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Covid-19 – The Steps Back to the Ice


Colander

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Hockey is returning to Calgary as of June 19th. I got ice booked for that evening. These are the guidelines I got from the arena operator:

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One thing before I get into the guidelines is all ice rentals are still subject to time tweaking. It will depend on regulations are more clearly presented by Alberta Health Services (AHS). I am hopeful not much tweaking will be required, but I want everyone to understand that ice times may be reduced by 10 minutes to vacate the building if we are forced to have the building vacated after every rental. I will keep you posted.

People have been asking for some guidance. Please note this is the first draft. The final draft will be given by Monday. Some of the regulations may be more strict if AHS has strong guidelines.

1. Game Play is still not fully approved. I should know by the weekend what parameters are in place for ice rentals so expect another e-mail over the weekend or Monday.

2. Every person that enters our facility MUST do the Covid19 self check test. If ANY symptoms are present, do not enter the building. This is very important! Symptoms include but not limited to: coughing, soar throat, FEVER... Please be smart.

3. When entering the facility, please use appropriate doors. The entrance and exits will be marked with arrows. Please use the normal entrance to our facility as upstairs will be closed to our users for a while.

4. Maximum players allowed are 22 (includes goalies) with a catch. Our dressing rooms can only accommodate 8 players per room with proper social distancing. You will be offered 2 dressing rooms, Therefore, if you have more than 16 athletes, some players must come dressed. It is hopeful that all youth athletes will come mostly dressed. There will be no dressing in the hallways. Skates can be put on in the players boxes once the group before you has vacated and the boxes have been sanitized by our awesome staff. It is up to the coaches to ensure that locker rooms are not over the 8 person capacity! Do not ask for a third dressing room as it won't be available.

5. We are asking that NO spectators come to the facility. It is strictly a drive and drop/pickup system. If it is absolutely necessary to have a parent it will be allowed for special circumstances. For example, medical issues or timbit players needing help with skates. Please discourage any parents from hanging around the arena at this time... I know that socializing is a big part of hockey, but we aren't at that level just yet. Patience is key at this stage.

6. Please have your athletes show up for ice times no more than 15 minutes in advance. The arenas will need to be sanitized in between rentals so it is key that we keep an organized plan so AHS does not shut us down. When you show up to our facility go directly to one of the assigned dressing rooms and get ready to play. You must stay in there until the operator blows the horn for you to come out. Again the arena will be sanitized during flood times so it is important to allow our awesome staff the room to do their jobs. After your ice time, you will have 15 minutes to vacate the facility. Showers will be limited to 1 person at a time. Please stay in your seating area until it is your turn to use the shower. It is strongly recommended you ask your players to shower at home.

7. All vending machines and the water fountain are not in operation. Please have your players fill up water bottles at home.

8. A no-brainer... NO SPITTING!!!

9. ....more to come

Anyone not abiding by the rules in place will forfeit their ice privileges.

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At least you can use the dressing room and shower even if they only give you 15mins.  Reading about guys having to show up part dressed and going home all sweaty, not sure how I'd handle that.  Hopefully our rinks in Winnipeg will allow for dressing rooms and showers as well.

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18 minutes ago, daffy said:

At least you can use the dressing room and shower even if they only give you 15mins.  Reading about guys having to show up part dressed and going home all sweaty, not sure how I'd handle that.  Hopefully our rinks in Winnipeg will allow for dressing rooms and showers as well.

So far the ice times here in Vancouver have allowed you to use the dressing rooms (albeit in limited quantity) and bathrooms. They have turned off the showers though. 

It definitely sucks, but I'll take it over having to show up dressed or not getting ice time at all.

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Yep at least you are out there.  Have a buddy starting to play next week.  Getting more impatient to play as I hear about all you guys getting the skates on again.  If I can't shower then so be it, I just want to get back out there!

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I mean, 15 minutes to clear the room means we can theoretically use the shower, but practically speaking? No. Especially if they're limiting it to one person at a time. I know that I'll be arriving and going home half-dressed, and using my own shower, because I hate racing against a clock to get my gear off.

