I have a new name for that flu virus when it hits your hockey team. I call it “H4N1” which stands for, “Hockey for No One”.

The flu, flu-like illnesses, H1N1 or all of the above wreaked havoc at the Castlegar Pee Wee Rep tournament this past weekend.

Beaver Valley pulled out completely, Kamloops was down three players, Rossland-Trail had sick goalies and our own Nelson Pee Wee Leafs were hit hard with only nine skaters available for Saturday. I can tell you, as the Nelson team’s manager and safety person, we did what we could to minimize the risk and exposure but you can’t control things outside the arena and these bugs are out there.

It’s a tough one to keep at bay. Just ask the LVR Bombers soccer team, they went through it (and congratulations on your Kootenay zone championship by the way).

H1N1 is now front of mind for many of us given the recent unexpected deaths of a 13-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl in Ontario. The news isn’t just stats and numbers anymore, it’s getting personal and though the risk for the unthinkable to happen is quite low, it has happened. We’re a little on edge.

At a recent high school volleyball “playday” I heard mutterings in the crowd, a bit of a gasp actually, as teams shook hands after a set. Picking up on that I promptly instructed my son to, “go wash your hands... give it a full minute... use lots of soap.” Half an hour later I told him to do the same thing. It may have helped or we may have just been lucky but he was healthy for his weekend hockey tournament.

Prevention is the first line of defence against any virus and for hockey teams failure can result in losing your first line on defense.

The fact is, having kids in close quarters leads to outbreaks. Just Google “H1N1 football team” and peruse the 9.7 million results.

Dr. Mark Aubry, the chief medical officer for Hockey Canada has prepared an information release on H1N1 for all hockey teams in the country and says, “If you do have a cold or flu you stay away from the rink until you get better. No sharing of water bottles, no towels on the bench, no sharing of personal items like soap and also making sure that you get your proper sleep and proper nutrition and hydration.”

As for end of game hand shakes he adds, “No skin contact which means players can maybe go glove to glove or just saluting each other from the blue line which would replace the traditional handshake.” (Note to volleyball team.)

At the Castlegar Pee Wee tournament the players gave it the glove to glove Michelle-and-Barack-style fist pump.

The Hockey Canada guidelines are beneficial to any team in any sport and anyone who’s in close contact with others.

You can find it at http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/67156/la_id/1.htm.

Dr. Aubry also points the H1N1 vaccine is available and that, “players and their parents should consult their family physician whether it is appropriate for them to get the vaccine.”

The vaccine is available, just not for most of us at this time. Not quite yet.

And back to that hockey tournament. Despite being down a number of players, including the team’s top scorer, the Nelson Pee Wee Leafs put on a tremendous effort managing a second-place finish and losing just once the whole weekend, the final to the host team. There was a silver lining in that silver medal: everyone who was available stepped up and played a key role in the success of the team.

They’re all an important part of it and if they didn’t know that then, they sure do now, and with all the sickness, that sure feels good.