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October 03, 2006
WMC 002
Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson announced Thursday that the gold medal game, as well as both
semifinals, at the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championship will be held in Quebec City.
The Quebec capital is co-hosting the 2008 championship with Halifax, the first time ever that Canada has
hosted the annual event.
“We really felt that the Colisee and the number of people it can hold make it the spot to do it,”
Nicholson said from Athens, Greece, where he was attending the IIHF semi-annual congress. “When you look at
Quebec, there’s such a history with the game. It’s going to be very attractive to Europeans.”
Le Colisee in Quebec City holds 15,000 people, while Halifax’s Metro Centre holds 10,500.
Nicholson says Canada will probably play its preliminary and qualifying round games in Halifax before
hopefully advancing to the medal round in Quebec City, but said that the schedule for the event – which will
run from May 1-18, 2008 – is still in its early planning stages, and won’t be announced until late 2007.
Tickets for the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championship are on sale now. Packages for the games in Halifax
will be available only through www.ticketatlantic.com, by phone at (902) 451-1221, or at the Ticket Atlantic
box office located at the Halifax Metro Centre. Quebec City packages are available through www.expocite.com
or by phone at 1-800-900-SHOW.
Nicholson also announced that the IIHF’s 2008 General Congress has been moved from Paris to Montreal. The
General Congress brings together all 65 member countries every four years to elect the president and council.
Nicholson believes holding the congress in Canada will bring even more international attention to the
country.
“It makes it more special,” he said. “We don’t want it to be just the world championship. There’s going to
be lots going on.”
» 2008 World Men's Hockey Championship
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