Thousands of tickets still available for World Junior Championship games in Edmonton
Odd summer timing and an ongoing sexual assault scandal at Hockey Canada could be the reason thousands of tickets to the World Junior Hockey Championship are still available on the eve of the tournament, says an Edmonton professor.
Prof. Dan Mason, who teaches in the faculty of kinesiology, sport, and recreation at the University of Alberta, said when Canada hosts, there are usually so many fans who want to see the home team take the ice that they are willing to buy Hockey Canada's packaged games that include teams that are not Canadian.
"So Latvia vs. Slovakia, for example, those games will be sold out as well because in order to get the tickets to watch Canada play, you have to buy a package that includes some of the other games," he said on Friday.
"The fact that there are still Team Canada tickets available, that tells you the demand is much lower than it usually is for this kind of event."
The tournament runs from Aug. 9-20 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
The initial 2022 championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., was called off Dec. 29 after just four days because of rising COVID-19 cases among players and officials, which forced game forfeitures.
The 10-country tournament will be minus Russia, barred from participating by the International Ice Hockey Federation because of that country's invasion of Ukraine.
Around 1,500 tickets are still available for purchase on Ticketmaster to the first game between Czech Republic and Slovakia on Tuesday. About 1,300 tickets are available for the next day when Canada takes on Latvia. About 1,500 seats for the final game are also available with hundreds of other tickets to watch the 11-day tournament.
Mason said the timing of the games could be why interest is so low. The tournament typically runs over the Christmas holidays.
"Over the past 30 years or so, TSN has built the world juniors into this holiday event that people partake in," he said.
"I watch it with my family over the (Christmas) break though so it's kind of become part of our holiday tradition.
"This time of year, you probably already had plans to go to the lake, go to the mountains or do something summer-related. I don't think we're willing to give up those plans to watch hockey."
Many people could also be waiting for a former judge on the Supreme Court of Canada to begin independently reviewing Hockey Canada's governance amid calls for a change of leadership.
The review comes after members of the 2018 world junior team were accused of a group sexual assault after a gala event, and after Hockey Canada reached a settlement.
"I think there's people who weren't sure if they would go or not, and maybe deciding not to go because of that," Mason said.
The CEO of Explore Edmonton, which promotes tourism in the Alberta capital, said in a email the marketing organization paused its promotion of the games in response to the allegations.
"As the host city for the upcoming tournament, we continue to have discussions with Hockey Canada officials about their plans to address the need for change," said Traci Bednard.
Mason said inflation and less disposable income could be other factors working against the tournament.
"Canada may be more focused on that player development piece than trying to sort of make money off of a tournament being held in the summer," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 7, 2022.
---
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.