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Knowing the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, Brenda Bourdeau hesitated before registering her 11-year-old son for recent hockey tournaments and upcoming tryouts.

But it had been a long few months for him, and Bourdeau felt returning to team sports could be good for his morale and mental health. After consulting the measures in place, she decided to give it a go.

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From the moment he took to the ice with teammates, she knew she had made the right choice.

“(Parents) noticed it right away,” Bourdeau said this week. “Just to be on the ice, and be together and playing, was a massive change in their mood.”

As registration for hockey ramps up, Bourdeau is among thousands of Quebec parents who will need to decide whether or not they feel it’s safe for their children to return to the sport.

It’s a concern Hockey Quebec’s Paul Ménard says is “only understandable.” As the governing body’s director general, Ménard said he’s been flooded with calls and emails from parents, especially as reports have emerged of outbreaks at hockey camps and tournaments over the summer.