Like many others, Premier Scott Moe was disappointed to learn that five Saskatchewan minor hockey teams traveled to Winnipeg to play in a tournament earlier this month.
Current COVID-19 prevention guidelines restrict out of province team travel for all sports.
Four teams from the Wheatland Wild, an organization that pulls in players from across Saskatchewan, and the Parkland Maulers from Yorkton chose to attend anyway, after claiming they were given to go ahead.
Premier Moe said simply it’s discouraging to see.
“It is disappointing, and it impacts everyone they are going outside of what the parameters are and really putting at risk the entire safe restart of sports, not just hockey but all the various sports that we have,” Moe said.
The four Wheatland teams are also being criticized for changing their team names, not putting players names on game sheets and programs and banning parents from social media while at the tournament.
Moe added at the end of the day many people have given up things far more important that a hockey tournament these past few months.
“There are people in this province that are foregoing wedding ceremonies, or memorial services and celebrations of life that have passed on over the course of the past number of months and are likely going to have to forego those events for the months into the future,” said Moe.
Although they don’t govern these teams in the summer the Saskatchewan Hockey Association also expressed their frustration and disappointment, with General Manager Kelly McClintock wondering why teams would even consider out of province travel at this time.
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