterfinals with a 83-75 win on August 6.

 A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 80 per cent of its 2020 rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA and U SPORTS programs.

More information about the BlackJacks is available at theblackjacks.ca, as well as on Instagram (ottawablackjacks), Twitter (@Ott_BlackJacks), Facebook (OttawaBlackJacks), and TikTok (ottawablackjacks).

OTTAWA BLACKJACKS 2021 CEBL SEASON