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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
USA Hockey Cancels National Championships, Disabled Festival
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Hockey announced tonight it has canceled its series of upcoming National Championships, including high school, youth, girls, adult and sled, that were set to begin in various locations across the country on March 26. In addition, the organization also announced it has canceled its Disabled Hockey Festival, which was set to take place over two weekends (March 26-29 and April 2-5) in Pittsburgh, Penn.
“Safety of our participants has always been our top priority and with the current coronavirus situation, our executive committee unanimously decided to cancel these national events,” said Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey.
“We felt it was important to get the news of the cancellation out immediately,” said Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey. “We’re sure there will be many questions and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we together work through this unprecedented situation.
“While we're disappointed that we had to make this decision, we celebrate the success of USA Hockey teams across the country this year, as well as the time and effort so many people invested into these signature events. We’re thankful to our national sponsors, tournament directors, volunteers and so many others for their support in making hockey an enjoyable experience for all.”
USA Hockey will continue to provide updates regularly on the coronavirus situation at USAHockey.com.
NOTE: There are games/tournaments played throughout the U.S. at the local level that include USA Hockey members that are not national-level events and are operated by districts, affiliates, local associations or even private operators. The decisions relative to those events are made at the local level. We continue to encourage all involved to engage with local health and medical professionals, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, in making educated decisions.
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