Hockey Canada putting pandemic know-how to test in staging world juniors

Alberta is about to host a third pandemic International Ice Hockey Federation tournament armed with experience from the first two, but with the ice still shifting underfoot.

The 2022 world men's under-20 championship starting Sunday in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., faces the same challenge it did a year ago in Edmonton: how to bring hundreds of people together for a sporting event without becoming a spreader of the COVID-19 virus?

Vaccines, rapid testing advances, knowledge and data gleaned from completing both the 2021 world under-20 championship in Edmonton and the women's world championship in Calgary are tools Hockey Canada has now that it didn't a year ago.

The virus continues to interrupt sport, however, with the NHL taking an extended holiday break due to a number of vaccinated players and team personnel in COVID protocol. The Calgary Flames, for one, had 20 players and 13 staff in protocol heading into the break.

Thursday's exhibition pre-tournament game between the Czechs and the Swiss in Red Deer was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocol.

"We are confident in what we've put in place to be able to run the event, but we live on edge constantly looking at the Flames, looking at other NHL teams or pro sports in North America that have had good protocols as well and have had to have breaks," said Hockey Canada vice-president of events Dean McIntosh.

"We don't want that, we don't anticipate that, but on the flip side, we know that's a possibility at any time."

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The number of active COVID cases, hospitalizations and people in ICU in Alberta is less than a year ago at the start of the 2021 championship that operated without spectators at Rogers Place.

The Omicron variant and allowing of fans into arenas for this tournament introduce new variables, however, into the operation of the 10-country event.

There were 8,359 active cases of COVID, 318 in hospital and 64 in intensive care in the province Saturday compared to 16,097 active cases, 836 in hospital and 173 in ICU a year earlier, according Alberta Health website statistics.

Those who bought tickets must show proof of full vaccination — a negative test will not suffice — to enter Rogers Place and Peavey Mart Centrium.

The movement and management of players, coaches, team staff and officials within the tournament will operate in similar fashion to the 2021 edition, which in turn adopted the bubble model of the NHL's 2020 playoffs in Edmonton.

They won't mix with the public and are confined to hotel, ground transportation and event level at each venue, McIntosh said.