HOCKEY NOVA SCOTIA UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

HOCKEY NOVA SCOTIA UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

On Thursday, March 12, the Hockey Canada Board of Directors made the decision to cancel all Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities until further notice due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This means that effective today, the 2019-20 hockey season has been cancelled and it will not resume at a later date.

This is a decision that Hockey Nova Scotia fully supports.

Hockey Nova Scotia’s first priority is the health, safety, and well-being of our players, coaches, staff, officials, fans, families, volunteers, and the general public.

Below, we have answered some of the questions that we have been receiving from our membership.

We will provide more information to you as soon as it is made available to us.

We thank you for your understanding and support. We truly appreciate your patience and cooperation during these extraordinary circumstances.

Thank you,

The Hockey Nova Scotia Team

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

 Q. Is the hockey season cancelled?

 A. Yes, the 2019-20 season has been cancelled. It will not resume. This cancellation includes ALL Hockey Canada-sanctioned events.

 Q. What are Hockey Canada-sanctioned events?

 A. All hockey events that fall under the governance of Hockey Canada and Hockey Nova Scotia. This includes ALL practices, games, tournaments, camps, provincial championships, Hockey Nova Scotia Day of Champions games, try-outs, team identification (ID) camps, off-ice team activities, and team activities.

 Q. Does this include upcoming spring identification (ID) camps?

 A. Yes, this includes all ID camps.

 Q. Does the cancellation of the season mean our team cannot practice?

 A. Yes. All practices are cancelled. All Hockey Canada-sanctioned events have been cancelled for the 2019-20 season.

 Q. Does this include the Hockey Nova Scotia High Performance Program (HPP) spring camp?

 A. Yes. The HPP spring camp has been cancelled. Hockey Nova Scotia will be contacting all of those players who signed up for the spring camp on Friday, March 13 to provide more information.

 Q. Does this include private hockey programs, private spring hockey programs, and other non-sanction hockey leagues?

 A. Private spring hockey programs and other non-sanctioned leagues operate outside of Hockey Nova Scotia’s bylaws and regulations. If they continue to operate, they would be doing so of their own accord. 

 Q. Did Hockey Nova Scotia make this decision?

 A. The Hockey Canada Board of Directors made the decision based on the health and well-being of its membership and community at large, including players, coaches, staff, officials, fans, family, volunteers, and the general public. The Hockey Nova Scotia Board of Directors fully supports this decision.

 Q. Will 2020 Atlantic championship hosts be given right-of-first-refusal to host the events again next season?

 A. Yes, all associations that were hosting 2020 Atlantic championships will be given right-of-first-refusal to host in 2021.

 Q. Will 2020 provincial championship hosts be given right-of-first-refusal to host the events next season?

 A. Yes, all associations that were hosting 2020 provincial championship tournaments will be given right-of-first-refusal to host in 2021.

 Q. Will teams who advanced and qualified for the 2020 Hockey Nova Scotia Day of Champions be awarded the conference championship banner?

 Yes, all conference winners will receive championship banners.

 Q. When will hockey resume again?

 A. Currently, there is no timeline for resuming Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities and events. We will notify our membership as soon as we learn more from Hockey Canada.