Premier says Sask. hockey teams’ trip to tournament in Manitoba is ‘putting at risk’ safe sport restart

Saskatchewan’s premier and chief medical health officer voiced their displeasure on Wednesday after learning about multiple hockey teams that travelled to Manitoba for a tournament earlier this month.

“It’s disappointing,” Premier Scott Moe said.

“It impacts everyone. They are going outside of what the parameters are, and (they) are really putting at risk the entire safe restart of sports.”

CBC first reported that five hockey teams with players aged seven to 12 travelled from Saskatchewan to Winnipeg as part of a private hockey tournament called the North American Hockey Classic from July 16 to 19.

Non-essential travel is not recommended by the province. In the province’s reopening plan for sport, tournaments and interprovincial travel isn’t allowed.

Moe said messaging and understanding of health guidelines in place is one thing, but the efforts of all the precautions in place only work with “the voluntary compliance of those recommendations.”

“Here is a prime and going example of a group of people that have put their own self-interests ahead of the greater public health and safety of their neighbours, their family and their greater community,” Moe said.

Dr. Saqib Shahab said there would be a “follow up” to understand why the trip happened but wouldn’t say what actions the province would take.

“We all have a role to play all the time in keeping the case numbers low,” Shahab said.

The Parkland Junior Maulers, one of the teams that took part in the tournament, believes it took the necessary precautions after indicating it sought direction from the province in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our group followed all guidelines and protocols provided to us by the Province of Saskatchewan, the Province of Manitoba, each arena, and the Return to Play Guidelines set out by the NAHC,” the statement reads in part.

“The Parkland Junior Maulers attended this tournament with no secrecy. We attended this tournament following all guidelines and openly shared information including our attendance on social media.”

The statement refers to communication with the Saskatchewan government that indicated the team could travel to Manitoba for the tournament, as long as it followed that province’s guidelines.

Shahab is asking all members of the teams that travelled to Winnipeg to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.

“Sports are about developing leadership skills, team building and fair play,” Shahab said. “Actions to circumvent this are certainly setting a bad example and jeopardizing the entire sector.”

Moe added that the most disturbing part to him was the selfishness shown by the teams after families have cancelled weddings, funerals and gone months without seeing relatives during the pandemic.

“There are so many Saskatchewan people that have sacrificed so much more than a hockey tournament in Winnipeg,” he said.

—With files from 980 CJME’s Britton Gray.