The sweep of cancellations in the world of sports on Thursday due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic included some devastating news for a group of 13-and-14-year-olds.
Hockey Canada’s announcement to cancel all sanctioned activity means the South Delta A1 Storm won’t be going to 100 Mile House next week for the Bantam Tier 2 Provincial Championships.
The Storm earned South Delta Minor Hockey Association its first BC tournament berth in recent memory with an impressive playoff run that included winning the Pacific Coast Amateur Tier Two Final Four Championship 10 days ago.
“Without question, this an unprecedented period of difficulty for the sports world. The health and safety of all participants in sport, including players, coaches, staff, officials, fans, family, volunteers and the general public, is of the utmost importance to Hockey Canada,” said Hockey Canada’s Tom Renney, Chief Executive Officer, and Scott Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer in a prepared statement.
“We recognize the tremendous effort that has been put forth all year by individuals across the country as they participate in Canada’s game. Although it is difficult to process the hockey season ending abruptly, we feel this is the best course of action in order to do our part in keeping our country safe.”
Sanctioned events includes all practices and games for all Hockey Canada members and Associations https://t.co/8e6WxZEFVA
— BC Hockey (@BCHockey_Source) March 13, 2020
The Greater Vancouver Canadians — second place finishers of the new BC Major Bantam Hockey League — won’t be having playoffs either. Their roster featured South Delta players who were one-time teammates of the A1 Storm members.
The announcement also immediately suspended the Canadian Sport Hockey League Championships that were already underway in Penticton. Among the divisions that were still to be decided was the high-profile Bantam Prep that included Delta Hockey Academy’s Green team — considered one of the gold medal favourites.
Also halted were the BC Hockey League and Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs. The Cyclone Taylor Cup Provincial Junior “B” Championship was also scheduled for 100 Mile House in mid-April. The Delta Hawks are expected to be rewarded the 2021 tournament but now tough decisions await BC Hockey on what to do with the host cities of the 2020 championships.
The Delta Skating Club also announced late Thursday it won’t proceed with its popular year-end ice show that was scheduled for tonight at the Ladner Leisure Centre. Since all the participants have been working hard on the performances, the hope is to reschedule the show in the near future.
