The dust has barely settled after the world junior hockey tournament took place in Halifax and Moncton, but there’s already chatter of the two cities making another bid to host again in 2025.
In an interview, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said officials at the tournament, which took place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, told him they were pleased with the event.
“The organizers here did an amazing job. The fans turned out in big numbers – not just for Team Canada, but for all the teams,” he said.
“So I think everything about it was really great.”
The tournament culminated with Team Canada winning gold at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre. Afterward, fans filled the street, chanting, cheering and waving signs and banners.
Savage noted the event was put together in a very short amount of time.
The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Russia, but Halifax and Moncton were chosen as the new hosts last spring after the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) revoked Russia’s hosting rights.
Then, Hockey Canada, one of the games’ major organizers, became embroiled in a sexual assault scandal, putting the future of the tournament in question and delaying some of the planning.
Savage said the tournament went “almost flawlessly,” considering the event was put together over the span of around four months, and said Halifax would be open to putting in another bid for the 2025 tournament.
“I think there’d be a willingness from Halifax, I’m sure there would be from Moncton, but we have to look at it. What’s the cost going to be next time, versus the benefit?” he said.
“Financially, more of the benefit goes to the province than the city, in terms of taxation, but we go into this knowing that it’s great for this city.”
Savage noted the tournament was a “really good investment” for the local businesses which have been struggling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he doesn’t know how it could have gone better, even if Halifax had more time to plan.
“I don’t think you could have a better experience for the athletes, the organizers, the officials, the families, than we had,” he said.
“But maybe there is something we can do. Who knows?”
The 2024 tournament is already scheduled to take place in Sweden. Hockey Canada will begin the bidding process for the 2025 tournament, which will take place in Canada, in the spring.
Cities can host again: Hockey Canada
In a statement, Hockey Canada described the 2023 championship as “very successful on and off the ice.”
“In the coming days, Hockey Canada will prepare a report which will provide all parties with a sense of the impacts of hosting and a complete overview of the event,” it said.
The statement said “a number of factors” will be considered when selecting the final host site for 2025, “including community engagement, participant experience, hosting experience, financial viability and local support.”
“Hockey Canada has returned to previous host communities within a two-year period before, and if Halifax and Moncton were interested and proposed the best hosting model Hockey Canada would consider returning in 2025,” it said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia government said it will “assess the impacts from the tournament once we have received the final report from Hockey Canada.”
Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold was unavailable for an interview. A spokesperson for her office said it was too soon to offer a comment on the 2025 tournament.
In an interview, New Brunswick Tourism Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace said the tournament in Moncton was an “incredible event.”
“I’m so happy with the results of the tournament, but also the ability of Explore NB to showcase New Brunswick in a very special way,” she said.
“There’s going to be a lot of conversations in these days following the tournament.”
During the championship, traffic on the New Brunswick tourism website went “crazy.” She said the event attracted about 100,000 people to Moncton, which was an “incredible boost.”
She said local businesses benefited from the tournament, to the tune of around $20 million.
“We love that interest, we love the result and the great feedback we’ve received, so we will definitely be evaluating the opportunity to host the tournament again,” said Scott-Wallace.
She also said the province would welcome another opportunity to work with neighbouring Nova Scotia.
“It is amazing what two provinces can do together, when they’re put together with a common interest and goal,” she said.
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