USA Hockey asks the IIHF to change the U18 Women’s World Cup
USA Hockey has asked the International Ice Hockey Federation to reconsider setting up the world championship for women under the age of 18, which was scheduled to take place in Sweden in January.
This is the second year in a row that the tournament is canceled. The 2021 event was also scrapped due to the pandemic. The IIHF said that the decision to cancel all January tournaments was based on a recommendation from the organization’s medical committee and that it was not possible to reschedule the championship for women under 18 due to league commitments in Sweden.
“I think the IIHF is trying to do what they can to make sure that if they organize events, they are as safe as possible for all participants,” United States Hockey Director Pat Kelleher said on Monday. “But we have asked them to look at the U-18s specifically and see what they can do to at least postpone it and explore the options with the countries involved in that event.”
Kelleher called it “a critical event for the future of women’s hockey” and an important one for the players and staff involved.
The IIHF’s announcement last week – two days before the start of the world junior tournament for men who were not affected by the cancellations – caused outrage in the entire hockey community. American star Kendall Coyne Schofield called it unacceptable and tweeted, “Find out how to safely play the U18 world this season.”
She is far from alone in that feeling. Drake Batherson, a forward for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, saw the uproar on social media and paid special attention as his 21-year-old sister, Mae, plays Division I college hockey in Syracuse.
“Hopefully they can rebook it,” Batherson said in a video call Monday. “They deserve to play as much as we do. I would love to see that tournament happen. I watch a lot of girls ‘hockey. I watch the Olympics, the girls’ team, and I watch my sister all the time. They are such amazing players and they deserve to show off their skills as much as we do. “
The Group A, Group B and Division II tournaments for women under 18 were also suspended, as were the Group B and Division II tournaments for men under 20.
“Challenging situations all the way around,” Kelleher said. “We really hope that there are ways for people to continue looking for solutions to some of these problems along the way.”