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IIHF cancels 2020 world championship due to COVID-19 outbreak – Sportsnet.ca

Published

5 years ago

March 21, 2020

Health concerns and travel bans closing international borders stemming from the new coronavirus pandemic left the International Ice Hockey Federation with no choice but to cancel the men’s world hockey championships.

The decision to cancel the 16-team tournament to be held in Switzerland in May was formally announced Saturday, and essentially wipes out the IIHF’s entire spring calendar of world championship of events.

The governing body previously cancelled the women’s world hockey championships set to be held in Canada and the men’s Under-18 championship to be played in Michigan next month.

“This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept,” IIHF President Rene Fasel said in released statement.

“The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government to combat its spread,” he added. “The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now.”

Due to the pandemic’s global scale, the council ruled there was no possibility of relocating the championship to another country.

The two-week tournament was set to start May 8 with games to be played in Zurich and Lausanne.

World championship general secretary Gian Gilli referred to the decision as a “huge disappointment” but one that must be accepted.

“It is an exceptional situation for all concerned and it is now a question of resolving all the outstanding issues,” Gilli said.

The IIHF was already bracing for a cancellation after Fasel on Tuesday told The Associated Press it was “a question of when,” following an executive committee conference call.

Before making the decision official, Fasel said the IIHF had to first consult with its host and marketing partners and insurance carrier to determine what contractual obligations had to be met.

Fasel cited numerous challenges facing officials, ranging from health directives in place limiting attendance to travel bans making it difficult for nations to send their teams. Another issue was players lacking practice time, with most of the world’s pro hockey leagues having either indefinitely suspended or cancelled their seasons.

Rosters are made up of mostly professional players, including NHLers, whose teams have either missed the playoffs or been eliminated in the early rounds.

On Monday, the NHL announced it will wait 45 days before it can provide guidance on when teams can potential reopen practice.

“It’s really scary,” Fasel told The AP on Tuesday by phone from his native Switzerland. “Europe is just collapsed. It’s really a strange feeling. Our neighbours yesterday, the federal counsel decided to close all the restaurants and everything. It’s like war.”

With championship host sites already determined through 2025, the IIHF has yet to determine whether it will consider altering its schedule and allow Switzerland to host next year’s championship.

Belarus and Latvia were selected to co-host the tournament next year.

The IIHF council also voted to postpone its annual congress set to take place in Zurich, Switzerland in May.

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Sports

Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.

It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.

Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.

Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.

The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.

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