Covid-19 and rec/minor hockey

Porter Stoutheart

We Got Wood
Jun 14, 2017
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You should be playing...

We had a outbreak at a local rink that really nobody is talking about Cluster Of COVID Cases In Teams At Middletown Sports Complex

I play at the Red Bank Armory in Central NJ and our league just started again the other day after their compressors somehow got destroyed in early August due to some really rough storms that hit us. Red Bank has done an awful job in regards to the pandemic. They are mostly on the ball with their kids programs, keeping parents out of the rink, and directing traffic during sessions, but the adult hockey is a joke. There is a single employee on premises at night, he drives the Zamboni, so nobody directs traffic, takes temperatures, or cleans anything for 6-8 hours at a time. It's only a matter of time until we have an outbreak.

People come in with masks, but mostly toss them off as soon as they get in the lobby but that's about it. They taped the benches in the lobby at some point, but nobody has any idea what the hell any of that means. There is no enforcement of anything because there is only a single employee who works at night, and he's busy doing maintenance, not enforcing Covid restrictions.
There should be a an onus on whatever local public health officials mandate these things to really determine if hockey - rec leagues, minor, pickup, whatever - are contributing seriously to "outbreaks" or case counts, etc... or not.

I have no idea. The rink precautions in my area have been adhered to pretty well. That is maybe 20 rinks. I don't know of anybody who tested positive. But that is anecdotal. We have enough data and tracing and knowledge nowadays to do more targeted shutdowns if that becomes necessary. I hope that is taken into consideration in the 2nd wave approach. :dunno:
 
Jan 21, 2011
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Recently played a scrimmage with my ball hockey team at our local outdoor arena. Visiting team had about 8-9 guys, we had about 7-8. Played for about one hour.

Our league has mandated that nobody can stay/hang out after games, no spitting on the court, no sharing of equipment and the use one stick if possible. I played defense since I didn't want to join the rush and get involved in the corners LOL.

I *was* looking forward to joining this new season that lasted until late November, but my fiancée is newly pregnant(!!!) and she has a mild case of asthma. She wants me to play and have fun, but we are also worried about the possibility of getting it.
 
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Filthy Dangles

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Congrats on the pregnancy.

that's a tough situation with wanting to play hockey but also wanting to protect your family the best you can. stay safe
 
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Devil Dancer

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Jan 21, 2006
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For those of you playing, what are facilities doing about player benches? I'm much more worried about sitting next to a hard breathing teammate between shifts than I am about anything on the ice itself.
 

Yukon Joe

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For those of you playing, what are facilities doing about player benches? I'm much more worried about sitting next to a hard breathing teammate between shifts than I am about anything on the ice itself.

First, I absolutely agree that I feel perfectly safe out on the ice. It's a large open area with generally good ventilation.

The benches? Nothing really. For my kids minor hockey they've made teams a little bit smaller so that there's more room out on the bench. But I also played my first adult rec hockey game of the winter season - at an old arena with small benches and small change rooms. And other than asking people to arrive late and leave early, no other real precautions were taken. I was wearing a mask in the dressing room, but I was the only one.
 
Jan 21, 2011
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Massachusetts
Congrats on the pregnancy.

that's a tough situation with wanting to play hockey but also wanting to protect your family the best you can. stay safe

Thank you! :)

Our league has drastically cut down the teams from 9 to just 4. By the looks of it, there are only 10 people for each roster. We all know how teams work right? Lol, one doesn't show up, one never shows up, one shows up late, etc. Games are about 30-35 minutes and an extra half hour of a break in between games so less of a chance of it being contracted through that

For those of you playing, what are facilities doing about player benches? I'm much more worried about sitting next to a hard breathing teammate between shifts than I am about anything on the ice itself.

When I played the scrimmage the other day, there were three of us on the bench and we were all spaced out. I think people respect that. I think the refs (for us) wipe down the bench and door handles afterwords. Really trying to minimize contact with this thing.
 

Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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For those of you playing, what are facilities doing about player benches? I'm much more worried about sitting next to a hard breathing teammate between shifts than I am about anything on the ice itself.

