It’s another victory for Edmonton as a welcome-the-world international sporting event host city.
A stunning 85% of fans who bought tickets to the International Ice Hockey Federation 2021 World Junior Championships did not request a refund.
Yes, given the present job situation and economy, as well as the coronavirus epidemic and the energy problem, most people could definitely use the money. However, the majority of those who helped sell out the then-Edmonton-Red Deer 2021 world juniors chose to keep their tickets for the tournament, which will return in 2022 with the same ten countries.
This year’s tournament, like the NHL’s Western Conference playoff series, both the Eastern and Western Conference finals, and the Stanley Cup series in Edmonton, will be held at Rogers Place and the Ice District bubble without crowds.
A time was opened to enable ticket holders to request refunds, and despite the economics, the fact that just 15% opted to do so should be regarded remarkable.
“This level of interest speaks volumes for the interest in Team Canada and international hockey in Red Deer and Edmonton from fans, adding on the tremendous support that exists for both in the NHL and WHL (Western Hockey League),” said Hockey Canada COO Scott Smith.
“Of those who sought refunds, more than half were from outside the province of Alberta,” Smith said, noting that there was no difference in percentages between Red Deer and Edmonton venue games.
And there’s no need to be concerned about reverting to a sellout.
“We have over 100,000 individuals who registered for the chance to buy tickets via the lottery we conducted last year and were unable to get tickets,” he added. “Last year, Hockey Canada and the IIHF were extremely happy and impressed with the response from fans in Edmonton and Red Deer who registered via the lottery for the chance to buy tickets.
“Not all fans who registered had the opportunity to buy tickets, therefore with over 100,000 individuals on a waiting list, we will be in a position after this year’s event to give tickets to those on the waiting list.”
Smith predicted that the procedure will be similar to last year’s, with a draw from a list.
“With the news on Thursday of our national junior team camp beginning in Red Deer in a few of weeks and then relocating to Edmonton on Dec. 13, we look forward to Alberta once again hosting the WJC this year, despite having no fans in the stands.
“Certainly, the 2020 World Juniors will be a different event, but we are thrilled that the IIHF has given us the chance to host the tournament. The efforts of our employees, the Oilers Entertainment Group, as well as the expertise and success of the NHL Stanley Cup event in Edmonton, were significant assets that enabled us to host the two world juniors in back-to-back years.”
Nobody is happier than Bob Nicholson, the father of the world juniors as we know it from his tenure as head of Hockey Canada and now vice-chairman and CEO of the Edmonton Oilers as well as vice-president of the IIHF.
It was Nicholson who went to Zurich and persuaded the IIHF to conduct a Hub City 2021 COVID-19 duplicate of the near-perfect Stanley Cup event, allowing Red Deer-Edmonton to reschedule the event – with fans, this time – for 2022.
“I believe this shows the IIHF they made the correct decision,” Nicholson added. “They’re going to hold this year’s tournament under the greatest possible conditions in the location where the NHL had such a tremendous success, and they now know they’ll have a successful World Juniors 2022 Live Stream with full facilities and an amazing environment.”
The first time around, like with Edmonton’s Grey Cup sellout record, the event sold out in 72 hours.
Every seat. Every game. In Edmonton, there will be sixteen games. Sixteen games in Red Deer.
The Edmonton packages split games for the 18,400-seat Rogers Place. In addition to Canada, the pool comprised Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Germany. The package for the 6.300 available tickets in Red Deer included games featuring Russia, Sweden, the United States, and Austria.
While all games this year will be played at Rogers Place, plus two pre-Christmas, pre-tournament games per team, a new make-up of teams in each group will be selected using the traditional method using the teams’ final standings this year.
With no alternative tournament to offer a new country in the event that no relegation round is needed this year, the same ten countries will return.
The 2012 Calgary-Edmonton event broke all prior marks for hosting the World Juniors.