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My rink, as I posted earlier, is also doing no locker rooms/no showers. What I do is put on my underclothing at home (underarmor type shirt, socks, compression pants, drive to the rink like that, and have a pair of ratty shorts and shirt in my hockey bag for after the game. At the rink, I put on my knee guards, cup, and pants in the parking lot, then walk in with the rest of my gear (and wearing a mask) to get dressed on their designated social distancing chairs. After the game I just get undressed and changed into the shorts/shirt that I brought as quick as possible and then go home to shower.

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13 hours ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

Looks like the ASHL is coming back here in Toronto, 4 vs 4, only 8 players while 4 on the bench.  No penalties, get a penalty shot rewarded for one, no faceoffs.

I'm sure most got the email.  This starts in July I believe.

Some of the stupidest rules I've seen. Why even bother playing?

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1 hour ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Some of the stupidest rules I've seen. Why even bother playing?

364042608_WhatsAppImage2020-06-17at16_29_24.thumb.jpeg.28c55377aa496ff6a507ae048917ef32.jpeg1494291318_WhatsAppImage2020-06-17at16_29_30.thumb.jpeg.1025ba50af5757ff84782c3f97234969.jpeg

My thoughts exactly! I love playing net as much as the next guy BUT not when it's a neutered version of what hockey is and should be. Why rush back so soon? I've told both of my teams that I am not coming back until we have a better understanding of COVID (looking out for the health of my family members vs. hockey) and only when we can do what we do best...drink beers with the boys before and after the game in the locker room with a little hockey sandwiched in between! 

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The reality is, the more rules there are, the more there is to police. At some point people (both participants and enforcers) fall into a comfort (or more likely, apathy) zone that typically falls short of the rules.

I am all for following the rules and trying to flatten the curve, but we are presently in a time where people are sanitizing the pin pad after I tap my credit card – not too sure what that is doing.

BTW – I keep seeing where they say no spitting on the ice – that’s such a natural occurrence inn hockey that I suspect if they were to enforce it everyone would be off the ice less than 5 minutes into a game.

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18 minutes ago, Colander said:

The reality is, the more rules there are, the more there is to police. At some point people (both participants and enforcers) fall into a comfort (or more likely, apathy) zone that typically falls short of the rules.

I am all for following the rules and trying to flatten the curve, but we are presently in a time where people are sanitizing the pin pad after I tap my credit card – not too sure what that is doing.

BTW – I keep seeing where they say no spitting on the ice – that’s such a natural occurrence inn hockey that I suspect if they were to enforce it everyone would be off the ice less than 5 minutes into a game.

Even is no one spat on the ice, the fact that we're breathing openly negates any benefit.

My private skates were supposed to be strictly stick and pucks but they've transitioned into scrimmages really damn quick. These rules are more about corporate liability than anything relating to actually caring for safety. ASHL is taking all the steps they can to ensure that they're seen as vigilant in the COVID fight as possible.

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20 hours ago, Colander said:

BTW – I keep seeing where they say no spitting on the ice – that’s such a natural occurrence inn hockey that I suspect if they were to enforce it everyone would be off the ice less than 5 minutes into a game.

When I coach, I constantly tell the kids that the ice is just frozen spit.

So don't eat the snow and get up quick from the ice.

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We met with a Rep from the West Kelowna Rec Dept yesterday.  As of now there is a maximum of 12 players allowed, DRILLS ONLY - NO COMPETITION, no spitting, no dressing rooms, and we must arrive at the arena 15 minutes in advance.  Oh yeah, and no spectators.

Our ice time (3 mornings a week from early September until mid May) for the past 15+ years is subsidized under the banner of Seniors' Program 55+ and 70+ so it's dirt cheap, $5.25 for skaters, goalies free, a total of 6 ice times of 75 minutes for the 2 age groups.

We have been asked to forward "Return To Sports Plans" that "will need to align with Provincial and City Plans."

The difficulty here is that we are not looking for ice time now so there will be some crystal ball gazing in order to project what will be allowed by the fall.

As I left the arena yesterday I saw a bantam age goalie shedding his sweaty gear in the parking lot while wondering if that was my future.

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8 minutes ago, Wonder35 said:

As I left the arena yesterday I saw a bantam age goalie shedding his sweaty gear in the parking lot while wondering if that was my future.

