Women’s world hockey championships coming home to Canada

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International women’s hockey will take centre stage across Canada for five years and Ottawa would like to play a role.

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As the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation world junior championship wraps up this weekend at the Canadian Tire Centre, Hockey Canada officials announced Friday it had opened the bidding process for five women’s events beginning in 2026.

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Not only will Canada host the 2027 and 2030 IIHF women’s world championships, but the top under-18 players will also be on hand for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 IIHF U18 women’s world championships.

“Hosting IIHF championships is a tremendous privilege we do not take for granted, and we are grateful for their support of this landmark agreement,” said Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “Investing in the growth and development of women’s and girls’ hockey is a top priority for Hockey Canada, and we are thrilled that our athletes, coaches and staff will participate in an unprecedented number of world championships on home ice.”

It’s a significant announcement that comes with the women’s game growing by leaps and bounds, including the six-team Professional Women’s Hockey League in its second full season.

“It’s no secret that women’s hockey and women’s sports continue to soar to new heights,” Marin Hickox, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of women’s and girl’s hockey, said at a news conference at the Aberdeen Pavillion at Lansdowne Park on Friday.

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“This groundbreaking announcement and agreement will benefit so many hockey participants and fans from across our country. This is about more than just hockey. This movement is truly inspiring the next generation and we cannot wait for it to continue, not only with two women’s worlds, but also three under-18s as well.”

Though the 2025 world juniors in Ottawa didn’t go as planned for the program with the home team being eliminated in the quarterfinals, Hockey Canada officials felt it was only right to make Friday’s announcement in the nation’s capital because of the history of the women’s game here.

Ottawa was the site of the first recorded women’s game in history in 1890 and the first women’s world championship was held at the Civic Centre in 1990. Five straight tourneys on Canadian soil is a large undertaking, but officials are confident they’ll be successful.

“This will be the first time in women’s hockey history that a country has hosted that many championships in that many years,” said Jonathan Goldbloom, a Montreal-based member of Hockey Canada’s board of directors.

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Given the success of the 2009 and 2025 world junior championships, the City of Ottawa would like to host at least one of the women’s events.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who was on hand for the event with Hamilton MPP Neil Lumsden, the provincial minister of sport, said the city would sit down with the necessary stakeholders.

“It’s not just my decision but, yes, we will be applying. Absolutely, we will be applying for all of those events,” Sutcliffe said.

That’s because Sutcliffe, who grew up in this city, knows in his heart that Ottawa is a hockey town that will support the grassroots of the game.

Henderson noted that more than 240,000 spectators had attended games at the 2025 world junior tourney already at TD Place Arena and the Canadian Tire Centre.

The joint bid by the Ottawa Senators and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to hold the 2025 event has been a strong success. A women’s championship bid would include the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge, which has been well-supported in its first two seasons.

Tourism Ottawa officials and Hockey Canada projected that the world junior tournament would have at least $50 million in economic impact on the region, but that number seems low based on the history of the event. The Fan Fest set up at the Aberdeen Pavillion has been well-attended.

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Lumsden, a former University of Ottawa Gee-Gees standout running back, noted that the 2009 IIHF world junior championship had a $80-million impact on the province and that number had grown.

“We are an incredible city for hockey. I don’t think there’s any other place in the world that would make a better host for the world juniors and for other hockey events than Ottawa,” Sutcliffe said.

“This is a hockey-passionate city. We see that in the fans that have turned out. We see that in (many) volunteers who have participated in this event. The support has been tremendous, and we should be very proud as a city for what’s happened this week in Ottawa.”

That’s why Sutcliffe is bullish on bringing more events here.

“I’m so grateful to Hockey Canada for all the hard work that has gone into making this a success here and their decision to allow Ottawa to host this event once again this year,” Sutcliffe said. “We’re so proud that this has been such a great success.

“When I called Lumsden and the premier (Doug Ford) when this bid was taking shape, I asked for their support and they jumped on board right away. It won’t be the last time we’ll call. It will be a familiar call.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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