The 2016 Molson Canadian CARHA Hockey World Cup being held in Windsor could prove to be an important showcase for the city in securing the 2017 Memorial Cup.
"I think it positions us well," says Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
The CARHA Hockey World Cup opens on Sunday with a parade beginning at Caesars Windsor moving down Riverside Dr. to Ouellette Ave. for a street party.
The tournament is set to run until April 10.
Organizers say over 2,000 participants will be in Windsor for the tournament including former NHLers Alexie Zhitnik and Dmitri Yushkevich, both defenceman who played most notably with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs respectively.
"Your sport tourism infrastructure in this city is fantastic," says Rueben Greenspoon, coordinator for the event.
CARHA Hockey World Cup Coordinator Rueben Greenspoon in Windsor on April 1, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Windsor was chosen as the host city of the tournament which finds a new home in Canada every four years. The city had to fork over $750,000 to secure the hosting rights beating out 36 other competing cites but is expecting the tournament to generate roughly $15-million in economic activity over the next week.
Mayor Dilkens says securing the CARHA event and chasing the Canadian Hockey League's Memorial Cup fits with the city's sports tourism strategy.
"I think the investments that we've made in the facilities in the community over the last ten years or so certainly position us well to host these types of events," says Dilkens. "We're going full throttle to see the Memorial Cup come to the city of Windsor. It's been a long time since we hosted it here. We believe that we're a hockey town and that we're well positioned."
The Memorial Cup bid from Windsor is set to be presented to the CHL on April 18.
For more on the CARHA Hockey World Cup, click here.
