One of the world’s most exciting hockey tournaments could be played without fans in attendance for the second year in a row.
Last year, the IIHF announced the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship would take in a bubble environment in Edmonton due to the ongoing threats of COVID-19. Unfortunately, the same might be said for this upcoming tournament, which takes place in Edmonton and Red Deer.
TSN Hockey Insider discussed some of the details on “Insider Trading” yesterday. “It is possible, that is obviously worst case scenario for all involved. Hockey Canada and the governing bodies are paying close attention to what’s happening in the province of Alberta right now. They’re going to continue to monitor the NHL clubs, the Western Hockey League teams as well. The good news is that 75% of the tickets have been sold, so Hockey Canada can wait until the beginning of December to ultimately make the decision on what the capacity issues are. You might see some unique travel twists, maybe you charter the teams in and then they fly commercial out. So, there’s still work to be done.”
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It would be a real shame if Canada’s youngest stars were unable to play in front of fans two years in a row. There’s nothing like watching them play in person with all the energy and passion while representing our country, but the health and safety of fans, players and other personnel is the top priority. Earlier this week, Hockey Canada announced cancellations for 3 national tournaments because of the pandemic. In April, Canada opted out of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, an international Under-18 tournament featuring the best players eligible for upcoming NHL drafts, for similar reason.
The World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day as it has almost every other year. Canada is in a group with Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Last year’s finish in the bubble was quite disappointing for the host nation, as they lost 2-0 in the gold medal game to the Americans. Fans or not, Canada will look to rebound this year and win their 3rd gold medal in 5 years, and their first on home soil since 2015 in Toronto and Montreal.