March 31, 2006
NR043

HOCKEY CANADA RECEIVES DOCUMENTATION FOR FIVE BIDS
FOR THE 2009 IIIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada announced on Friday that five groups have submitted their bid documents to host the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship. Hockey Canada has received bid documents from the following groups (alphabetical order):

Calgary/Edmonton, AB
Montreal, QC
Ottawa, ON
Saskatoon, SK
Toronto, ON

Hockey Canada had also received letters for intent from London, ON and Quebec City, QC by the February 1, 2006 deadline, but these two groups did not present any documentation for their bids prior to the March 31st deadline.

The 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship Site Selection Committee will review this documentation and will determine which groups, up to a maximum of five groups, will make in-person presentations in Calgary, AB on April 18, 2006.

Hockey Canada began the bid process for the hosting of the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship on October 13, 2005 by making the bid guidelines available. The 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place in late December 2008 through early January 2009.

Hockey Canada Bid process timelines for the hosting of the
2009 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

February 1, 2006
- Deadline for Letter of Intent to submit bid
March 31, 2006
– Deadline for submission of bid presentations to Hockey Canada
April 18, 2006
- In-person Bid Presentations to the 2009 Site Selection Committee in Calgary, AB
May 2006
- Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors determines site for 2009 IIHF WJHC,
and then it is brought to the IIHF for approval

Hockey Canada was awarded the opportunity to host both the 2009 and 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships in May 2005 at the IIHF’s Annual Congress. The 2012 WJHC bid process will take place at a later date.

The 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship Site Selection Committee is comprised of Bob Nicholson (President, Hockey Canada), René Marcil (Chair of the Board, Hockey Canada), David Branch (President, Canadian Hockey League) and resource person Scott Smith (Hockey Canada’s Senior Vice-president, Business Operations). This committee will review all bids and recommend a site to Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors.

Canada hosted the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship in British Columbia this winter, an event that broke records in attendance, television viewership and is expected to generate a profit in excess of $9 million. An economic impact assessment by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA), released earlier this month, concluded that the World Juniors generated economic activity of $41.0 million in the province of British Columbia.

Canada has hosted the IIHF World Junior Championship a total of seven times. Past Canadian host cities were Vancouver/Kamloops/Kelowna, BC (2006),Halifax/Sydney, NS (2003), Winnipeg (1999), Red Deer (1995), Saskatoon (1991), Hamilton (1986) and Montreal (1978).