Hockey Canada announced today that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the body has canceled the 2021 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, 2021 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup, and 2021 World Junior A Challenge.
“Despite a strong desire to work with three great communities to host the top players at various levels across the country this season, the health and safety of all participants and the communities at large continues to be of the utmost importance to Hockey Canada,” Hockey Canada said in a statement. “The ongoing pandemic, in addition to the vaccination status of some international teams, has left us with no other option. We believe the decision to cancel these fall events is the safest decision given the ongoing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic at a local level, as well as the uncertainty around countries and regions being able to safely compete.”
As the statement continued, Hockey Canada said that it will continue to work towards hosting the 2022 national championships this spring. Hockey Canada also said it would, “investigate opportunities to prepare Canadian athletes to represent Canada at the Olympic Winter Games, Paralympic Winter Games, IIHF world championships and other international events.”
