WHL's Rebels to live in suites of home rink for 2021 season

The Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels will live in their home rink's suites for the shortened 2021 season.

Here's a partial look at the layout:

The WHL will begin a 24-game season on Feb. 26. Red Deer's players will be stationed at Westerner Park Centrium rather than using billets.

"We agreed it would be the safest thing to do, the right thing to do, to make it work the best we could, to make sure we were following all the protocols and guidelines to be able to make it work. A lot of time and effort by everyone involved," Rebels owner Brent Sutter told the Red Deer Advocate.

The Rebels are providing plenty of entertainment for the players, including basketball nets, spikeball, and ping pong tables throughout the rink's concourse.

Red Deer will only play other teams located in Alberta throughout the season to limit travel.

No fans are permitted at games for the entirety of the season.