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FAQ: Canceled National Championships, Disabled Festival

By USA Hockey, 03/12/20, 3:45PM MDT

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Frequently Asked Questions regarding the cancelation of National Championships, Disabled Festival

Last updated: March 13, 5:30pm ET

Youth Nationals

Am I eligible for a refund on costs associated with the National Championships?

Team registration fees will be refunded via the registration method utilized by the host site. We are currently working alongside each host site to ensure that refunds for team registration fees are completed in a timely fashion. For travel costs, we recommend you contact your travel company directly as most are allowing cancellations or changes without penalties. If the hotel, rental car company, or airline is unwilling to come to an agreeable solution, then we recommend you review the contract. Many contracts will have what are known as “force majeure” clauses that make the contract unenforceable if performance of the contract becomes impossible for one of the parties to perform. Likewise, many states will have laws that excuse performance of a contract when a change in circumstances makes one party’s performance virtually worthless to the other party (called a frustration of purpose).

 

Did USA Hockey consider postponing or rescheduling National Championships instead of canceling?

We discussed all options at length, including postponing or rescheduling the 2020 National Championships. After significant discussion and debate, it was determined that it was not a feasible option given the uncertainty of the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and logistical factors involved with staging nationals at a later date (i.e. date selection, ice availability, spring sports/activities, teams no longer playing/practicing, tryouts for next season’s teams, spring breaks, school exams, graduations, etc.).  

 

Does the cancelation of the National Championships impact the Tier I or Tier II tryout dates for the 2020-21 season?

No, tryouts may not begin until after April 7, 2020, at 4:00 pm ET. No youth or girls Tier I or Tier II team may recruit or solicit players, offer hockey contracts to players for the following season, hold development camps, tryouts, player selections or any activity that could be construed as a tryout, solicitation or recruitment for the following season, until that time. Additional information is available on page 142 of the USA Hockey Annual Guide.

Any violation of this prohibition may subject the coach, team, program and/or responsible administrators to appropriate discipline, or ineligibility of the team or coach, as determined by the Affiliate. Please see the Youth Council Tier I and Tier II Recruiting Rules FAQ for additional clarifications and appropriate sanctions for violation of this rule. 

 

Is it okay to play in other games or tournaments locally?

There are games, tournaments and camps held throughout the U.S. at the local level that include USA Hockey members that are not national-level events and are operated by districts, affiliates, local associations or private operators. The decision relative to those events are made at the local level. We continue to encourage all involved to engage with local health and medical professionals, with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, in making educated decisions.  We recommend you review the resources available from the Centers for Disease Control. USA Hockey will continue to provide updates here.

 

Will we still get our Nationals patches sent to us?

All teams that qualified for Nationals will receive their team patches from host sites.

 

Can we still get National Championships apparel?

Contact the specific host site to see if you can obtain National Championships apparel.

 

Will any teams be named USA Hockey National Champions this year?

No. There will be no 2020 USA Hockey National Champions. We congratulate and celebrate all teams that worked hard this season to accomplish success.

Adult Nationals

Am I eligible for a refund on the entry fee with the Adult National Championships?

Yes, all Adult National Championship team captains are eligible for a full entry fee refund via the same registration method that was used.  Refunds will begin to be proceed over the course of the next week.

 

Can we still get our Adult National Championship hats?

All teams that registered for adult national championship will receive their team hats.  Distribution will take place over the course of the next week.

Disabled Festival

Did USA Hockey consider postponing or rescheduling the Disabled Hockey Festival instead of canceling?

We discussed all options at length, including postponing or rescheduling. After significant discussion and debate, it was determined that it was not a feasible option given the uncertainty of the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and logistical factors involved with staging the Festival at a later date (i.e. date selection, ice availability, spring sports/activities, teams no longer playing/practicing, spring breaks, school exams, graduations, etc.).

 

Am I eligible for a registration refund for the Disabled Hockey Festival?

Team and individual registration fees will be carried over to next year’s event. If you or your team are unable to attend the Disabled Hockey Festival next year, we will issue a refund during the 2021 Disabled Hockey Festival open registration time period this fall.

 

Will I be able to get a refund on the social event fees or pre-purchased photography packages?

Fees collected for the social events and photography packages have been canceled in the system. You should see a refund on your credit card within 7-10 days.

 

Do I need to cancel my hotel room block reservation?

PSE Tournament Services is working on canceling all the hotel rooms with the hotels directly. You will receive a confirmation once the rooms are canceled, but feel free to contact your hotel directly to confirm.

For teams that elected not to stay at a host hotel, your hotel fee will be reimbursed to your credit card.

 

Can we still get 2020 Disabled Hockey Festival apparel?

Limited selection of apparel is at available at a discount at https://usahockeydisabledfestival.spiritsale.com. Use code DFESTREDO for 30% off.

 

Will we still get our Nationals patches sent to us?

For the Adult Sled National Championship Division, all teams that qualified for Nationals will receive their team patches.

 

What will happen for next year’s Toyota | USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival?

Pittsburgh will host the 2021 Toyota | USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival March 25-28, 2021 (Special, Blind, Warrior, Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Standing Amputee) and April 8-11, 2021 (Sled).

 

For any additional questions, please email disabledhockey@usahockey.org.