Hockey Alberta cautiously optimistic about returning
Hockey Canada says drop the puck.
But only where possible.
That means here in Alberta, the green light given by the national hockey body to restart the sport is just the first step in a series of many before it’s actually go-time again.
The next is getting the word from health authorities that it’s safe to forge ahead in a return to the ice.
“It’s got to be good news — I know it’s been met with a lot of positivity, which is probably good,” said Rob Litwinski, Hockey Alberta’s chief executive officer, of Thursday’s news from Hockey Canada that its freeze on sanctioned play is finished and is directing the country’s 13 member organizations to individually determine a timetable for a safe revival.
On March 12, the decision was made to cancel all Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities across the country.
At the time, Hockey Alberta was about to conclude its season with three weekends of provincial championships before heading into its off-season of high-performance camps, including the Alberta Cup, which aids in the identification and selection of potential players for the Team Alberta program.
Of course, the move by the national authority was made to maintain the health and safety of participants and general public amid growing concerns around the coronavirus pandemic.
“That restriction has been removed,” Litwinski said. “But it’s clearly only been removed on the basis of if it works in your region or province with your health authority, and we know in this province — as of today — we’re not there right now.
“In our province right now, we all have to adhere to our health restrictions. Obviously, the most important part remains where we sit with those authorities and those regulations.”
Indeed, Hockey Canada has now left the return-to-play process up to the individual provinces and regions.
“It is imperative to note that we are not ready to return to the game across the country,” said the statement from Hockey Canada. “As we have seen in respect to flattening the curve, the impact of the pandemic varies from region to region. Permitting our members the opportunity to decide on an appropriate returnto-hockey timeline will allow them to work directly with public health authorities to determine when it is safe to return,while also implementing specific safety measures and rules within their associations and leagues.”
While Litwinski says Hockey Alberta fully supports the move by the national body, he cautions that it’s just one obstacle removed in the sport getting fully back up and running.