Team Canada celebrates after a game against the U.S. to win gold at the IIHF Women's World Championship in Calgary last August. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19) and Alessia Proietti

disappointment all around

Red Deer hockey minds react to cancellation of U18 Women’s World Championship

Dec 24, 2021 | 11:59 AM

There is an uproar among a large portion of the hockey community over the cancellation of the U18 Women’s World Championship, which was scheduled to take place in Sweden next month.

It is one of multiple tournaments scheduled for January cancelled today by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

The decision was made following a recommendation by the IIHF Medical Committee due to recent developments in the global COVID-19 epidemiological situation, organizers say in a release.

“These are hard facts to have to face, and as with last year we must take the difficult decision to cancel men’s and women’s IIHF events, including the women’s U18 top division now for the second year in a row,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif.

“It is the consensus of the IIHF Medical Committee that the organizers would not have the capability to manage an outbreak of the virus, especially with the rapid transfer of the Omicron variant that we have seen in the NHL and other leagues.”

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Red Deerian Valerie Gill, who captained Team Alberta to a gold medal at the 1991 Canada Winter Games, says the decision means more disappointment for women and girls who already struggle every day to close the gender gap.

“It’s not really surprising, I guess, considering last year they cancelled it last minute as well. I feel for those girls who’ve worked their butts off to get to this level only for it to be cancelled,” says Gill, referee coordinator for Red Deer Pond Hockey.

“I don’t think it’s just sending a wrong message to young girls. It also sends a poor message to young boys in that it says the female side of the sport isn’t worthy — not worthy of being played at an international level, and not worthy of getting paid to play sports like men are.”

Brett Wold, who coaches the U18 AAA Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs women’s hockey team, believes business and money influenced the decision as much as COVID.

“This just shows that they prioritize men’s hockey. The women’s game is growing, it’s getting a lot better than it already was, and the girls are putting in a lot of time and effort. It’s unfortunate they’re not getting the recognition they should,” Wold says.

“It’s never fair. The World Juniors is run with a lot of NHL influence and it’s heavily scouted. This is a big experience for the kids to go, and both should be going on with proper safety protocols. If they properly marketed women’s hockey… let’s just say there’s a huge fan base wanting to watch, and a whole bunch of young girls just waiting and wanting to see this kind of hockey.”

In a statement, Hockey Canada says all staff and athletes are extremely disappointed.

“Our entire team has worked hard both on and off the ice to be ready to compete next month in Linköping and Mjölby, Sweden, even going so far as to cancel our selection camp out of an abundance of caution and to ensure our players and staff would be able to represent Canada on the world stage,” says Gina Kingsbury, director of women’s national teams.

“We understand the changing landscape and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and we know cancelling events is never a decision that is made lightly. We are grateful for the time and effort that has been put in to try and hold the event in a safe manner for all participants. We will now look forward to watching our athletes represent Canada and compete for a gold medal in the near future.”

Other reaction has poured in Friday morning on social media…