'An electric atmosphere in the Maritimes': Event lead says World Juniors a success

Team Canada won gold in Halifax Thursday night -- defeating Czechia 3-2 in a dramatic final game at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

Grant MacDonald, the local event lead for the tournament, says it was not only a great night, but a great couple of weeks for the Maritime region.

“The response from the community, the fan response, seeing it, feeling the energy, in Scotiabank Centre last night, but also at Avenir Centre in Moncton, plus fan fests in both cities. It was just an electric atmosphere in the Maritimes during the World Juniors,” he said during an interview with CTV Atlantic Friday afternoon.

In March 2022, Canada was asked by the International Ice Hockey Federation to host the tournament, after it was stripped away from Russia for attacking Ukraine.

Halifax and Moncton, N.B., co-hosted the tournament, which started on Dec. 26 and ended Thursday.

MacDonald says the IIHF mentioned that, with the change of venue, the World Juniors came back to junior hockey cities.

“We were priced affordably in order to ensure that it was available to all fans, and ultimately, as was mentioned by the president of the IIHF, this was the best medicine for hockey to return from a pandemic as well as some other difficult times.”

More than 250 volunteers worked behind the scenes to make the event possible. MacDonald says people were working 20 hours a day, in some cases.

“Every thing from laundry to transportation to medical, volunteer services, media services -- we owe those 250 volunteers a great debt of gratitude. And to our communities, we can host a great event and deliver it successfully, but ultimately we need fans and the community to get behind it and, boy, did they.”

MacDonald says he’s also heard feedback from team members who were “ecstatic” about the energy in the building during the tournament.

“Not just during the gold-medal game, but during every game, whether it was Austria scoring their first goal, and hearing the fan response, or it was the cheers for Slovakia after an overtime lose to Canada in the quarterfinal,” he says. “Both Avenir Centre and Scotiabank Centre really stepped up and showed why World Juniors is so successful in junior hockey markets.”

Hockey Canada confirmed to CTV News Friday that 98.6 per cent of available tickets were sold in Halifax and 74 per cent were sold in Moncton-- sales MacDonald describes as “exceptional.”

“They really, from the moment that they were released, fans got behind it and that let us know that the communities would support it. So we knew that the event was going to be a success, but, boy oh boy, did Maritime hockey fans ever come out,” he says. “And I should say that fans came from all over Canada and around the world, from the U.S., from Europe, and other parts in order to experience this.”

MacDonald thinks the success of the tournament bodes well for future events.

“Hosting successful events is the best calling card and it does give the opportunity to host future hockey events, as well as other international and national sporting events.”