To our cherished hockey St-Laurent members,

 

This has been a difficult time for us all. First and foremost, we hope that you, and your family members are healthy and safe. We all come from different backgrounds with different challenges during this pandemic, however, we are all facing this unprecedented time together. Not one household hasn?t been affected, and every family has had to adjust and adapt. We are bonded together by a common fate, and I am sure that we speak for everyone that we are anxiously awaiting for this situation to pass us by, as we hope for an end to this confinement, and the social distancing that has affected all of our families. Primarily our children. Our children are anxious to get back to their daily routines and we are doing everything we can to support them by preparing a new hockey season.

 

Many parents are asking questions about what their children will be authorized to do in the coming months and year. As far as Hockey Saint-Laurent is concerned, there are 3 main questions: 

 

  • Will there be hockey next season?

 

  • When will it start?

 

  • What will it look like?

 

Although it is pre-mature to answer these questions today, we are hoping that we can at least, shed some light on the situation as it stands, and update you on what our intentions are.

 

As you may or may not know, the HSL committee is working diligently, to figure out the answers to all these questions. There are however 2 major decision makers on the future our hockey seasons this year.

 

  1. Sant? Quebec/ Sant? Canada
  2. Hockey Quebec

 

For now, we are awaiting directives from both. On May 15th, 2020, all provincial hockey associations presented to hockey Quebec their intentions for the upcoming season, along with their findings on the viability of operating their hockey leagues this season. Many cities face difficult circumstances as their arenas have been converted into make-shift hospitals, etc. As far as HSL is concerned, we have every intention to have a hockey season this fall, and we are attempting to plan for it as best as we can. Our ice contracts are signed, so our ice time is available. Some of our plans will be detailed in this email. It is however important to note, that our first and most critical decisions will always consider the safety of our children above all else.

 

Once all associations present their intensions, Hockey Quebec will give us directives on June 15th, 2020 based in conjunction with Sant? Quebec and local municipalities. Only after June 15th, will we know how better to answer those 3 main questions. For now, we can only guess. As we are uncertain of what these directives will entail, the committee has justly decided that we hold on opening registration until these directives can paint us a clearer picture, so that we can visualize through less fog, what our season may look like. We will also learn, what are the requirements to make our season a reality,  and what will the registration costs look like. We are very mindful that many of our beloved members have had or are having a difficult time during this COVID-19 crisis. Many may have lost their jobs or are not as financially stable as they were before the crisis, and sadly, may not even be considering hockey for one or more of their children this coming season. It is our intention that every child that wants to play gets his/her chance. We are also working on various methods to help in those efforts. We hope that we can count on the support of our members any way they can. More on this will follow in the weeks ahead.

Here is a snapshot on what additional information you can anticipate in the coming weeks:

 A – The Creation of 2 New Committee Member Positions

    • Equipment Manager
    • Assistant Registrar

 

Throughout the history of HSL,  the association has always depended on the many hours of volunteer work by its members to manage a successful hockey season. No season is ever perfect, and our goal is always to improve year after year. This past season has been a very challenging one, as we had to operate without a home arena compounding our workload. Although we had our ups and downs, all things considered, it was a successful season. Notwithstanding, the committee has unanimously decided that assistance is required for the future. We have pinpointed the two areas that necessitate additional support this year and we will be adding to the charter (provided that it passes a special AGA), 2 new positions to the HSL committee. These new positions will have the same voting rights as any other position. These positions include: Equipment Manager & Assistant Registrar.

 

Descriptions of the positions can be found here (Equipment Manager, Assistant Registrar), a detailed description of the responsibilities that these positions entail. Should anyone want to run for these positions, please send an email to communications@hockeystl.com at your earliest convenience. More information will follow regarding the special AGA to approve the new roles (not the candidates. Candidate voting will be done in our usual AGA as with all other voting).

B – Annual General Assembly? AGA

    • Expected date
    • Format may be virtual
    • Voting software to ensure secure votes (each family will have 1 vote per child in the hockey program)

 

Our Annual General Assembly will look different this year than it has in previous years. Although we normally hold this meeting sometime in April, this crisis has forced us to move it further into the summer. As with other years, we are to hold our association AGA a minimum of 3 weeks before the Lac St-Louis AGA. As they are holding theirs at the end of August, we have chosen our AGA meeting date on AUGUST 11th, 2020.  Due to the extenuating circumstances, there is a strong possibility that our AGA this year will be a virtual meeting. We are exploring the proper technology that will accommodate our members. We are also exploring voting software that will enable our members to vote on the open positions in a safe, secure, and anonymous fashion. A list of open positions will be sent in the near future for any member that would like to present themselves on any of the ballots. More information on the nature, format, and guidelines of this unprecedented but mandatory AGA, will be sent at a later date. Stay tuned.

 

C – June 15th, 2020 Hockey Quebec Recommendations

 

Once we receive directives from Hockey Quebec, we will pass that information onto our members. Please note that no information will be available before June 15th. Once we receive proper direction, the committee will discuss the directives and relate that information to our members the following week.


D – Registration Fees for the 2020-2021 Season

 

As we had mentioned above, we are unsure at this time of the landscape of what we must work with. Once the directives are clear, an appropriate registration fee and process based on the new situation will be designed and implemented. As we had mentioned at the beginning of this email, for the time being, no decision has been taken on the cost of registration. We ask that you hold your questions and remain patient as we will inform you in due time. 


E – Development Camps

No decision has been taken about the viability of camps at this time.

 

Thank you for your understanding. We realize that you may have more questions than answers right now. You may even have new questions. We ask again that you remain patient. This email was only designed to keep you up to speed on our challenges and our progress. Over time, when all the above is clearer, we will provide you with additional updates so that you are well informed. For now, we really don?t know what the future will hold but we are confident that provided we are given the green light we will have another successful and exciting season.

 

From all of us at HSL, keep your families safe and stay healthy.  

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