Hockey Association Calls For Masks Not To Be Put On Saskatoon Rinks | The Canadian News

The Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association (SMHA) asked the City of Saskatoon to allow players to be on the ice without face masks.

“We just want to give the kids the opportunity to play the game for 60 to 90 minutes on the ice, where they are allowed to play the game to really enjoy themselves,” SMHA Executive Director Kelly Boes said in an interview after the meeting. .

Boes asked the Planning, Development and Community Services committee Monday if they would consider the measure.

With no provincial mask order, the decision to allow players unmasked on ice rests with the city council.

Saskatoon recently re-implemented a mask mandate at all city facilities, including runways, after COVID-19 cases began to rise.

Last year, provincial health regulations prevented practically all sports activities. Through the pandemic, the government banned games but allowed players to practice, albeit with strict regulations on how to enter and exit buildings, how many players were on the ice, and how far apart the players were.

Boes told the committee that different organizations allow players on the ice without wearing masks.

He said SMHA players, ages 5 to 17, would rather play without them, that interactions in hockey would not be enough to spread COVID.

Responding to a question from Mayor Charlie Clark, City General Manager Lynne Lacroix told the committee that “there will be multiple different ways to address COVID safety depending on jurisdiction and organization.”

He also said that the masks could obstruct the vision of the players.

“With hockey, if you take an extra second looking for the puck at your feet, you can end up getting a hit that you didn’t see coming,” he told Global News.

Phil Chilibeck, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, also spoke before the committee.

He summarized a number of studies on whether COVID can spread easily during hockey games, concluded that the findings are “mixed,” and added his own research to the discussion.

He told how he and other USask scientists studied whether masks affect the amount of oxygen athletes inhale.

He said the tests, which examined the athletes on bikes and timed them to simulate hockey shifts, showed that the masks made little or no difference.

“The condition of the mask had some small effects on their physiological responses, but not enough to affect their performance,” he told Global News.

He told the committee that his son plays for SMHA. Chilibeck said her son is old enough to get vaccinated and has received his shots, but will still encourage him to wear a mask during games.

“Just in case there are children who are not vaccinated,” he said.

In response to councilors’ questions, city officials noted that Saskatoon is the COVID hotspot in the province at this time.

The council voted to send the information to the Governance and Priority Committee scheduled for Monday, when a report on the city’s mask policy is due.

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