SASKATOON – Regina-Saskatoon 2010 was terrific. Edmonton-Calgary will be ballistic.
Jim Peplinski and Lyle Best, co-chairmen of the Edmonton-Calgary 2012 World Junior have no interest in reinventing the wheel. But they do intend on rewriting the records.
After examining and evaluating the Saskatoon 2010 hosting of the event which ends today with the gold and bronze medal games, Peplinski and Best have found no reason to believe there's anything about the World Junior which is broken and needs fixing between now and the next Canadian hosting.
Nor do they have any doubt that the two Alberta NHL cities will take the already ballistic holiday tradition where it's never been before.
“We came away from here completely convinced Hockey Canada knows what they're doing and that with what we'll be able to do as organizers, we'll be able to produce a quality of event which will be unprecedented,” said Calgary's Peplinski.
“We're leaving here projecting the highest attended World Junior ever. We think 2012 will be the first ever World Junior with an attendance total well over half a million.”
The current record is 453,282 from Ottawa last year with Vancouver 2006 drawing 325,138.
This event is projecting 332,000 through today's medal games.
“We think we can have the entire tournament sold out in advance. We think that's absolutely possible,” said Peplinski.
“We're not only planning for that to be the case, we're working on a plan for redistributing tickets early in the tournament that some people might not be able to use. We want to make sure we fill the buildings.”
Despite several blowouts, including Canada's 16-0 win over Latvia in group play, the Edmonton-Calgary co- chairmen aren't worried about the number of non-competitive games early in the tournament.
“People are going to buy the packages for all the games like they do with the Brier,” suggested Peplinski. “They know all the games aren't going to be close. Blowouts are going to happen. But it's become a celebration and an event like the Grey Cup and the Brier. You don't have to be a football fan or a curling fan to become part of it. It's just such a solid event,” said the former Calgary Flames star.
“In Edmonton it isn't a problem because we get all of Canada's games,” said Best of the tournament in which the medal round games are scheduled for Calgary.
“We expect to be able to deliver a World Junior like has never been held before because of the advantages we have. Nobody has ever been awarded the event three years early like we have,” said Peplinki, who promises the ticket price average will be under $40 and will produce a record profit for Hockey Canada, topping the $12.5 million guarantee here.
The Saskatoon hosting in a building expanded to seat over 15,000 and with that guarantee to Hockey Canada, featured only the one sellout on New Year's Eve and the projected full house Tuesday.
Because of the guarantee, the house was scaled with some pretty pricey tickets here.
“We think we've done very well,” said Regina-Saskatoon host committee chairman Jack Brodsky. “People are talking about empty seats but when we put in our bid the building sat 11,300. We decided to expand the building to 15,100 as a legacy for the event and we're very happy. We think we're going to cover the guarantee and a little bit extra.
"I'm not going to have to call Premier Brad Wall and that's a happy day for me.”
If there's a legacy here for Canadian sport, it'll be the 50-50. The invention of a new portable machine by a Summerside, PEI company which spews out 1-for-$5, 3-for-$10 and 10-for-$20 numbers resulted in a $93,000 payout on New Years Eve and a projected payout of well over $100,000 for
the winner at Tuesdday's gold medal game.
In all the pay out and matching revenue may hit $1 million.
“Other than the hockey, it's been the story of the tournament,” said Saskatoon Blades owner Brodsky.
