Team Canada and Ambri-Piotta cancel Spengler Cup participation, the Slovakian club HC Slovan Bratislava fills in. The Spengler Cup organizing committee is still working on the engagement of a second replacement team.

The officials of Team Canada informed the Spengler Cup organizing committee on Sunday morning that they regrettably would have to withdraw from this year’s Spengler Cup. Tom Renney, chief executive officer, and Scott Smith, president and chief operating officer, emphasized how much Team Canada would have liked to travel Davos after the Channel One Cup in Moscow, but, due to several organizational hurdles, this would be impossible (see separate press release).
Spengler Cup president Marc Gianola regrets the title holder’s cancelation as well but is also understanding. “We know from exchanges with all participants that traveling is difficult these days. Team Canada is even more impacted by restrictions due to players from various countries and continents, which, very unfortunately, finally made their participation impossible.”
Just a few hours later the organizing committee was hit with more bad news. After numerous players on Ambri-Piotta’s squad tested positive, the entire team was put in an authority mandated 10-day quarantine and will not be able to participate at the tournament either.

In HC Slovan Bratislava, the Spengler Cup organizing committee was already able to commit a new, attractive team by Sunday afternoon. The club knows the Spengler Cup from four participations in the 70’s, of which the team from Slovakia’s capital won three.
In addition the Spengler Cup organizing committee is working on securing the participation of a sixth team, which will hopefully be announced within the next hours. Otherwise this year’s tournament would be played with five teams in the “old” format, with a round robin and a final.
The organizing committee is currently working hard on a new game schedule, adjusted ticket sale, and other organizational changes. The website spenglercup.ch is constantly expanded and updated in regard to new information.
We ask all tournament visitors for some patience until all open questions can be answered.

Quelle: Spengler Cup-media release Foto: Slovan Bratislava