Thursday, October 29, 2009 Dear Program Administrator/CoachWe’ve worked with our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Stuart, to provide you with pertinent regarding the H1N1 virus, including recommendations to reduce the likelihood of spreading the infection. Specifically, USA Hockey recommends: Provide individual water bottles for players; do not share water bottles Regularly wash hands Clean workout gear for each practice/competition Keep gloves on during the traditional handshake with opponents You should be aware that symptoms of the virus include: fever (102 degrees fahrenheit or greater), cough, muscle aches, runny nose, headache or sore threat, with the potential for more serious complications, including pneumonia. Those affected by the H1N1 virus typically have been children and young adults. Transmission of the virus may occur from the day before the onset of symptoms and during the five to seven days that the symptoms are present. Infected individuals should stay home until signs and symptoms have resolved, with no fever present for at least 24 hours. The 24-hour no-fever timeline should be achieved naturally, without the aid of fever reducing medications. Additional information regarding H1N1 is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by visiting www.cdc.gov/H1N1Flu/. Best wishes for a successful season.
USA Hockey has a strict policy against sending unwanted e-mail. You are receiving this message because you have registered with USA Hockey. If you wish to be removed from our e-mail list, please DO NOT respond to this email. Instead, please send an e-mail from the address you wish unsubscribed to: unsubscribe@usahockey.org and all e-mail communications will be halted within ten business days. If you are unable to reach us via e-mail, please call 800-752-8375 for assistance. USA Hockey, Inc. - 1775 Bob Johnson Dr. - Colorado Springs, CO 80906

***IMPORTANT MESSAGE*** 

TO: ALL NJYHL OFFICIALS
>
> The NJYHL has adopted the policy of the AYHL. The league has issued
> the following request to all teams due to the recent influenza
> outbreak:
> _____________________________________
> POST-GAME HANDSHAKE: The League wishes to maintain the tradition of
> teams shake in hands in a sportsmanlike fashion after the
> competition of the game has concluded. Please instruct all players
> to keep their hockey gloves on during the handshake.
> ________________________________________
>
> All NJYHL teams have been informed and I suggest you remind them of
> the procedure prior to the game. If any issues arise, do not make a
> scene or become confrontational, just take note and send me an e-
> mail about it after the game.
>
> Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you for your
> attention to this matter!
>
> Carl A Barling
> NJYHL Referee-In-Chief
> 973-934-1456
> NJYHLRIC@embarqmail.com

December 5, 2008

Dear USA Hockey member –

Reebok has recalled a number of helmets that were shipped from their distribution center between June 1, 2008, and July 16, 2008. Please take a moment to read the note from Reebok below and also click on the link from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission with specifics as to exactly which helmets fall under the recall.

All questions regarding this matter should be directed to Reebok's customer service department at 1-800-451-4600.

Regards,

The USA Hockey Team

December 4, 2008 (Montreal, QC) – On December 2, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a recall notice, in the United States, on a number of RBK and CCM hockey helmets. The recall pertains to an issue that first came to our attention during the summer. In July, we alerted all affected retailers of the possibility they had received some helmets that did not fully comply with a relevant chin strap standard. We discovered in our internal testing that a helmet component that did not fully meet our internal quality control standards had made it into a small quantity of finished goods. We knew that the potentially affected helmets shipped from our distribution center between the limited period of June 1, 2008, and July 16, 2008. Therefore, we initially only contacted those retailers that received shipments during that period. At that time we asked the retailers that were possibly affected to check their inventory and return to us any helmets that matched the serial number pattern described in the recall notice. This process enabled us to retrieve and repair a large percentage of the affected helmets.

Any consumer that has a helmet described by the CPSC recall notice should return to the store where they purchased the helmet. If the store had not been contacted by Reebok-CCM over the summer, it means that they did not receive any of the potentially affected helmets. If the retailer was part of the initial recall effort over the summer and the helmet has a serial number that matches those described by the recall notice, the helmet will be replaced free of charge.

We apologize for any inconvenience this recall may cause. The safety of our customers is our highest priority. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-451-4600 if you are located in the USA, or 1-800-636-5895 if you are located in Canada.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09058.html

Sharing water bottles or any beverage container during practice or games is not a healthy practice.  Not only does it lead to the spread of bacterial diseases (such as meningitis) but it contributes to the spread of other respiratory diseases (such as influenza or the common cold), and gastrointestinal diseases.   

Based on this evidence the following is recommended for Cranford Hockey Club:

Each athlete should provide his own water bottle, clearly labeled with his name and number (it is recommended that athletes bring there own bottle so it is unique and recognizable to the player during games and practices). Water bottles should be dishwasher safe.