Ottawa Senators preparing a bid for 2028 World Cup of Hockey
The Senators understand what it takes to host this kind of event. The club can offer Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal, the world's longest skating rink, as a backdrop for activities downtown.
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The club also hosted Team Canada's training camp at the Canadian Tire Centre and some exhibition games before the last World Cup of Hockey was held in 2004.
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Leeder said the competition will be fierce, especially after we saw the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston in February. That was the first time the best players in the world played internationally since the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
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The NHL and the International Olympic Committee just signed an agreement to have league players participate in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina, Italy and in 2030 in the French Alps.
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'We've got a good track record, but I mean this is going to be a big event, right?' Leeder said. 'There are going to be 32 teams interested in hosting games. And, it doesn't sound like there will be a whole lot of sites.
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'They're going to look to Europe. But at the end of the day, it'll come down to what makes the most sense to put on the best event. That will be outside of our control as a bidder.'
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The city and organization are coming off one of the most successful IIHF world junior championships in the history of the tourney over the holiday season. That was a joint bid with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, so the Senators know what it takes to make a strong pitch.
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'The economic benefit reports will be coming out shortly (for the world juniors). It was huge,' Leeder said. 'You get big, big numbers with these events. You're not always going to get them when you bid, but when you do bid, you may get the next one. So, we're going to bid.'
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That's just it, even if the Senators aren't successful, the NHL and NHLPA plan to host this event every four years when there aren't Olympic Games.
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