The Washington Capitals messaged their season-ticket holder base on Tuesday morning. The Capitals addressed the uncertainty of the 2020-21 season which is expected to begin on January 13 and feature a 56-game schedule.

According to the team, fans will not be allowed into the building at the beginning of the season due to the worsening coronavirus pandemic, but the team holds out hope they will be able to open up Capital One Arena at some point later in the year.

A season ticket holder, who asked not to be named, forwarded to us what the team sent out.

Here’s the important snippet:

We wanted to update you on the current situation regarding next season. Since the early days of the pandemic, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to do everything within our power to welcome guests back to Capital One Arena as soon as safely possible and in a manner that prioritizes the health and safety of our fans, players, and employees. We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from our Club Red 365 Members for our organization during these difficult times. Our Season Ticket Members have always and continue to be the lifeblood of our organization.

We continue to work diligently with local health and government officials to identify all protocols that will facilitate a safe return to live events as soon as practically possible. At this time, while we remain hopeful for the potential to host fans at Capitals games at some point during the 2020-21 season, we must begin the season without our loyal fans in attendance. While we are unable to commit to any specific ticket plans or seat locations at this time, Club Red 365 Members will receive priority access to purchase all available ticket products when the time comes that we may begin to invite fans back into Capital One Arena. Information regarding ticket products will be available at that time.

The team is also applying a bonus credit to each season ticket holder’s account “equal to 3 percent of the total value of total cash payments paid to date toward your 2020-21 membership.”

The Capitals will look to win their sixth straight division title this season under new head coach Peter Laviolette. Alex Ovechkin currently sits eighth all-time in goals with 708. Training Camps are expected to open on January 1.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB