Sask. Hockey Association announces name change, rebrand in time for 2021-22 season

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association is changing its name.

In a rebranding announced Wednesday, which included a new name and logo for the upcoming 2021-22 hockey season, the SHA will now be called Hockey Saskatchewan.

The association called the name change “apt.”

“The name change brings the organization in line with Hockey Canada, where “hockey” comes before the organization’s location, and is seen on many of the provincial branches across the country,” the organization explained in a release.

The rebrand also will help eliminate confusion surrounding the shared former acronym of the group, SHA, with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, which launched in 2017. Recently, the health authority has become more well-known, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As an organization, we felt it was a good time to update our name and logo. Given the ongoing pandemic, confusion surrounding the acronym played a role in this change and we hope this will clear matters up when identifying our organization,” Hockey Saskatchewan wrote in their release.

The organization said it is looking forward to the upcoming hockey season and a return to games, accompanied by the launch of their new mobile-friendly website.

Hockey Saskatchewan was established in 1912 and is the governing body for organized hockey in the province. With more than 43,000 members, it is Saskatchewan’s largest sports body.