Article Author:
The Canadian Press
Gemma Karstens-Smith
Edmonton — Empty seats are the norm in an extraordinary world Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton this month — and Hockey Canada say the scandal surrounding the organization is partly alienating fans.
Tournaments typically draw thousands of dedicated hockey enthusiasts to each match, but the average attendance in his 20 qualifying round matches in a tournament was was 1,319.
Hockey Canada said there are "several reasons" people are choosing to stay home for the rescheduled 2022 tournament.
"First, the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed this tournament to his August," the organization said in a statement Tuesday. "And secondly, there is understandable scrutiny from Canadians of Hockey Canada and hockey culture." has grown.
Canada's national sports organization has come under fire in recent months for handling allegations of sexual assault. Member of two former world junior teams.
This allegation prompted a congressional investigation and the federal government to freeze funding for the organization.
Well-known sponsors such as Telus and Canadian Tire followed suit, with no advertising on the ice at Rogers Place and the usual logos on the surrounding boards.
"Our focus is to ensure that players who have been training for the past few months are able to compete on this important stage, and that fans enjoy a positive experience." Hockey Canada said.
There were three games on the first day of the tournament, but none of them reached 1,000 fans. The biggest draw was between the United States and Germany, with 829 people in attendance.
Canada played her first match the next day in front of 2,779 people, her 5-2 victory over Latvia. Attendance for the match between Switzerland and Sweden at 12pm has not been reported. Local time on the same day.
A crowd of 5,204 watched Canada's final qualifying round match in her 6-3 victory over Finland on Monday, and the crowd slowly grew as the tournament progressed. bloated.
Hockey Canada is one organization likely to suffer financial losses from disappointing ticket sales.
"The event's stakeholders - (International Ice Hockey Federation), Hockey Canada, participating federations - all contribute financially to ensure the event takes place," said Hockey Canada. Told.
"Net profits from World Juniors will be shared between Hockey Canada, members of Hockey Canada, (Canadian Hockey League) and IIHF." More than 1,500 tickets were sold on Ticketmaster for Canada's quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
The 2022 tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta in December, but due to his increasing number of COVID-19 cases among players and officials, The game was stopped after just four days.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 16, 2022.
Sign up to receive daily top stories from National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
Thank you for registering.
Sending welcome email. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder.
The next issue of NP Posted will arrive in your mailbox shortly.
