Covid-19 and rec/minor hockey

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
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North Carolina's extension of lockdowns (due to a massive spike in COVID connected to widespread public irresponsibility about following the rules when things opened up slightly) have cancelled the rest of my season. If anything, I'm relieved not to have to make a choice between my family and my team.

Apparently people are still able to rent ice for private sessions, which means closed pick-up sessions will still be going on, but I'm steering well clear of that.
 
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Yukon Joe

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Aug 3, 2011
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Anyways...

Alberta announces a Phase 2 re-opening. When it comes to team sports more details need to come from the hockey organizing bodies. But the idea is that you play in a "cohort group" of up to 50. So for hockey I imagine it would look like you always play against the same 1 or 2 other teams presumably from the same club or region. It's a hell of a lot better than no hockey so I'll take it.

So I'm signed up. League calls it a summer "World Cup" style tournament. 4 teams of 10 skaters plus a goalie. No substitutions or spares allowed unless they're from one of the other 3 teams. Play a 3 game round robin, then a semi final and then final, so 5 games total over July and August. They haven't said but I'm sure you're supposed to be in and out of the dressing rooms - no after game beer.

Numbers in Alberta have ticked up slightly, but are still quite low so I'm okay with it. Not sure I'd be as okay if I was in some parts of the US.
 

Toonces

They should have kept Shjon Podein...
Feb 23, 2003
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New Jersey
North Carolina's extension of lockdowns (due to a massive spike in COVID connected to widespread public irresponsibility about following the rules when things opened up slightly) have cancelled the rest of my season. If anything, I'm relieved not to have to make a choice between my family and my team.

Apparently people are still able to rent ice for private sessions, which means closed pick-up sessions will still be going on, but I'm steering well clear of that.

Over by us our rink told us last weekend they were eyeing a 7/6 restart to leagues, I don't think that's going to happen though. Ice rentals started a week ago and there has been some activity. Me and five other friends who have been distancing properly rented the small sheet of ice at our local rink just to mess around for an hour. None of us had been on the ice since this all began so it was nice to play around for a bit. Three of those guys rented out the big ice for about 20 people tonight, something that I'm not prepared to do with a two week old baby in the house.

We played like 5 games out of a 14 + playoffs schedule so it's going to be interesting to see what happens when they finally do start the league up again. I'm not sure what to do with a young child in the house.
 
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shoeshine boy

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Aug 14, 2008
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our local beer league re-started last Monday. we've already got our first confirmed case. guy played Monday in our Over35 league, started feeling bad Tuesday and now he's hospitalized on a respirator. :eek:
 

Game suspension

Registered User
Feb 11, 2018
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So my arena in downtown Chicago has cancelled the summer league and is just renting out the ice with major safety restrictions. The speculation is that the arenas will be needed for practice by the NHL teams when Chicago is named a hub city. Perfect timing for the owner.
 

Slats432

Registered User
Jun 2, 2002
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Rec league in Edmonton started yesterday. Refs only ref one division for the entire summer. 4 team division with 11 max players. No subs allowed so if you show up with 7, play with 7.

I am reffing. Will dress at home. Show up at rink, put my skates on and use an electronic whistle.
 
Jan 21, 2011
5,146
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Massachusetts
Why not? I played outdoor roller a couple of weeks ago in a N95 equivalent mask. It sucked but beat sitting at home, and I felt pretty safe.

I mean, the "it sucked" is pertinent. Playing a full-on game of competitive hockey while restricting your air flow with a cloth mask would be inadvisable, bordering on dangerous.

I was just going to ask regarding this. My outdoor roller league is starting back up again, and the guy running it will be giving out masks. I typcially play with my helmet that has a cage but I wonder if wearing a helmet + a mask will do more harm than good.

I want to play and be competitive, but not looking forward to some backlash like I've seen with some friends on Social Media playing sports again.
 

Devil Dancer

Registered User
Jan 21, 2006
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I mean, the "it sucked" is pertinent. Playing a full-on game of competitive hockey while restricting your air flow with a cloth mask would be inadvisable, bordering on dangerous.
Why would it be inadvisable or dangerous? What are you basing that on?
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
84,977
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Why would it be inadvisable or dangerous? What are you basing that on?

Exercising While Wearing a Mask

In general, having your airways blocked during exercise is just not great. It impacts your body's high-stress performance -- namely, it increases the amount of effort needed for your heart to pump oxygen to your brain.

If you're doing aerobics or playing basketball, that's a performance issue. Maybe you get a little sluggish and play poorly, maybe you get overheated and need to take a break. That's what I mean by inadvisable.

