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.
Be kind to each other, we are all in this together!