May 1, 2020

To the Members of our Michigan Hockey Community:

First and foremost, the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association wants to send its well-wishes to all families in our community, during this unprecedented time in our country. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, while using recommended social distancing practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  While the path to reopening youth sports remains unclear, we are optimistic that the path to our “new normal” will be revealed to the State of Michigan very soon.

With this in mind, I wanted to share details of how the MAHA is proactively preparing for a return to the rinks, and ice hockey in Michigan, for the 2020-21 season. In April 2020, we formulated a MAHA Task Force – a collaboration of 65 coaches, rink managers, association Board members, District chairs, and officials whose objective is to develop a comprehensive plan for returning to hockey activity. The MAHA Task Force will be formulating plans to adapt to any potential guidelines, and/or restrictions, required for resuming play in the 2020-21 season. We are confident that this proactive approach will allow us to provide our membership with a timely response, to any changes forced upon us, and a one-of-a-kind hockey experience for all participants.

The MAHA Task Force has been divided into five (5) subcommittees:

1)    Programming & Innovation

2)    Rink Management

3)    Association Management

4)    Administration

5)    Policy Setting (District, State & National)

While each of these subcommittees will cover separate categories, all subcommittees will collaborate in an effort to provide all families a safe, enjoyable return to the rink. We anticipate that we will be subject to restrictions imposed by state and local government agencies. This may influence the length of our season, the size of groups gathering, sanitation standards at rinks, team formation and game counts. Nevertheless, we are committed to providing a best-in-class, cost-efficient experience focused on the safety of all participants, and the continued growth and development of all players.  We welcome this opportunity to improve and innovate, and we’re excited to share what these groups are thinking with you very soon!

Our goal is to maintain transparency throughout the Task Force process. As we continue to receive news and updates, we will continue to provide updates on our preparations for a new hockey season. We encourage you to visit MAHA.org for further information, as it becomes available. Also, be sure to register for the upcoming 2020-21 season with your local hockey association.

On behalf of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association, we thank you for your patience during this unusual time – and we look forward to seeing you at your local rink again very soon!

George Atkinson

President, Michigan Amateur Hockey Association

Jason Reynolds

Director of Operations & Marketing, Michigan Amateur Hockey Association