Edmonton and Red Deer will be hosting the 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. The news was announced today, amidst the Edmonton Oilers Marathon Road Trip. The tournament returns to the two cities after the previous hosting attempt went sideways. Now, they will get a do-over without the proverbial dark clouds hanging over the event.
What’s different this time compared to last time
The last time Alberta hosted the World Juniors was doomed from the start, essentially. Initially slated for 2021, the hosting was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, they tried again to get it off the ground and actually played some of the games, but once more, it was halted.
When they got the tournament off the ground fully in Summer 2022, it was limited to just Edmonton. In addition to becoming a glorified Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the 2022 version was tainted by the Hockey Canada scandal that emerged that year. In summary, likely nobody wants to remember those times.
A new chance at hosting the tournament next winter offers a fresh slate for Edmonton and Red Deer. An opportunity exists for them to truly show the best of this tournament in Alberta. And, of course, it will be yet another opportunity to see the best future NHL talent come through this neck of the woods.
The other previous times Alberta has hosted the World Juniors
Apart from the 2021/2022 boondoggle, the province of Alberta has hosted the World Juniors two other times. The more recent one was in 2012, held in Edmonton and Calgary, and the other instance was in 1995. Both tournaments drew solid reviews and have resulted in the tournament returning.
The 2012 edition was split between the Coliseum (then Rexall Place) and the Saddledome in Calgary. The Saddledome hosted the medal rounds, seeing Sweden defeat Russia in Overtime for the gold medal. Meanwhile, Canada won the bronze in front of their home crowd.
The 1995 edition primarily belonged to Red Deer, but holds the unique distinction of being played in several towns throughout central Alberta. Edmonton and Calgary also hosted select matches, with the Coliseum hosting one of Canada’s games on January 1, 1995. This is the one time where the World Juniors were much more “Alberta” than just two host cities.
Why not Edmonton/Calgary?
Interestingly, the insistence is still to try Edmonton and Red Deer, and that’s no slight against Red Deer. It’s more due to how well the 2012 iteration of the World Juniors, shared between the two major cities, was received.
More than likely, the IIHF isn’t a fan of the two host arenas being a three-hour drive apart. In other scenarios, especially in Europe and Eastern Canada, three hours is a lengthy travel time. Edmonton to Red Deer, at worst, is half of that time, and 90 minutes (80 in good weather) is a lot more palatable.
The funny thing is that, in an alternate universe, Calgary could be hosting this tournament on its own. The new Scotia Place arena is slated to be completed by Summer 2027. Had that timeline been moved up a year, and Scotia Place been slated to open next year, there’s a scenario in which Scotia Place would share hosting duties with the Saddledome, as a symbolic “passing of the torch” event before the Saddledome is torn down.
That is merely an alternate reality, however. Instead of that being a possibility, Edmonton and Red Deer will work perfectly. Just no more disruptive factors, please.
