Helsinki, Finland is the only city to have hosted the World Junior Hockey Championship more than twice. Montreal will soon become the second city to do so when it holds the 2017 tournament along with Toronto.
Now Saskatoon has a chance to join the club after submitting a joint bid with Winnipeg to host the event in 2019.
“We really are absolutely thrilled to be partnering in Saskatoon and then with True North out of Winnipeg for what we think is a terrific tandem for the 2019 Face Off at Centre Ice, as we’re calling it,” Saskatoon Blades president Steve Hogle said on Tuesday.
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If the bid is successful it would be Winnipeg’s second time as hosts, coincidentally falling on the 20th anniversary of the tournament’s first stop in the Manitoba capital. Saskatoon previously held the event in 1991 and 2010, the latter of which saw the Bridge City serve as co-hosts with Regina.
“The fans that came out and the volunteers that worked the event (in 2010 were) unparalleled,” Hogle said. “We know Winnipeg can bring the same intangibles to the table and we just think it’s a dynamic duo.”
The bid came about after discussions between Saskatoon Sports Tourism and True North Sports & Entertainment, owners of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Saskatoon was seen as an ideal partner because the city’s main arena, SaskTel Centre, is similar in size to the MTS Centre, which is also owned and operated by True North.
“We’ve put together a very competitive bid considering we’ve got great venues in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and both markets have a proven track record of getting behind world class events and making them successful,” Rob Wozny, True North vice president of communications, said.
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Details of the bid are being kept under wraps but each city would likely host one of two pools, with the site of the medal round yet to be determined. Discussions will also revolve around where Team Canada will play, and when.
“It’s that balance of trying to satisfy that appetite for Canadian hockey featuring Team Canada while satisfying two markets; one in Manitoba, one in Saskatchewan,” Hogle said.
Hockey Canada has not revealed how many other cities are candidates to host the 2019 tournament. The winning bid will be announced in late November or early December.
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