A photo taken in Dec. 2018 when the IIHF and Hockey Canada announced Red Deer and Edmonton would co-host the 2021 World Junior Championship. News came later that they'd get a second shot at it with the 2022 edition. Fans couldn't enter the 2021 bubble, and the 2022 tourney was cut short in December before Red Deer was left out of a reboot this August. (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

"disappointing"

IIHF: Red Deer won’t co-host 2022 World Juniors this August

Mar 20, 2022 | 10:38 AM

It doesn’t appear Red Deer will be doing any co-hosting as it relates to the rebooted 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Last month, the IIHF announced the tournament would be rescheduled for this August, with everything starting from scratch. Russia and Belarus are also barred from the tournament given their roles in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In a statement on its website Saturday, and confirmed in an email to rdnewsNOW, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) stated the following:

“The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada, which had to be cancelled in December, is planned from 9 to 20 August 2022. Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta is foreseen as venue for all games.”

The IIHF says Hockey Canada would be best to comment on why Red Deer was left out, and rdnewsNOW has requested comment.

Holiday festivities

Ponoka's Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees begins next week

8h ago

Holiday charity

Pattison Media raises $28,000 for The Outreach Centre during Day of Holiday Hope radiothon

10h ago

Ending hunger

Canadian Foodgrains Bank highlights work at event in Red Deer

Nov 15, 2024

The news will be disappointing to Red Deer hockey fans who saw the original version of the 2022 tournament cancelled midway through, but also were forced to watch from home as the 2021 World Juniors — also to be co-hosted by Red Deer and Edmonton — were held in a bubble.

Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston says for a city that has world-class facilities, and is more than able to host this magnitude of an event, it’s a bit crushing to hear the news.

“I feel bad for hockey fans themselves in the city who won’t be able to partake as easily. But also with the uptick it would’ve given us from a tourism perspective and on the economic side of it, I feel for the restaurants, the hotels, and the Westerner who are in the post-COVID condition they’re in. This was going to be a chance to showcase our city and the amenities we have.”

In 2018, when it was first announced Red Deer and the capital would share 2021 and 2022 hosting duties, the economic impact was projected at more than $50 million for the region.

Johnston says there was no formal communication to him before the IIHF made its announcement Saturday, but adds the City has always had a great relationship with Hockey Canada and other sports councils.

He also points to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which returns to Red Deer and Edmonton in early August. That tournament was last co-hosted by the two cities in 2018, with most Red Deer games played out of Servus Arena. It was supposed to return here in 2020, but was wiped out due to the pandemic.

“That tournament and others mean a lot to us, but the allure, and the preeminence of the World Juniors, it’s a tournament that captures all of Canada no matter when and where it’s played,” says Johnston.

“We’ll keep at it, and we can host again another day. When those talks happen. I look forward to being an ambassador for our city. We know we aren’t Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver, but we are a preeminent city for hockey, and our facilities can back that up.”

rdnewsNOW will share an update if Hockey Canada provides comment.