Hockey Canada has withdrawn from the 2021 Spengler Cup, citing a desire to maintain the health and safety of participating players, coaches and staff amid the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have a long-standing tradition of participating in the Spengler Cup, and it is disappointing that we are unable to attend the prestigious event this year,” Tom Renney, Hockey Canada’s chief executive officer, and Scott Smith, president and chief operating officer, wrote in a statement. “However, we strongly believe this is the right decision to maintain the health and safety of our players, coaches and support staff that were set to represent Canada.”
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hockey Canada has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2021 #SpenglerCup in Davos, Switzerland.
The decision was made to maintain the health and safety of participating players, coaches and staff.
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 20, 2021
The Spengler Cup, hockey’s oldest invitational tournament, is slated to take place Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.
Canada won the last edition of the tournament, which was held in 2019, and holds the most overall championships with 16.