COVID protocols did not stand in the way of the Cambridge RedHawks getting back on the ice.
General manager Bill Wallace said players were excited to be playing again and didn't put up any resistance around protocols laid down by the city staff for the use of the Galt Arena Gardens.
"They're so excited," said Wallace. "I thought we might get a little pushback from some of the players about the protocols. But I'm just getting smiles from them about being back on the ice."
Currently, he said, the team is on the ice twice a week.
"We're working with the City of Cambridge and following the guidelines for screening process for entering the facility," Wallace explained. "There's a QR code that you scan and answer the questions. It's more of tracking and tracing."
All players and other staff members have only 10 minutes in the arena before they hit the ice, he said.
"We must wear masks and the players are in different rooms so they're spread out," Wallace said.
And the masks come back on when the players return to the change rooms. Showers are not available, Wallace said, and everyone has approximately 10 minutes to leave the arena after a game ends.
"It's very restrictive but on the other side, these players haven't been on the ice for a long time," Wallace said. "It's just how things are done now."
Aside from these, he said, the team has its own set of protocols that were adopted last year.
"The biggest thing is the handling of the jerseys and wearing of masks," Wallace said, adding he wouldn't want to put anyone helping out in harm's way. "There are no shared items, like water bottles ... on the bench we're spread out."
Even though what they currently have in place is working, he said, the team is still trying to figure out what the rules will be when competitive games begin in a month or so.
"We haven't gotten down to numbers with spectators," Wallace said. "We hope we will be able to provide a percentage of the actual number of occupants per building."
And now that the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has released a vaccination policy that requires all OHL community members to be vaccinated, he said, he's waiting to see what the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) will decide in that matter.
"We're a member of the league and whatever they'd say," Wallace said. "Our players want to participate so we would support it."
Brent Garbutt, commissioner for the GOJHL, responded to a query from CambridgeToday via email.
"We are currently diligently working on our vaccine policy and expect it to be released early next week," he wrote.
