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When the puck is dropped to start the 2023 world junior hockey championship, it might be happening right here in Saskatchewan.
The city councils of both Regina and Saskatoon are holding special meetings Friday to discuss a joint bid to play host to the International Ice Hockey Federation tournament.
The 2023 tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Novosibirsk, Russia between Dec. 26, 2022, and Jan. 5, 2023.
On Feb. 28, the IIHF announced it was stripping Russia of its hosting rights — among other things — due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
A joint release Wednesday from Tourism Regina and Tourism Saskatoon announced that Hockey Canada has been asked by the IIHF to come up with a plan to host the tournament.
“This is an exciting opportunity to host the IIHF world junior championship throughout Saskatchewan with potential games being played in municipalities like Humboldt, Swift Current, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw,” the release said.
Saskatchewan has played host to the tournament twice before, in 1991 and 2010.
Canada won the gold medal in the 1991 tournament, which used a round-robin format. The United States defeated Canada 6-5 in overtime in the 2010 final.
“Hosting the world junior championship is where Saskatoon and Regina shine,” Stephanie Clovechok, the chief executive officer for Tourism Saskatoon, said in the release. “Our hosting excellence was demonstrated in 2010 when our two cities hosted the IIHF world junior championship. Hockey Canada reported that they had their highest revenues and attendance to date.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for our cities to come together, initiating growth and distributing economic opportunity throughout the entire province.”
“Tourism Regina is proud to be part of a collaborative team that is working to bring a world-class event to our province. This is an incredible opportunity to give our tourism and hospitality sector a much-needed boost as we work to recover from the (COVID-19) pandemic,” added Chelsea Galloway, chief tourism and visitor growth officer for Tourism Regina.
The two organizations believe a potential economic impact of $50 million could be expected from hosting the event.
The cities are required to have a business plan and event bid in to Hockey Canada by next Monday. A final decision is to be made on April 25 or 26.