After seeing its candidacy rejected in favor of other markets in 2023 and 2025, Quebec could finally be the host city of the World Junior Hockey Championship in 2029. Depending on what The Journal has learned, the old capital is currently the city targeted by Hockey Canada to present the popular holiday event.
Quebec is also aiming to host the 2027 Women’s World Hockey Championship, and an announcement could be made in the coming weeks.
“I confirm that I have been in discussions with Hockey Canada for several months and we have a very great interest in hosting these two tournaments,” simply declared the chief operating officer of the Quebecor Sports and Entertainment group, Martin Tremblay, contacted yesterday , who however refuses to comment on the fact that Quebec is at the top of the list.
The information that there is mutual interest between Quebec and Hockey Canada circulated quite a bit behind the scenes last week, on the sidelines of the World Juniors presented in Ottawa. Tremblay was also seen at the Canadian Tire center on January 2.
For its part, Hockey Canada preferred not to comment.
“The FIHG has granted Canada the presentation of the 2029 World Junior Hockey Championship. However, we have no update to give on the potential host cities,” responded a spokesperson for the federation.
With Trois-Rivières?
After two failures, it seems that the third time will be the good one for Quebec. In 2023, it was Halifax and Moncton who won the race, then Ottawa beat Quebec for the last tournament, which ended on January 5. Both times, the old capital presented a joint candidacy with Trois-Rivières.
It was not possible to confirm with certainty whether this would once again be the avenue taken, but it should not be surprising if the city of Mauricie is once again considered as a second competition site, in view of the tournament which would take place from December 26, 2028 to January 5, 2029.
In an interview with - last week, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Luc Tardif, a native of Trois-Rivières, mentioned that “a candidacy from Quebec and perhaps Trois-Rivières is possible » for 2029.
“I will try to see to what extent I can try to convince them too. Returning to Trois-Rivières would be extraordinary,” he added.
A first since 1978
If Hockey Canada grants the 2029 World Junior Hockey Championship to Quebec and Trois-Rivières, it would be the first time since 1978 that this event would be presented strictly on Quebec soil.
The last time a Quebec city hosted the event was during the 2015 and 2017 editions, held jointly in Montreal and Toronto.
Crowd success was then mixed.
Quebec should therefore hope for a better response from its population than that of Montreal. Remember that the old capital is the market that attracts the best junior hockey crowds through the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
This season, the Quebec Remparts attracted an average of 9,438 spectators to the Videotron center.
A tradition
The World Junior Hockey Championship has become a holiday tradition for many hockey fans around the world.
In 2023, the economic benefits in Halifax and Moncton have been estimated at $50M. The figures for the last tournament in Ottawa have not yet been revealed but, before the tournament, Hockey Canada estimated spinoffs of up to $80M.
The World Junior Championship will take place in Minnesota next year, then return to Canada, in Alberta, in 2027, before making a jump to Finland the following year.
