About twenty sticks are in the middle of the ice. Correctly trained teams. And “fun” rediscover the game of hockey against your friends and teammates.
This is what awaits the players of Quebec in the coming weeks, given the decision of Hockey Quebec to cancel all matches in its federation until January 9, inclusive.
So there are no sanctioned matches. But training will allow.
For Jocelyn Thibault, CEO of Quebec Hockey, this is an opportunity to attract “the creativity of coaches and stakeholders in the field.”
“I think there is a way in the coming weeks to bring fun to our young people,” Tibow said in a video conference on Tuesday. […] They’ll have just as much fun getting together, as per health measures, with the hope of getting back into competition later in January or February. ”
To be able to continue to skate and be involved in team training, I think that’s a very positive thing.
Jocelyn Tebow
The epidemiological situation in Quebec is clear. Cases have been skyrocketing for a week.
If there is still potential to keep some hockey games, it’s best to play with caution, according to Thibault. That’s what Hockey Quebec’s board of directors did by canceling all games, including hockey games.
“It was the right decision,” he assures us. We are part of the collective effort and we take this role very seriously. ”
Photo by Robert Skinner, press archives
Hockey players on the same team will be able to play games…with each other.
measures
Thus, young hockey players will be able to continue skating and shooting towards the net. But by respecting some actions.
Most importantly, there will be a maximum of 25 people on the ice at all times. Including coaches and interventionists, if possible.
There may be a few individuals on the bench, but with a distance of two metres.
For younger players, it will be possible to have a parent or accompanying person in the stands.
“Often having a parent is critical to exercise,” says Jocelyn Thibault. Public health tolerate a parent or accompanying person. He must be a vaccinated person. ”
Changing rooms have a maximum capacity of 50%, with physical spacing. If outbreaks are few at mini hockey in Quebec during the fall, Thibault stresses that the stakes have been raised in the locker room.
In general, most small outbreaks that have occurred have occurred in the locker room. With training capacity at 50% in the coming weeks, we will achieve an even more interesting distance.
Jocelyn Tebow
The measures were announced on Tuesday. However, François Legault announced on Twitter that he will announce his latest decisions regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
So, will Tuesday’s announcement end the next day?
“We are always at the mercy of additional standards,” he warns. For now, these are the applicable measures. ”
“What we hear is that we have an end raw to spend. We hope that when the holidays return, we will be able as soon as possible, somewhere in January, to resume activities as normally as possible. ”
There is still a lot to say when, or if, canceled tournaments and matches will resume through January 9.
“The situation has changed a lot in the past four or five days, we were all surprised by how bad it was. […] We’ll try to replace the games later in the season, but as we talk, at the county level in general, we’re at some point in crisis management. We want to limit the damage and spread as much as possible. ”
“There are a lot of answers that we don’t have right now.”