Scheduling and postponements
Originally scheduled from 7 to 17 April, the tournament was postponed to 6 to 16 May 2021 on 4 March, at the request of the government of Nova Scotia. [1] At the time of postponement, neither Health Canada nor the Chief Medical Officer of Nova Scotia, Dr. Robert Strang, had officially approved of the safety measures and medical plan proposed for the tournament. Concerns were raised in early April as the tournament remained unapproved by federal and provincial health authorities, however local officials and national organizations involved expressed confidence that the tournament would be held as scheduled. [2]
Strang provided details about the measures that would be in place for the tournament at a press briefing held on 13 April, which included a mandatory, fourteen day individual and team quarantine schedule upon team arrival in Canada, a minimum of seven virus tests while in Nova Scotia, and the use of wearable tracking technology to "monitor quarantine compliance and allow for contact tracing." [3] He expressed confidence in the measures, stating the "tournament in my opinion, does not present a risk of bringing COVID and transmitting it to Nova Scotia," though he underscored the absolute willingness of the provincial government to cancel the tournament at any time, adding "... we will adjust as necessary, like we did a year ago when we actually, on short notice, actually cancelled the same tournament." [4]
On 17 April, Bob Corkum stepped down from his position as head coach of the US women's team because he "was not comfortable with the protocols" in place for the tournament. Corkum did not elaborate on what protocols he found issue with and it remained unclear if he found the plans lacking or too restrictive. [5]
On 21 April, the province of Nova Scotia informed Hockey Canada and the IIHF that the tournament had been cancelled at the recommendation of Premier Iain Rankin "due to concerns over safety risks associated with COVID-19." [6] The IIHF and Hockey Canada released a joint statement pledging to explore all avenues for hosting the event in a different Canadian city and suggested that the tournament would likely be rescheduled to the summer of 2021. In aIIHF President René Fasel emphasized, "This is very disappointing news to receive with just a few weeks until the tournament was to begin. We strongly believe that we had the adequate safety measures in place to protect players, officials, spectators, and all residents in Halifax and Truro, based on the IIHF and Hockey Canada’s experiences from hosting the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton [during December 2020 and January 2021]." [7]
Truro mayor Bill Mills affirmed that the cancellation was "the right decision, as much as I don't like it" and expressed a hope that the city might be reconsidered as a host for the event in the next several years. However, IIHF Vice President Kalervo Kummola called the decision to cancel just a day before the nine international teams were expected to arrive "beyond belief and unprecedented" and made it clear that Nova Scotia is not likely to be considered as a host for any IIHF events for "quite a while." [8]
This does not mean that we will not have a Women's World Championship in 2021. We owe it to every single player that was looking forward to getting back on the ice after such a difficult year that we do everything possible to ensure this tournament can be moved to new dates and played this year.
–
René Fasel, IIHF President
21 April 2021
Surprise and disappointment dominated initial reactions to the announcement. Gina Kingsbury, director of Hockey Canada's women's teams, described the response of the Canadian delegation as "[a] little disbelief, a little shock and a lot of emotion." Head coach of the Hungarian national team, Lisa Haley, called the experience "gut-wrenching" takingIn the IIHF official National team players and coaches national to the cancellation Immediately following the announcement,
The cancellation underscored a perception of many involved in the sport that the IIHF does not have a genuine commitment to or valuation of international women’s ice hockey in comparison to the men's game, as characterized by Czech goaltender Klára Peslarová tweet, "No chance this gets cancelled if it were the Men's Worlds...." [9] Many players expressed frustration that the top division tournaments of the men's worlds championship While most head coaches
Czech–Tomáš Pacina [10]
Finland–Mustonen [11]
Hungary–Haley [12]
Reaction
Knight, Kaplan [13]
Müller [14]
Olympic implications [15]
in Canada, probably August [16] Interested hosts:
-
^ Merk, Martin (4 March 2021).
"Women's Worlds moved to May".
IIHF. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Thomas, Jesse (2021-04-07).
"N.S. top doctor has yet to approve IIHF Women's World Championship plan".
Global News. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^
"2021 IIHF Women's World Championship set for Nova Scotia officially cancelled".
TSN. With files from Keith Doucette. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: others ( link) CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^ "'We are not compromising' safety on international hockey tournament, says Strang". CBC. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
-
^ Fernandez, Gabriel (2021-04-17).
