Covid Guidelines and House Rules

I hope everyone is ready for the return to the ice. A lot of people still have questions about the guidelines, regulations, and safety for participants. We will be following the same Louisiana Phase 3 restrictions that every other sport should be following. Athletes do not have to wear masks while playing, but spectators should wear masks and keep space. Players should also clear the locker rooms in a timely manner. Because of this, we can't provide our regular beer and food welcome party.

While on the bench, please don't share water bottles. If you're running a fever or you've been in contact with someone sick, stay home. Don't spit on/at each other. Please use common sense. If you have any questions in case of injury or illness, please contact the board or let your captain know to forward your info to us.

On to house rules! Just so that we're all on the same page, we're going to allow subs up to 10 players. Teams must have 6 of their registered players or forfeit. Captains have been asked to sub players at roughly the same skill level as missing players, and the opposing captain has the option to veto a sub. We have a wait/sub list that we're asking the captains to use as much as possible if they're not using players already in the league. We also pull in permanent replacements from this list for injuries and no-shows. If you would like to be on that list, please email bruhaboard@gmail.com.

Have a safe and fun season!

The USA Hockey Covid information is stated below:

To help ensure everyone has access to the benefits our sport provides – including physical, social and mental – we must remain vigilant in our efforts to minimize the opportunity for the spread of the virus in our hockey family. We understand that conditions and regulations vary across the country, and while we know frustrations exist, let’s continue to work together for the good of all.

TO OUR ADVANTAGE
 While we know that there are no activities that are risk free as we navigate this pandemic, there are some key factors within our sport that contribute to safety. Consider:

• Hockey players are covered in equipment head to toe (unlike most other sports).
• Ice rinks have significant HVAC systems to regularly circulate fresh air into the facility.
• USA Hockey provides a controlled environment with players having to register and those players rostered on a team.  It is known exactly who is on the ice; groups are together for the season; and there is no co-mingling.
• Studies show players are within a six-foot radius of another player for less than three minutes per game. Players are on average on “immediate proximity” (actual contact with another player) for under two seconds per incident.
• With the significant size of the playing surface and facilities, there are responsible ways forward to conduct the sport keeping social distancing and hygiene at the forefront.

MATERIALS TO HELP
 In conjunction with input from a wide group of stakeholders, including medical professionals, affiliates, and our rinks partners, among others, USA Hockey has published Return to the Rinks Guidelines and Mitigating Risks Recommendations, along with other resources, to assist programs across the country in safely returning to the sport in relation to COVID-19. You can find all of our resources related to COVID-19 online at usahockey.com/playersafety.