Nothing. what can you really do besides try to space out and distance as much as you can? And if you have a full bench, not much you can do in that regard.
 
Jan 21, 2011
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Massachusetts
Nothing. what can you really do besides try to space out and distance as much as you can? And if you have a full bench, not much you can do in that regard.

Have you noticed this at your rink? That is where I would have to draw the line unfortunately. Until COVID is deemed 'manageable', I can't see myself playing on a full team with 20 guys on each squad until things have settled.

I feel like playing outdoors in my scenario is 'safer'; the play is slower, and people are spread further out than ice where there is constant moving and a compact space. My outdoor rink looks similar to this where it's ultra-wide:

2b3789c71887007701002410daec6c80.jpg
 

Aces89

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Apr 22, 2020
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Continuing our open challenge series while waiting for our season to start still. Anyone else playing league play?
 

Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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Have you noticed this at your rink? That is where I would have to draw the line unfortunately. Until COVID is deemed 'manageable', I can't see myself playing on a full team with 20 guys on each squad until things have settled.

I feel like playing outdoors in my scenario is 'safer'; the play is slower, and people are spread further out than ice where there is constant moving and a compact space. My outdoor rink looks similar to this where it's ultra-wide:

View attachment 370303

Yeah, we don't have 20 guys but in the 12-13 range and it's still practically impossible to socially distance. It is what it is. I already had the illness so im not too concerned about getting ill again or spreading it to people in my household. (I know there's questions about immunity and what not).

That's a beautiful rink though
 
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Yukon Joe

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Yeah, we don't have 20 guys but in the 12-13 range and it's still practically impossible to socially distance. It is what it is. I already had the illness so im not too concerned about getting ill again or spreading it to people in my household. (I know there's questions about immunity and what not).

That's a beautiful rink though


Yeah, the thinking here is not so much social distancing, but cohorts. We're in a cohort with 2 other teams right now - we play both teams twice in a 2 week period, then two weeks off. So if someone catches Covid and it spreads, it only spreads at max through 3 teams.

Problem though is overlapping cohorts. I'm also in cohorts for each of my kids 3 teams. If I come down with Covid tomorrow an awful lot of people will need to be notifed, and should then isolate and get tested.
 

Porter Stoutheart

We Got Wood
Jun 14, 2017
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Yeah, the thinking here is not so much social distancing, but cohorts. We're in a cohort with 2 other teams right now - we play both teams twice in a 2 week period, then two weeks off. So if someone catches Covid and it spreads, it only spreads at max through 3 teams.

Problem though is overlapping cohorts. I'm also in cohorts for each of my kids 3 teams. If I come down with Covid tomorrow an awful lot of people will need to be notifed, and should then isolate and get tested.
And most of those kids go to different schools, so each one of them is in another kind of cohort with their classmates, and many have siblings who have classmates and other activities and so on and so on and so on... it's just so much interconnection now with school and activities going that wasn't there when they were sitting on the couch playing Fortnite all day. Basically we're in cohorts with over 1,000 kids once you run all these links down. Not much to do about it, though. Just keeping the fingers crossed. :crossfing
 

MaxR11

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Mar 28, 2017
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Yeah, we don't have 20 guys but in the 12-13 range and it's still practically impossible to socially distance. It is what it is. I already had the illness so im not too concerned about getting ill again or spreading it to people in my household. (I know there's questions about immunity and what not).

That's a beautiful rink though

Do you think you got covid from hockey? Was it fairly mild/short lived?
 
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Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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Do you think you got covid from hockey? Was it fairly mild/short lived?

No, co-worker.

Mild symptoms but they lasted several days. (a couple weeks-ish, so yeah kinda long)

Here's my post detailing my experience with it from the Covid board.

Had it in April. Relatively Healthy Male in my 20's.

Minor symptoms, no taste or smell, minor aches and pains in legs and back, slight malaise. But I could function almost normally, if I needed too. But I did the right thing and quarantined myself for almost a month. The only bad parts were 2 nights I had excruciating migraines. The ones that hurt so bad you struggle to find the perfect position to lie down in without it feeling like you're gonna die from the pain. The pain preventing you from falling asleep....