Luckily there are some rinks here in the mainland that's allowing dressing rooms. I'm sure the interior will follow suit and you won't be subjected to the public humiliation. :rofl:

Funny enough, when I was leaving the rink on Monday, I saw a dad throw his kid (who's wearing full goalie gear) over his shoulder to carry him inside. Definitely was a sight.

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We just received our new guidelines and a poll from our Captain asking if we will return with these guidelines, Yes or No?

-locker rooms will remain off limits, even for goalies by ourselves

-we are expected to get dressed/undressed in/at our car and walk to the rink either on skates with guards or put our skates on in the lobby (which is obviously not doable for goalies) , but the lobby will only open 15 minutes prior to game time

-no congregations at all, waiting for zamboni, during warm ups, at whistles, none

-social distancing on benches and only 10 allowed on benches.  Excess players must stay off the ice outside the glass and tag in/out

A few other things as well, but this is so stupid and discouraging.  Playing hockey socially distanced without risk is not a thing.  Being on the ice playing is how we will get infected if we do at hockey.  The locker room rule for goalies is just silly.  With 4 locker rooms in each rink the any given room would be used well over an hour apart from the previous goalie.  It makes no sense, especially given that the science-of-the-hour says transmission via surfaces is highly unlikely and not really a thing.

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1 minute ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Luckily there are some rinks here in the mainland that's allowing dressing rooms. I'm sure the interior will follow suit and you won't be subjected to the public humiliation. :rofl:

Funny enough, when I was leaving the rink on Monday, I saw a dad throw his kid (who's wearing full goalie gear) over his shoulder to carry him inside. Definitely was a sight.

Ha, I'd pay to see that.

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5 hours ago, seagoal said:

We just received our new guidelines and a poll from our Captain asking if we will return with these guidelines, Yes or No?

-locker rooms will remain off limits, even for goalies by ourselves

-we are expected to get dressed/undressed in/at our car and walk to the rink either on skates with guards or put our skates on in the lobby (which is obviously not doable for goalies) , but the lobby will only open 15 minutes prior to game time

-no congregations at all, waiting for zamboni, during warm ups, at whistles, none

-social distancing on benches and only 10 allowed on benches.  Excess players must stay off the ice outside the glass and tag in/out

A few other things as well, but this is so stupid and discouraging.  Playing hockey socially distanced without risk is not a thing.  Being on the ice playing is how we will get infected if we do at hockey.  The locker room rule for goalies is just silly.  With 4 locker rooms in each rink the any given room would be used well over an hour apart from the previous goalie.  It makes no sense, especially given that the science-of-the-hour says transmission via surfaces is highly unlikely and not really a thing.

Fuck that, forget it! It's the no dressing room that did it sadly. 

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5 hours ago, seagoal said:

We just received our new guidelines and a poll from our Captain asking if we will return with these guidelines, Yes or No?

-locker rooms will remain off limits, even for goalies by ourselves

-we are expected to get dressed/undressed in/at our car and walk to the rink either on skates with guards or put our skates on in the lobby (which is obviously not doable for goalies) , but the lobby will only open 15 minutes prior to game time

-no congregations at all, waiting for zamboni, during warm ups, at whistles, none

-social distancing on benches and only 10 allowed on benches.  Excess players must stay off the ice outside the glass and tag in/out

A few other things as well, but this is so stupid and discouraging.  Playing hockey socially distanced without risk is not a thing.  Being on the ice playing is how we will get infected if we do at hockey.  The locker room rule for goalies is just silly.  With 4 locker rooms in each rink the any given room would be used well over an hour apart from the previous goalie.  It makes no sense, especially given that the science-of-the-hour says transmission via surfaces is highly unlikely and not really a thing.

Ouch man. And here I am crying about them shutting the showers off.

Are they at least going to supply a hose to wash yourselves off outside?

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24 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Ouch man. And here I am crying about them shutting the showers off.

Are they at least going to supply a hose to wash yourselves off outside?

I was hoping for at least a sprinkler to twirl in, but sadly, no. 

I told my captain as my advocate that my request is twofold: at least 30 minutes and some use of indoor space with a chair/bench.  

If they can't accommodate that because it's risky AND then allow us to play hockey where social distancing is not and will not be a thing, then I've lost hope in humanity's ability to reason. 

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