Crowchild Classic postponed, games won't be played at Scotiabank Saddledome
There will be no Crowchild Classic at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome in 2022.
Instead, the annual games between the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University men's and women's hockey teams originally planned for Feb. 3 are being rescheduled to later in the month and will be played at Father David Bauer Arena and Flames Community Arenas. No date has been announced.
The move is a result of the rising spread of COVID-19, namely the Omicron variant.
“It’s certainly disappointing that one of the marquee events on the U SPORTS hockey calendar will not happen for a second straight year, but given the current circumstances this is the appropriate decision,” said Ben Matchett, UCalgary Dinos director of athletics.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, staff, and our student body is our number one priority, and with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant and both campuses in online learning until at least the end of January, moving forward with this event would not have been prudent.
“We remain committed to this event with our partners, the Calgary Flames and Mount Royal University, and we look forward to a successful return to the Scotiabank Saddledome in 2023.”
The annual games between the two post-secondary institutions started in 2012, the year MRU joined the Canada West conference.
"The series is highlighted annually by a doubleheader of men's and women’s hockey, hosted by the Calgary Flames, at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In the first instalment of the rivalry games in 2012, the Crowchild Classic broke a 42-year-old Canada West attendance record and set a U SPORTS men's hockey attendance record with a total of 12,859 fans in 2016," read a release.
"In just eight seasons, the game has become a fixture on the Calgary sports scene and one of the marquee university sport events in Canada each year."
Each of the men's and women's hockey teams receive an annual $20,000 donation from the Flames Foundation and award four students per year at each school with the Calgary Flames Hockey Scholarship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.