I made an easy and full recovery. No lingering effects or damage.

What i found odd was my first emerging symptoms before my taste and smell went, were the distortion of taste and smell. I remember one morning at work drying to drink a coffee and eat an orgaange, the coffee tasted like dirt and the orange tasted like drain cleaner. This continued for a couple days before the taste and smell completely went. I wonder if anyone else had similar experience.
 
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MaxR11

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Mar 28, 2017
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No, co-worker.

Mild symptoms but they lasted several days. (a couple weeks-ish, so yeah kinda long)

Here's my post detailing my experience with it from the Covid board.

Thanks for sharing. Yikes, those bad migraines don't strike me as normal or mild though. Glad you're fully recovered though.
 
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Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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Thanks for sharing. Yikes, those bad migraines don't strike me as normal or mild though. Glad you're fully recovered though.

Yeah, it was only 2 nights and they were short-lived but very severe. I looked it up and bad migraines/headaches are a somewhat common symptom and experience.
 

JMCx4

Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Sep 3, 2017
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From: The Portland (ME) Press Herald > Local & State
Maine CDC continues investigation into hockey arena COVID exposures
By Joe Lawlor
Staff Writer
Posted October 9, Updated October 9

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that it is continuing its investigation of the coronavirus exposures of approximately 400 people from a COVID-19 positive referee who worked eight recreational hockey games in Maine and New Hampshire last weekend.

The agency said it is ramping up contact tracing to ensure that any people who were exposed and contract COVID-19 don’t infect others. ...

The hockey referee investigation began Thursday afternoon and involves the agency’s contact tracers tracking down hundreds of people to inform them that they should quarantine for 14 days and get tested for COVID-19. ...

New Hampshire officials also are involved because one of the games last Saturday was in Laconia, N.H. ...

Read more at: Maine CDC continues investigation into hockey arena COVID exposures
 

Yukon Joe

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Aug 3, 2011
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Had my first hit today. So far my kids teams are only playing against a single other team from the same hockey club. My 2012 kid received notice today that someone from the other team tested positive. Game was cancelled, the other team (whom we shared the ice with yesterday for a practice) was off the ice and we had a full-ice practice instead.

We shall see what happens from here.
 
Jan 21, 2011
5,149
3,801
Massachusetts
Had my first hit today. So far my kids teams are only playing against a single other team from the same hockey club. My 2012 kid received notice today that someone from the other team tested positive. Game was cancelled, the other team (whom we shared the ice with yesterday for a practice) was off the ice and we had a full-ice practice instead.

We shall see what happens from here.

My ball hockey league had a similar case back in August. They cancelled games for two weeks and the player in question needed to provide repeated negative tests. Everything else has been going fine without a hitch so far..
 

Aces89

Registered User
Apr 22, 2020
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Men's team is still doing our open challenge games. We got a message on our league website that we're still waiting for the league to relax some of its rules so maybe play a half season. We are working on setting up our own tournament in December.

 

Slats432

Registered User
Jun 2, 2002
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We have had a series of players have to isolate due to being close contact with other kids who were COVID Positive. We cancelled two practices and an exhibition game because we would be down 4-5 players and we want to wait for results of tests to come back.
 

JMCx4

Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Sep 3, 2017
13,476
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St. Louis, MO
From: WBZ4-CBS Boston
Massachusetts Ice Rinks Shut Down After Coronavirus Cases Rise

October 22, 2020 at 11:58 pm

BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts will pause all activity at indoor ice rinks and ice skating facilities for two weeks due to a rise in coronavirus cases.

Health officials said Thursday night there have been at least 30 clusters of COVID-19 associated with indoor ice hockey involving people from more than 60 communities in the state. Each cluster includes two or more confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases, totaling 108 confirmed cases.

The new public health order prohibits indoor ice rinks and ice skating facilities from operating from October 23, 2020 to November 7, 2020. College and professional programs are exempt from this order. ...

Read & See more at: Massachusetts Ice Rinks Shut Down After Coronavirus Cases Rise
 
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