Even after a one-year hiatus, the Mac’s U18 AAA Tournament is woven into the fabric of Calgary’s hockey community.
“My brother grew up playing, he played on this team too,” Calgary Buffaloes captain Ethan Coventry said. “It’s a cool experience, but after missing out on it last year, I just really want to get out there. I’m so excited to play in it this year.”
Organizers hope to come back even bigger than before.
This season’s event boasts 30 squads from Canada, the United States, and the Hungarian U18 National Team. A Russian team was also committed to attend until it was found their COVID-19 vaccine was not approved by the Canadian government.
To spice up the competition, the tournament is also welcoming teams from the Canadian Sport School Hockey League – like Calgary’s Edge School.
“It’s still a club hockey driven program. We want to make sure that the best teams and best players are showcased and that’s going to bring scouts to the building,” tournament general manager Jesse Hale explained.
“A lot of it was the benefit of the competition, seeing the best on best, seeing how they stack up. I think that’s going to be exciting. It’s going to bring a lot of fans here who have been wanting to see that for a long time and I think the games are going to be really close.”
Fans should be in for a treat when the Edge School and reigning champion Buffaloes clash in an all-Calgary, cross-league battle on Dec. 30.
The game is currently slated to take place at Mac’s staple Max Bell arena.
With the rink currently undergoing major renovations, Hale and his crew have had to come up with several backup plans in case it won’t be ready to go.
“We were more scared the rink wouldn’t be ready,” Hale said. “We’re confident now. As of last night, the ice is in, the logo is on the ice, so we are confident those improvements will be done. The contingency plan was to shift everything at Max Bell over to Seven Chiefs.”
Organizers are encouraging fans to buy digital tickets online ahead of time and people will need to follow COVID-19 protocols laid down by the rinks.
Most facilities accept proof of vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours of puck drop.
The Tsuut’ina Nation’s Seven Chiefs Sportsplex requires all eligible fans over the age of 18 to be vaccinated to attend.
They’ve also moved the dates slightly to give teams more time to travel and spend time with family over the holidays.
The new-look Mac’s kicks off on Dec. 27 with the championship game set for Jan. 2.
While the economic impact won’t be as big as previous years, the return of the Mac’s is expected to provide a jolt to some otherwise sleepy wintry weeks for Calgary’s tourism sector.
“We believe it’s about 2,200 room nights across the 100,000 spectators coming in — families and then hockey players,” Calgary Hotel Association executive director Sol Zia said.
“We calculate that the impact from just food and visitors will be close to million dollars.”
Tourism Calgary estimates the overall economic impact could come in just shy of $4 million.
That’s slightly less than previous years.
Zia notes COVID-19 is still preventing some teams and extended family members from making the trip to Alberta and he hopes the numbers will return to their usual levels by the 2022 tournament.
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