'You can't cancel passion': Hundreds of fans tuning into simulated SJHL playoffs

REGINA -- After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the SJHL playoffs indefinitely, the league took the tournament to the virtual realm.

Welcome to the SJHL simulation playoffs. The league is simulating the rest of the playoffs using computer controlled teams in the NHL 20 video game.

“I saw a lot of different leagues doing simulations and I thought it was a really cool idea,” says Tanner Goetz, who helped organize the tournament.

The Yorkton Terriers are currently facing off against the Melfort Mustangs in the championship round. The tournament is just for bragging rights, but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of fans from tuning in on a regular basis.

“You can’t cancel passion, and so seeing all the fans come through in a different way was evident of the passion of the SJHL,” says Goetz.

Goetz pitched the idea of the playoff simulation to the SJHL, and while it is a video game, the individual virtual player’s skills are based on reality.

Alex Watson spent weeks inputting the real SJHL data into the simulation, designing the jerseys, and even ensuring all the players had the league sponsored Sherwood hockey sticks.

“For the high leading goal scorers in the game, they got the best shooting categories. And for the leaders in assists, they got the best passing categories,” said Watson.

The detail doesn’t stop there. The duo felt adding real broadcasters to announce to game would take the production to another level.

“Having the real life commentators trying to make it as realistic as possible, seems kind of weird having this big thing for a video game, but the more stuff you have it makes it more real,” says Watson.

Darren Dupont is a play by play broadcaster for U Sports football and he admits you can never replace the real action of sports, but the simulation is a unique substitute.

“It’s not that weird, you quickly realize that you’re just calling a hockey game,” said Dupont.

The final series between Yorkton and Melfort can be streamed on the SJHL Twitch channel or on demand from SaskTel. The broadcast schedule can be found on the SJHL website.