The gradual return of sport to student circles in Quebec will be very slow, but at Hockey Quebec, we hope to be able to save the season for young players despite everything.
Posted at 6:38 p.m.
“I’m not in the secret of the gods, but I know that a return to play with games is planned in the coming weeks, commented Jocelyn Thibault, general manager of Hockey Quebec. It’s in the boxes. »
For the time being, Jocelyn Thibault says he is “happy that there is at least one return to the game”, after having learned, on Tuesday, of a new announcement from the Legault government. The Prime Minister of Quebec has thus confirmed a series of “a few small relaxations”, including the return to training in the sports world, both civilian and student, on January 31. This new measure also extends to university sports.
On the other hand, this measure immediately excludes any form of competition, that is to say no tournament and also no match.
For Enrico Ciccone, MP for Marquette and former hockey player, the return to normal in student sports should be done a little more quickly.
“Because we see that our young people are not doing well at the moment, he believes. It’s true, everyone experiences distress, it doesn’t only apply to young people. But if we are told that young people and education are a priority, and that we have chosen to reopen schools because of that, how can we forget sports competitions? This is something very important for many young people. »
Ciccone says there is a lot of discontent among the various sports associations in the province. “I speak with these people and they feel like they are being left in the dark… Several associations have established plans for a safe return to competition, but no one is listening to them. It is as if these people are not considered as partners, it is as if we do not want to include them in the conversation when they are the ones on the ground. »
At Hockey Quebec, we didn’t really know what to expect before Tuesday’s new measures, and that’s a bit why this return to training is, at the very least, seen as a first step in the right direction.
“I’m happy that there is at least one return, added Jocelyn Thibault. We must give hope to our young people, tell them that they will find their sport. At first, that’s what it took. At least we have a return to training.
“In my eyes, there is no doubt that we can then move on to the games. I understand that what was announced (Tuesday) is a cautious deconfinement, if you will. I realize that Mr. Legault prefers to take it easy, as he said. So I’m not going to play doctor or substitute myself for Public Health. At least we have practice. »
According to Jocelyn Thibault, some minor hockey associations are already rethinking a schedule that would end later than expected, which would allow all the games scheduled for the 2021-22 schedule to be played.
“We won’t be able to do that everywhere, because in some places, there are municipalities that have planned to close the arenas on a specific date,” he adds. But I sense a desire to put young people at the center of our priorities. We want our young people to have a season. »