Sparta hockey players were looking forward to getting in the mood after unsuccessful performances in the extra league at the traditional Spengler Cup, but they are unlucky. The day before the traditional event started, bad news came from Switzerland. The organizers canceled the tournament at the last minute due to coronavirus.
While a year ago, the 94th year of the tournament was canceled at the end of September, this time at the last minute. According to the Blick website, the reason was seventeen positively tested players in the Davos home team, who was to be one of Sparta’s rivals in the basic group.
Representatives of the canton of Graubünden, where Davos is located, subsequently withdrew the organizers’ permission to hold the tournament due to the epidemic situation in the region. The organizers stated on their website that in recent months, in addition to the players, they have also regularly tested the club’s employees, and in the last 10 days every day. On Christmas Day, most of the staff were positive.
Coronavirus has previously interfered with the planned composition of the tournament. The start was delayed by the Canadian national team and then by Ambri-Piotta, who has been in quarantine since Sunday. Instead, Slovan Bratislava and the selection of the canton of Bern, consisting of SC Bern, Biel and SCL Tigers Langnau, were to present themselves at the Spengler Cup.
“We are sorry that the traditional tournament had to be canceled. But we understand and fully respect the reasons. It was an honor for us to be among the invited teams. on the club website.
The words of the Prague coach Josef Jandač, who spoke cautiously about the tournament after Thursday’s extra-league match with Třinec, were thus filled in. “Conditions have changed several times and the rules of the tournament may be flexible. It was canceled last year, this year it is on the sidelines. We have to test several times before departure and we will be tested every day and there. I don’t know what would happen if there was someone positive and how the format of the tournament would change, “said Jandač. The contagion in the home team eventually canceled the event for this year completely.
Sparta will now have time off, and will rejoin the extra league on Sunday, January 2, when it will face Mladá Boleslav in the 36th round. According to the club’s website, it will not seek to reschedule matches.
The Spengler Cup will not be played until the first year in 1923. It also did not take place in 1939, 1940, 1949, 1956 and last year.
Due to the bad epidemic situation in Switzerland, the tournament of four countries of hockey players under the age of 18 was also canceled, which was to be played in Zuchwil from Sunday with the participation of the Czech national team. According to the hokej.cz server, the charges of coach Jakub Petr took a bus to Switzerland after Saturday’s meeting in Prague, but in Germany they were caught by the organizers’ report about the cancellation of the tournament, so they turned around and went back to the Czech Republic.
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