More travel woes for those trying to return home to Newfoundland and Labrador, this time involving a local hockey team.
Some 27 players and staff of the Pinnacle Growlers Major U-18 hockey team were forced to spend Sunday night sleeping on the floor of the Halifax Stanfield Airport, without food or water, after numerous flight cancellations on their way home from the East Coast Ice Jam tournament in Halifax.
Steve Manuel, Governor of the Pinnacle Growlers, says the Air Canada flight they were supposed to be on was delayed numerous times before finally being cancelled around midnight due to what Air Canada said was poor weather.
20 players aged 15-17 forced to sleep on the floor @ Halifax Airport after @AirCanada flight cancelled. No hotel, no food, no water. @VOCMOpenline @globalhalifax pic.twitter.com/SsBkyNZ0im
— Pinnacle Growlers (@AAAGrowlers) January 16, 2023
He says there were no hotels or meal vouchers provided for the 27 people flying and they were left in the lurch. Airport security let them use the Observation Room at the airport to sleep. Manuel says they made the best of a bad situation.
Manuel says the team are a group of troopers. He says the team is tired, but are a good bunch of young gentlemen. They came together as a group and made the best out of it without issue.
The Pinnacle Growlers are expected to return home today.
Meanwhile, the Western Kings, who were at the same tournament in Halifax returned home safely, albeit without their equipment.
