We are looking forward to the start of the 2020-21 hockey season!
Below, we've outlined what to expect for each ice time over the next few weeks. Please review the information with your child(ren) so they know what is expected of them when they come to the arena for hockey.
We'd like to emphasize the importance of following the procedures, to keep everyone safe & healthy and to keep hockey going in our community!
Arena staff will be extra busy, sanitizing the player benches, spectator stands, and changerooms in between each user group. Please help them out by ensuring no garbage is left in the stands or changerooms; use the garbage cans provided around the arena.
Anyone testing positive for Covid-19 who has been inside the arena must complete and submit the online form
Notification of a Positive Covid-19 Case. In such cases, the individual's privacy will be maintained but Southwestern Public Health will be notified and relevant contact tracing records will be provided to them. All contact tracing records will be kept secure in the PDMHA office, and will be destroyed two months after the end of the season.
Please continue to monitor our website for any updates to our
Return to Hockey Plan and safety protocols. All policies are in accordance with guidelines provided by Hockey Canada, Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), Southwestern Public Health, and the Township of Blandford-Blenheim.
Before you leave home:
- Review the
OHF-health-screening-questionnaire (see attached) to self-assess both yourself and your child(ren). If you answer yes to any of the questions, please stay home until you have been symptom free for at least 24 hours, or until you can provide a negative Covid-19 test result to verify your symptoms are non-Covid related
- Ensure you have all of your child(ren)'s hockey equipment, and that both you and your child(ren) have a mask to wear while inside the facility
- Bring a water bottle filled at home; the water bottle filling station at the arena will not be available, nor any vending machines, and the concession booth will be closed
- A Timbits jersey will be provided to each of the Initiation Program players to use for Evaluations (if you still have one from last season, please bring it with you to return to PDMHA); all other players should bring a practice jersey with them - Rage jerseys will be distributed once games can be organized
- Changerooms will be available for use, so it is not necessary to have players dress in their equipment beforehand
- Only one parent/guardian can accompany a player to the arena
- Whenever possible, siblings should remain at home; if it is necessary to bring siblings, they must remain with you and be under your supervision at all times
- Plan to arrive at the arena between 35 to 15 minutes prior to the start of your scheduled ice time
Upon arrival at the arena:
- Enter the arena through the main front doors only; the doors will be unlocked 35 minutes prior to the start of your scheduled ice time and locked again 15 minutes prior to the start time
- Make sure everyone entering the arena is wearing their mask; hand sanitizer will be available at the front door
- You will need to check in just inside the main entrance and provide
- name of each individual
- verbal confirmation that each has self-assessed and answered no to each question on the OHF Health Screening Questionnaire
- in the case of an adult other than a parent accompanying a player, they must also provide their contact information
- Players aged 11 and above (peewee, bantam, midget divisions) can sign-in themselves without a parent in attendance - but you must ensure the player has self-assessed before coming to the arena
- After checking in, the player will proceed directly to their assigned changeroom; for players aged 10 and under who need assistance with dressing / skate tying, you can accompany them to the changeroom
- You can then proceed to the spectator stands if no previous user group is present; otherwise, you will be directed to go upstairs and wait in Hall A until the previous group has vacated the stands and the stands have been cleaned by the arena staff. There will be a red indicator light above the doors leading to the stands; once the light turns off, you are to move from the hall to the stands for the duration of the ice session.
For the players:
- They will remain in the changeroom with their coaches until the buzzer sounds for them to proceed to the ice; masks must be worn until that time.
- Please remind your child(ren) to listen to their coaches and to maintain physical distancing, keeping a hockey stick length apart from each other in the changeroom and when on the ice as much as possible
- Once they return to the changeroom and have removed their helmets, they will need to put their masks back on
- Players will exit the arena using the East doors (by the Skate park); hand sanitizer will be available at the exit
At the end of the ice time:
- If your player is aged 10 or under and needs assistance changing, you can proceed through the lobby to the designated waiting area near the changeroom
- Otherwise, you should leave the spectator stands and exit the arena through the West doors (onto Platt Street); you can then proceed around the building to meet your player at the East doors
- If you are at the arena for back to back ice times, you need to sign-in again at the front doors for the second ice time
Our complete
Return to Hockey Plan, as well as related information from Hockey Canada, OHF, and OMHA, are posted on our website.
Thanking you in advance for your full cooperation in implementing these procedures. Go Rage Go!
PDMHA Executive