Did you know that three years before Sidney Crosby was the No. 1 pick in the NHL Entry Draft, he was a bleached-blond 14-year-old dominating the competition with the Dartmouth Subways at the 2002 Air Canada Cup in Bathurst, N.B.?

Or that 19 of the 27 players centralized with Canada’s National Women’s Team in preparation for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games represented their province at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship?

Or that more than 1,200 future NHL draft picks have represented their country at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge since the tournament began in 1986, including names like Sakic, Niedermayer, Sundin, Ovechkin and Tavares?

Playing host to a Hockey Canada event not only gives fans the chance to see the next generation of hockey stars before they’re stars, it is an opportunity for the host community to put itself in the national, and sometimes international, spotlight.

Every season, Hockey Canada hosts events across the country, in communities big and small, ranging from towns of 7,000 like Yarmouth, N.S., (2012 and 2013 World Junior A Challenges) to major cities of over one million, like Calgary, Alta. (2012 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2013 National Women’s Under-18 Championship).

These events leave behind a lasting legacy that will help grow the game of hockey for years to come.

WHO CAN BID?

Any communities that have the full support of their respective hockey branch, and the hockey constituents in the community, including the facilities and resources (municipal, provincial and corporate support) that can accommodate the event they are bidding on.

WHEN CAN YOU BID?

Event bid guidelines are distributed by Hockey Canada once each season, for events typically two years away. This allows 20-24 months to plan and execute what should be a “best ever” event.

In addition to the international and national exposure communities receive by hosting Hockey Canada events, the tournaments bring tremendous economic benefits to communities from coast to coast.

Over the past four seasons, Hockey Canada has been working in partnership with the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance to conduct STEAM PRO economic impact assessments at a number of tournaments, ranging in size from the National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Dawson Creek, B.C., to the RBC Cup in Summerside, P.E.I., as well as international events like the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Calgary, Alta., and the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Ottawa, Ont.

The table below highlights the economic impact of Hockey Canada events hosted over the last two seasons.