Preparations for Memorial Cup well underway in Saint John
The countdown to the Memorial Cup is on with less than two months to go until the city of Saint John plays host to one of the most high-profile and prestigious hockey championships in Canada.
“We’re exactly 57 days away so it’s right around the corner,” says president of the Saint John Sea Dogs Trevor Georgie. “It’s obviously a major event and it takes a lot of horsepower to get ready and also to execute.”
Organizers have secured a team of 500 volunteers who have signed up to help during the more than week-long national tournament, and at this point, about 20 per cent of tickets remain.
“We were on pace to probably sell this event out before Christmas but then the lockdowns happened,” says Saint John Bid Committee Chair Mark-Anthony Ashfield. “That certainly put a bit of a damper on some of the ticket sales, but now things are going great — we fully expect this event to be sold out.”
The Memorial Cup was put on pause for the past two years due to the pandemic, and was last hosted in 2019 in Halifax – an event that drew tens of thousands of participants and spectators to the city.
“In 2019, the Memorial Cup in Halifax generated almost $18 million in economic impact for the province of Nova Scotia,” CHL president Dan MacKenzie said in September, at the announcement that Saint John was successful in its bid.
“Our expectation is that the event here in New Brunswick will be just as impactful.”
Georgie says along with hockey, there will be much more fanfare happening around the city as well.
“We’ve nights of fireworks shows, we’ve got the hockey hall of fame coming in and doing an exhibit, we have a speaker series focused on equity, diversity and inclusion – we’ve got a concert series with major acts coming.”
It was also recently revealed that as part of the event, the host organizing committee will be building a ball hockey arena in the city.
“So there’s going to be lots here during the Memorial Cup, but there’s also going to be lots that’s left for the community beyond the Memorial Cup,” says Ashfield.
“Very exciting times for the community for sure.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to his hush money conviction
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
Incendiary device thrown at Vancouver synagogue, Jewish Federation says
An incendiary device was thrown at a Vancouver synagogue Thursday night, leading to increased police presence at local institutions, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says.