There's no doubt the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship will provide a big boost to the economy in Moncton, N.B., but without Team Canada playing any round robin games at the Avenir Centre, some wonder how much of an impact there will be.
Bill Whalen, co-chair of Team Moncton and the local organizing committee for the tournament, thinks the economic benefits will be substantial for the entire community.
Whalen said, as of Thursday, the Avenir Centre was at 70 per cent capacity for ticket sales.
“We already know at that time of year our hotel industry tells us they're normally between five and 15 per cent occupancy. They're already at over 45 per cent occupancy and we're still roughly two months away from the event,” said Whalen.
Bars and restaurants will also benefit, especially the ones that are a stone's throw away from the arena.
Old Triangle Irish Alehouse owner Steven Gallagher thinks his pub will be packed on game nights.
“Even those who can't get into the Avenir Centre, they'll watch it here,” said Gallagher. “These kind of events have a boomerang effect and it’s really hard to measure from a tourist perspective, but I know people come back because they've had such a positive experience with good old East Coast lifestyle and Maritime hospitality. It brings people back.”
A huge international event like the World Juniors needs a state-of-the-art facility and Whalen is convinced the championship would never have visited Moncton if it wasn't for the four-year-old Avenir Centre.
“We had no chance. You need a world-class facility, and as Michael Bublé said at his concert here a few weeks ago, this is a world class facility. We wouldn't have even been in the running for it if we hadn't had the Avenir Centre,” said Whalen.
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton CEO John Wishart said the facility has more than proven its worth.
“There were naysayers when the decision was made to build it and to build it downtown, but you just look around at the construction cranes -- which are a spin-off for the number of people who are looking to move downtown -- and then to be able to attract major events like the World Juniors,” said Wishart. “We’ve had a number of new concerts. That’s all new money into the downtown, into the city, so yeah, it’s more than paid its way.”
Hockey fans in the Greater Moncton area disappointed Team Canada will play in the Halifax pool do have something to look forward to. Canada's selection camp will take place in Moncton starting Dec. 9 and they will host four pre-tournament exhibition games.
“Fans in Moncton will get a great opportunity to see Team Canada before they head off to Halifax and we think that's a pretty exciting part of it as well,” said Whalen.
Team Moncton, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton and Downtown Moncton Centre-ville Inc. will hold a special business information meeting on Wednesday to share how business owners can become more involved in the tournament, which begins in Moncton and Halifax on Dec. 26.
