ALLIANCE Hockey has issued a bulletin changing the pre-game protocol for teams and officials in order to help prevent the transmission of the H1N1 Virus.
Officials:
Hockey Canada Fair Play Code – Game Officials and Coaches will eliminate the Fair Play handshake at the start of each game. Rather, Officials are to approach the team benches so that Coaches and Officials may wish each other a good game.
Players:
The captains from each team prior to the game will go to center ice with gloves on and tap gloves in a show of sportsmanship representative of the entire team. The other participants from both teams should wait at their respective benches for the start of the game. Captains, after greeting each other, are to return to their respective benches; there is to be no contact with opposition Coaches.
The changes to the pre-game protocol take effect immediately, with full implementation ALLIANCE Hockey-wide by no later than November 7. These changes are temporary while the crisis exists and notification by ALLIANCE Hockey will be given when a return to the previous protocol is deemed safe.
ALLIANCE Hockey has also distributed Q & A information on H1N1 that is available by clicking here or by looking under the H1N1 menu item above.