Further information from Chilliwack Minor Hockey
To everyone involved with Chilliwack Minor Hockey,
Perhaps the best way to begin this message is to pass along to all of you a memo that was sent out by BC Hockey on Friday. The message pretty much sums things up for all of us who are having to make some very tough decisions right now, but it also describes the general feelings many of us are having at this time.
It’s Friday March 13th, and things sure seem odd.
I did not receive one email last night. Usually, this is a time when my inbox is buzzing, as we are normally ramping up for BC Hockey Minor Championships, Junior playoffs are creating topics for us to deal with and our Zone playoffs have us on our toes as we deal with the close of our season. Yesterday was as busy as it normally is this time of year. I may have set a new personal record, being on the phone every minute of the day from 9am until just after 5pm. And then it all stopped.
These are strange times for BC Hockey, Hockey Canada and the world. Yesterday was the strangest day of my career in hockey administration. I hope the steps we took in cancelling the season will help to ensure that things don’t get any more difficult or strange for our hockey community.
The purpose of my note is twofold:
First, I want you to know that your BC Hockey Board and leadership team of volunteers and staff were outstanding in carrying out their work this week. Yes it was work that led to the decision to shut down hockey for the year in BC and the Yukon which makes us all sad. But regardless of the outcome it was a terrific, difficult and gut-wrenching effort, and from observing it I can tell you that we have outstanding people in this organization who care deeply about hockey, our members and our communities.
Additionally, I wanted you to know that regardless of whether or not you agree with the decisions made yesterday, that every aspect of the decision making process was carried out with the safety of our participants and our communities as our major consideration. We don’t know what the future will bring, but our decision was made in an attempt to ensure the best possible outcome for the game and for all those who enjoy it.
Whether you are a parent explaining to your player why they don’t get to play hockey anymore this year, or a hockey administrator who has to work with us through the ramifications of this unbelievably odd time for the world, we know how difficult and demanding it will be for you to continue to show leadership in this situation. We offer you our support and look forward to getting back on the ice as soon as possible.
Please be safe and make good decisions moving forward. We can’t wait to see you again at the rink.
Barry Petrachenko
Chief Executive Officer
Some general information as well in regards to Chilliwack Minor Hockey.
- Jersey and Equipment Return date has been postponed. Please hang on to all of your jerseys for the time being, but please have them ready to return with minimal notice.
- In the meantime, ensure all letters and nameplates have been removed and the jerseys are clean and on a hangar for efficient return.
- Teams are requested to place the jerseys in numerical order in the original jersey bag provided upon picking them up.
- The AGM will most likely be pushed back to sometime in June, 2020.
- Hockey Day in Chilliwack has been postponed indefinitely. The games might still be played if at all possible, even if it is into April, but that decision will not be made until it is appropriate.
- We are hopeful that we can still conduct an awards night, but in these unprecedented times, that decision will also be made at another date.
- The Free Registration draws will be made if an awards night does take place, and will still take place in some way in the event a gathering is not possible.
- Guidelines for this will also be modified to suit the situation.
- Registration dates may need to be altered, but for now, this has not changed.
- The CMHA office at Sardis Sports Centre is closed until further notice.
- Scholarship applications are still being accepted until March 31. Please click this link for further information: http://www.chilliwackminorhockey.com/content/awards-amp-scholarships
- For any questions, please email the office at info@chilliwackminorhockey.
com , or you can contact any one of the board members as well as your own divisional coordinator or director.
Be kind to each other, we are all in this together!
