Following on from IIHF cancelling tournaments due to CoronaVirus, the Federation has also cancelled the Mens World Championships, which ends the Ice Blacks campaign for 2020. The NHL and European leagues have suspended the hockey seasons for 2020 as well.

As yet, there has been no delay to the NZIHL 2020 season, but we are monitoring the situation closely. New Zealand has five confirmed cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health advises that at this stage the widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low.

During this time of increased vigilance, NZIHF encourages players from all leagues and associations to remove handshaking from the end of games, and replace this with teams tapping their sticks on the ice. This process will return to normal once COVID-19 risks are reduced. Please continue to uphold hygiene standards recommended by the Ministry of Health.