"U.S. women's hockey head coach Bob Corkum steps down three weeks before world championships".
CBS Sports. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Lau, Rebecca; Thomas, Jesse (21 April 2021).
"Nova Scotia cancels women's world hockey championship for 2nd time amid rising COVID-19 cases".
Global News. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Steiss, Adam (21 April 2021).
"Women's Worlds cancelled, IIHF to seek new dates".
IIHF. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Arkko, Simo (2021-04-21).
"Kalervo Kummola yllättyi täysin MM-kisauutisesta – jyrähti Kanadan provinssin viranomaisille: "Tämä on aivan uskomatonta ja ennenkuulumatonta"".
Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-04-29.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Jay, Michelle; Murphy, Mike (2021-04-23).
"Players react to World Championship cancellation on social media". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Bagar, Adam (2021-04-21).
"Rána pro ženský hokej, MS bylo zrušeno! Devastující, hlásí Pacina". Hokej.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2021-04-27.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Uusitalo, Timo (2021-04-21).
"Naisten jääkiekon MM-kilpailut peruttiin yllättäen – "Tikkarit vedettiin yhtäkkiä suusta, sydäntä särkee"".
Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^ Ryan, Haley (2021-04-21). "Women's world hockey championship in N.S. cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns". CBC. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
-
^ McLellan, Quinn (2021-04-24).
"World Reacts to Cancellation of 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^
"Alina Müller on the Worlds' cancellation: "Unacceptable and devastating"". Swiss Hockey News. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^
a
b Custance, Craig; Salvian, Hailey (2021-04-21).
"2021 IIHF Women's World Championship canceled because of COVID-19 risks".
The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Holma, Joel; Kössö, Tuulia (2021-04-27).
"Kummola: Kanada pitää naisten jääkiekon MM-kisat, ajankohta siirtymässä elokuulle: "Valitettavasti asia on nyt näin"".
Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-04-27.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Garrioch, Bruce (2021-04-23).
"Ottawa is among several cities interested in hosting the 2021 IIHF women's world championships this summer".
Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Lindblom, Thomas (2021-04-23).
"Vändningen för damernas hockey-VM – Finland kan ta över mästerskapet".
SVT Sport (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
Scheduling and postponements
Originally scheduled from 7 to 17 April, the tournament was postponed to 6 to 16 May 2021 on 4 March, at the request of the government of Nova Scotia. [1] At the time of postponement, neither Health Canada nor the Chief Medical Officer of Nova Scotia, Dr. Robert Strang, had officially approved of the safety measures and medical plan proposed for the tournament. Concerns were raised in early April as the tournament remained unapproved by federal and provincial health authorities, however local officials and national organizations involved expressed confidence that the tournament would be held as scheduled. [2]
Strang provided details about the measures that would be in place for the tournament at a press briefing held on 13 April, which included a mandatory, fourteen day individual and team quarantine schedule upon team arrival in Canada, a minimum of seven virus tests while in Nova Scotia, and the use of wearable tracking technology to "monitor quarantine compliance and allow for contact tracing." [3] He expressed confidence in the measures, stating the "tournament in my opinion, does not present a risk of bringing COVID and transmitting it to Nova Scotia," though he underscored the absolute willingness of the provincial government to cancel the tournament at any time, adding "... we will adjust as necessary, like we did a year ago when we actually, on short notice, actually cancelled the same tournament." [4]
On 17 April, Bob Corkum stepped down from his position as head coach of the US women's team because he "was not comfortable with the protocols" in place for the tournament. Corkum did not elaborate on what protocols he found issue with and it remained unclear if he found the plans lacking or too restrictive. [5]
On 21 April, the province of Nova Scotia informed Hockey Canada and the IIHF that the tournament had been cancelled at the recommendation of Premier Iain Rankin "due to concerns over safety risks associated with COVID-19." [6] The IIHF and Hockey Canada released a joint statement pledging to explore all avenues for hosting the event in a different Canadian city and suggested that the tournament would likely be rescheduled to the summer of 2021. In aIIHF President René Fasel emphasized, "This is very disappointing news to receive with just a few weeks until the tournament was to begin. We strongly believe that we had the adequate safety measures in place to protect players, officials, spectators, and all residents in Halifax and Truro, based on the IIHF and Hockey Canada’s experiences from hosting the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton [during December 2020 and January 2021]." [7]
Truro mayor Bill Mills affirmed that the cancellation was "the right decision, as much as I don't like it" and expressed a hope that the city might be reconsidered as a host for the event in the next several years. However, IIHF Vice President Kalervo Kummola called the decision to cancel just a day before the nine international teams were expected to arrive "beyond belief and unprecedented" and made it clear that Nova Scotia is not likely to be considered as a host for any IIHF events for "quite a while." [8]
This does not mean that we will not have a Women's World Championship in 2021. We owe it to every single player that was looking forward to getting back on the ice after such a difficult year that we do everything possible to ensure this tournament can be moved to new dates and played this year.
