Update on Health Regulations Violations

Message from the President

Fines & Suspensions for Rule Breakers

Good Day Members,

I have heard you loud and clear. I apologize. The tone of my message yesterday was wrong, I should have consulted with leaders in the zones first and I should have acknowledged all the people who are doing things right, including coaches.  

This is not a witch hunt. We have always strived for an education first process and we understand the fluidity of the rules makes it challenging to continually adapt to changing regulations. This enforcement is geared towards anyone who chooses to repeatedly ignore the Hockey Edmonton Return to Play guidelines.

As I mentioned, we have received reports of behaviour which potentially puts our members’ health at risk. We are responsible for helping to create a safe sport to play and, in order to keep everyone safe, we need to follow the guidelines in order to help drive down the number of COVID-19 cases. We are working towards a return to game action and the last thing we want is behaviour that could derail everyone’s desire to get back to playing games. In a worse case scenario, such behaviour helps spike COVID-19 numbers and leads to arenas being shut down again.  

My letter went too far too fast but I wanted to emphasize we must stop any looseness with the rules, any looking for any gray areas to exploit or any searching for loopholes to slip through - and we must hold each other accountable.

You have held me accountable in regards to my message. You called me out and rightfully so. I appreciate your passion and all you do for us, the kids and the sport.

Together, let’s continue to bring our best efforts on and off the ice so we can finally get the upper hand in this fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus and get back to playing the game we love.

Sincerely,

Joe Spatafora

President

Hockey Edmonton