Investigation into alleged sexual assault causes sponsorship decline at World Juniors

Dalhousie University business professor Lorn Sheehan says the loss of major sponsors due to an investigation into an alleged sexual assault is already causing an obvious affect on the World Junior Hockey Championship.

"It has caused a number of concerns from the strong hold of support that they've enjoyed enjoyed across the country," said Sheehan. "That’s just going to take some time to heal.”

At previous world junior tournaments, rink boards were jammed with advertisements and corporate logos. This year, the boards in Edmonton are covered with generic hockey logos. It's a sign that sponsorship money has dried up.

"Trust with organizations is something that has got up overtime, with repeated interaction with the organization," said Sheehan. "The unfortunate reality is a trust can be torn down virtually in an instant.”

There are at least some local sponsors still supporting the tournament. Downtown Moncton Centre-ville is hosting world junior watch parties for fans.

According to the organization: “Moncton hockey fans will be able to watch the world juniors on the big screen in an exciting environment with family, friends, and food.”

The watch parties are sponsored by Pumphouse Brewery in Moncton.

Moncton hockey analyst Craig Eagles told CTV News the ongoing investigation into the alleged sexual assault, combined with the recent announcement that Canada will not be playing any of its games in Moncton, could make it difficult when it comes to selling tickets and generating local sponsorship and marketing revenues.

CTV's request for an interview with Hockey Canada was declined. A spokesperson with the organization did say they would discuss the state of sponsorship and marketing in September.