The Greater Toronto Hockey League announced today that effective Saturday, December 18 until at least Sunday, December 26, all House League, Select, and Competitive games in the Under-12 division and below will be postponed.
Teams in the U12 division and below may continue to practice and/or participate in skill development programs if they choose to.
All other divisions, including U13 and up, may continue full participation unless otherwise advised by the GTHL, the Ontario Hockey Federation and/or Hockey Canada, Public Health, or the Government of Ontario.
“Public Health advises that children who are not vaccinated are at greater risk of infection than those children who are vaccinated,” said Scott Oakman, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the GTHL. “In addition, unvaccinated children who are in close contact with someone who tests positive become impacted because they must self-isolate for a period of at least 10 days and get tested, which has a negative impact on their lives, even if they are not infected. By limiting teams in these age groups to practices, it allows them to continue participating in physical activity but limits exposure to players from outside their team unit.”
The GTHL continues to regularly consult with the Hospital for Sick Kids and Toronto Public Health, while following the direction of the province and all concerning municipalities.
The League thanks all clubs, teams, players, families, and volunteers for their diligent work in following the GTHL’s Game Plan 2.0 and all appropriate safety procedures outlined by local facilities appropriately, keeping everyone in our game and communities safe.
The Province of Ontario has reintroduced capacity limits for some facilities. The GTHL will continue to work with and follow all local facility guidelines. To assist our membership, the GTHL has compiled a list of local facility guidelines which can be viewed here. Please review your local facility’s guidelines before heading to the rink to ensure proper protocol is being followed. Not all arenas will have their protocols listed on their website. The GTHL encourages all participants and members to call a local facility if protocols cannot be found.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Coratti, Coordinator, Communications and Marketing
Greater Toronto Hockey League
