It's Tuesday Night, it's after 6 PST, I think he is a couple times zones earlier than the pacific coast, so he's going to a later starting than 8pm hockey game? Don't make sense to me.
The game started at 10pm.
It is kinda a weird side effect of the Covid shutdown and then re-opening of arenas.
Leagues now play very late because they can only get late ice times. It is actually pretty idiotic. I can explain, not that a bonehead like you will be able to follow.
Cities run the rinks around here. I live in a what we call twin cities. Both cities have the same guideline regarding booking ice time that has been in place for years and years. First, minor hockey gets their choice of ice time for games and practices. Then they book ice time for other leagues (which are all adult leagues) and individuals/private groups (who usually play pickup or shinny hockey).
Now when you have an ice time one year, you get first dibs on the same ice time the next year. It just always worked that leagues had earlier times.
So pre-Covid, minor hockey had times from right after school (for practices) and early evening for games. Then the adult leagues got the times after that. Then the individuals/private groups got their ice times. So the adult hockey leagues generally had times from 8pm-11pm and the shinny guys had the later times...say between 10pm and 1am. There are a bunch of arenas, so do not let the overlapping times hurt your brain. At the 10pm time slot, some arenas would have adult leagues, some would have shinny/pickup hockey. But, generally, league game times were earlier and the shinny/pickup times for private groups were later.
Then Covid shut it all down. Nobody was allowed to book ice time.
Then as the lockdowns were lifted, people could get ice time, but everyone had to stay in their "bubble". So you could get ice time if you were going to always play with the same small group of people. So leagues could not function - there are too many players on different teams in leagues. So since the leagues could not book the better ice times, the individuals and private groups that play shinny and pickup hockey were able to book the earlier ice times. And when restrictions were lifted, the leagues were only able to book the later ice times.
So in 2019 and earlier, arenas would generally have minor practice, then minor games, then adult leagues games, then shinny or pickup hockey.
Since Covid, arenas now generally have minor practice, then minor games, then shinny or pickup hockey, then adult leagues games.
That is why.
The games I reffed.
Earlier this evening.
Started.
At 10pm.