If you're playing hockey, you're never more than one wrong turn from getting freight-trained in traffic. You're never more than a lost edge from a blown-out joint or broken bone. Being out there with your head swimming from oxygen deprivation is asking for something like that to happen. That's what I mean by, bordering on dangerous.
 

Yukon Joe

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Aug 3, 2011
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Dammit - read today that with the NHL selecting Edmonton as one of its bubble cities, one of the effects is they're taking the city's largest rec Centre with 4 ice sheets and handing it over to the league for practices. That's a huge amount of ice time being taken away from minor hockey - I usually spend a good chunk of my weekends out at that rec centre between my 3 kids in hockey.
 
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Primary Assist

The taste of honey is worse than none at all
Jul 7, 2010
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...If you're playing hockey...

Wearing a mask also significantly impacts your peripheral vision, which could lead to players getting steamrolled or simply just losing the puck more frequently. Definitely not a good idea when playing hockey, like you said.

Anecdotally, my sunglasses fog up in seconds when I wear my mask. I wonder if the same thing would happen to a player's visor.
 

shoeshine boy

Registered User
Aug 14, 2008
756
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just for fun last week I made my own "splash guard" to cover the holes on my newly purchased full visor. it's not perfect (nothing will be) but it's a start. I'm not playing yet since my state is setting new records for infection on a daily basis but I may take it to a public skate later this week.
Homemade Splash Guard.jpg
 
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sabresEH

Registered User
May 17, 2009
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Kelowna, BC
My league here in BC just announced a “summer series”. 6 games, no playoffs, 10 + goalie per team, distanced on the bench, arrive 15 mins before, vacate 15 mins after, etc.
 

krown

Registered User
Apr 25, 2007
63
19
vancouver
My league here in BC just announced a “summer series”. 6 games, no playoffs, 10 + goalie per team, distanced on the bench, arrive 15 mins before, vacate 15 mins after, etc.

So full 5 on 5 with 2 shifts? Regular rules?

Interesting... just played at Canlan North Van 4 on 4 ASHL with different rules for offisdes, icing, penalties, etc.

If 5 on 5 in Kelowna is allowed, maybe BC Hockey will allow 5 on 5 province wide in the fall for minor hockey.
 

sabresEH

Registered User
May 17, 2009
3,428
1,409
Kelowna, BC
So full 5 on 5 with 2 shifts? Regular rules?

Interesting... just played at Canlan North Van 4 on 4 ASHL with different rules for offisdes, icing, penalties, etc.

If 5 on 5 in Kelowna is allowed, maybe BC Hockey will allow 5 on 5 province wide in the fall for minor hockey.
Yeah it mentioned different rules to allow for fewer whistles but didn't specify. I imagine it'll be similar to what you've been playing.

I was surprised when I saw we could play 5 on 5 and it's definitely encouraging. I manage a hockey shop so it's been a little slow lately. Would love for this to lead to minor hockey playing regular 5 on 5 games.
 

Puckclektr

Registered User
Jul 15, 2004
6,235
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GTA
We have our own training facility at our work which includes an ice pad. The arena is better than the majority of municipal arenas. We will be able to play for free whenever we want with social distancing. Also open 24 hours. So even if it’s just you and a couple buddies to shoot the puck around we will still get to play.
 

Primary Assist

The taste of honey is worse than none at all
Jul 7, 2010
5,910
5,699
We have our own training facility at our work which includes an ice pad. The arena is better than the majority of municipal arenas. We will be able to play for free whenever we want with social distancing. Also open 24 hours. So even if it’s just you and a couple buddies to shoot the puck around we will still get to play.

You guys hiring?
 
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shoeshine boy

Registered User
Aug 14, 2008
756
123
more and more of our players are testing positive. for reference, we are in a state setting records for new cases on a regular basis. our governor refuses to do anything but ask people "pretty please?" to wear masks in public. our league is playing as we were before, only difference is no handshake lines and bring your own water bottle.

in our 60 team - 12 skill divisions - league we are averaging 6 forfeits a week because teams can't field enough players for various reasons. in 3 weeks we've had probably 15-20 suspected (not all have test results back) COVID cases. one team has FOUR guys who became ill.
ignorance is also running through our league. we have our fair share of guys who claim this is all a "shamdemic" including one of our younger members who said, "there's something else going through the league right now too. some kind of pneumonia or bad cold but it's not COVID." it's the South in July. it's not a bad cold :help:

fortunately, almost all of our positive players have had relatively mild cases. only 1 (that we know of) hospitalization.
one of my buddies and his wife had it. he said his worst symptom was losing his senses of smell and taste. he said everything tastes like bland oatmeal. :laugh:
 

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