Let the Games Begin!

I'm not sure about you, but the past 6 weeks have been a bit of a blur. School starting, players heading back to the rink, what has seemed like a continuous series of zoom calls, but here we are. Our younger ages are in skill groups, and our U11 and older divisions are entering PCAHA league play. Considering we didn't have a minute of ice time as of August 26, this is truly a miracle. With large parts of our country being forced to shut down activities like hockey, we truly are fortunate to live where we do. None of this should be taken for granted and while this period is not one any of us would want to live again, the way that our TBird family and the broader PCAHA group has pulled together is something we need to stop for a moment and acknowledge. #WeAreBackTogether is the only way this could have been done and to all of our parents, players and extended families who have played a role, thank you!

As we begin to head into other rinks to play in other communities, please do what you can to keep everyone around you safe and be sure to follow the rules. Most MHAs are posting venue information on their websites and team managers are hopefully going to be communicating a lot this season so there are no surprises, but we will need to be ready for anything this year. Every venue will be different - group sizes will be different, mask protocols will be different, timing of entering/exiting will be different, etc etc. Venue staff will be holding tight to the rules and there will be no grey zone. Everyone is on the same side which is simply doing what is needed to be done to allow hockey to happen. It is very likely there will be moments of frustration as rules change daily and sometimes won't get to you before you show up - it will be difficult but we all just have to smile, nod, ask for clarification and just continue.

Good luck to all our groups/teams as things start to settle in!