–
René Fasel, IIHF President
21 April 2021
Surprise and disappointment dominated initial reactions to the announcement. Gina Kingsbury, director of Hockey Canada's women's teams, described the response of the Canadian delegation as "[a] little disbelief, a little shock and a lot of emotion." Head coach of the Hungarian national team, Lisa Haley, called the experience "gut-wrenching" takingIn the IIHF official National team players and coaches national to the cancellation Immediately following the announcement,
The cancellation underscored a perception of many involved in the sport that the IIHF does not have a genuine commitment to or valuation of international women’s ice hockey in comparison to the men's game, as characterized by Czech goaltender Klára Peslarová tweet, "No chance this gets cancelled if it were the Men's Worlds...." [9] Many players expressed frustration that the top division tournaments of the men's worlds championship While most head coaches
Czech–Tomáš Pacina [10]
Finland–Mustonen [11]
Hungary–Haley [12]
Reaction
Knight, Kaplan [13]
Müller [14]
Olympic implications [15]
in Canada, probably August [16] Interested hosts:
-
^ Merk, Martin (4 March 2021).
"Women's Worlds moved to May".
IIHF. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Thomas, Jesse (2021-04-07).
"N.S. top doctor has yet to approve IIHF Women's World Championship plan".
Global News. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^
"2021 IIHF Women's World Championship set for Nova Scotia officially cancelled".
TSN. With files from Keith Doucette. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: others ( link) CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^ "'We are not compromising' safety on international hockey tournament, says Strang". CBC. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
-
^ Fernandez, Gabriel (2021-04-17).
"U.S. women's hockey head coach Bob Corkum steps down three weeks before world championships".
CBS Sports. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Lau, Rebecca; Thomas, Jesse (21 April 2021).
"Nova Scotia cancels women's world hockey championship for 2nd time amid rising COVID-19 cases".
Global News. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Steiss, Adam (21 April 2021).
"Women's Worlds cancelled, IIHF to seek new dates".
IIHF. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Arkko, Simo (2021-04-21).
"Kalervo Kummola yllättyi täysin MM-kisauutisesta – jyrähti Kanadan provinssin viranomaisille: "Tämä on aivan uskomatonta ja ennenkuulumatonta"".
Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-04-29.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Jay, Michelle; Murphy, Mike (2021-04-23).
"Players react to World Championship cancellation on social media". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Bagar, Adam (2021-04-21).
"Rána pro ženský hokej, MS bylo zrušeno! Devastující, hlásí Pacina". Hokej.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2021-04-27.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Uusitalo, Timo (2021-04-21).
"Naisten jääkiekon MM-kilpailut peruttiin yllättäen – "Tikkarit vedettiin yhtäkkiä suusta, sydäntä särkee"".
Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^ Ryan, Haley (2021-04-21). "Women's world hockey championship in N.S. cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns". CBC. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
-
^ McLellan, Quinn (2021-04-24).
"World Reacts to Cancellation of 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^
"Alina Müller on the Worlds' cancellation: "Unacceptable and devastating"". Swiss Hockey News. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) - ^
a
b Custance, Craig; Salvian, Hailey (2021-04-21).
"2021 IIHF Women's World Championship canceled because of COVID-19 risks".
The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Holma, Joel; Kössö, Tuulia (2021-04-27).
"Kummola: Kanada pitää naisten jääkiekon MM-kisat, ajankohta siirtymässä elokuulle: "Valitettavasti asia on nyt näin"".
Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-04-27.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Garrioch, Bruce (2021-04-23).
"Ottawa is among several cities interested in hosting the 2021 IIHF women's world championships this summer".
Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link) -
^ Lindblom, Thomas (2021-04-23).
"Vändningen för damernas hockey-VM – Finland kan ta över mästerskapet".
SVT Sport (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)