Hockey Canada and Ontario Hockey step up to save Women's U18 Championships

Hockey Canada and the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) are partnering together in an attempt to save the 2022 U-18 Women's Championships that was cancelled for the second year in a row by the IIHF. 

Despite reworking their schedule to fit in the 2022 U-18 Men's Championships, the IIHF has effectively just kicked the women to the curb just like they did in 2021 and, frankly, that's unacceptable. What kind of message are you sending the hockey world by prioritizing the men and straight up cancelling the women without even an effort to salvage things? Come on... do better, IIHF.

Hockey Canada President Tom Renney has been in contact with the IIHF and is actively trying to coordinate between the federation and the OWHA.

“We talked with the IIHF every day since we’ve been here (at the world juniors) and we brought it up yesterday with Luc (IIHF president Luc Tardif) about maybe a postponement over a cancellation,” Renney told The Toronto Star. “We certainly think that it’s worthy of discussion.

“But we’re not really the ones that are in a position to dictate the terms. We’re certainly happy to participate in any discussions. That’s really as much as I can say right now, because it’s not our call today.”

The event was scheduled to be held in Sweden until the IIHF pulled the plug citing vague concerns over COVID-19.

“Our goal is that this event is held,” said Fran Rider, the executive director of the OWHA. “We’d love to host it. We’d be honoured to host. We’d love to work with Hockey Canada, and the IIHF and the federations to make this happen. The key thing to us is that it does happen.

“These are huge events for the players and it was disappointing that we lost that age grouping of people who actually qualified for (last year’s) event,” added Rider. “When this one was canceled, we just felt we should step up and offer to host.”

Here's hoping that the IIHF steps up and does the right thing but... I'm not holding my breath. Kudos to Hockey Canada and the OWHA for taking a stand for women's hockey.