American women's hockey stars Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield aren't impressed with the IIHF's failure to implement a contingency plan following the cancellation of the 2021 world championship.

The IIHF and the Nova Scotia government nixed the tournament Wednesday due to COVID-19 concerns, just weeks before it was scheduled to take place May 6-16 in Halifax and Truro.

"The cancellation of the women's world championship at the last minute this week was just another reminder that women's hockey continues to be treated as an afterthought," Knight wrote in a statement Friday.

She continued: "The health and safety of the people of Nova Scotia is, and must be, the top priority. However, to cancel this critical event so close to its start - with some teams en route to the site to begin an eight-day quarantine process - and provide no other option is incredibly disappointing."

Coyne Schofield shared similar sentiments.

"To learn that there was no contingency plan and the IIHF is letting 250 of the best players in the world return to their homes today with, 'We are seeking new dates,' is simply unacceptable," she stated Thursday.

The IIHF and Hockey Canada said in a joint statement after the cancelation that they aim to stage the event "in the summer of 2021." The possibility of moving the event from Nova Scotia is on the table.

IIHF president Rene Fasel said the organization didn't have a safety net in place because there didn't appear to be a need for one.

"As both the IIHF and Hockey Canada had assurances that this event was going to proceed a few days before the cancellation announcement, this news was completely unexpected," Fasel said, per The Canadian Press.

The 2020 women's world championship was also canceled due to the pandemic.

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