It might not have had the same impact that the initial announcement of the Centennial Cup had in December 2019, but it was still an important and exciting news release nonetheless.听听
Hockey Canada revealed on May 18 that Estevan would indeed host the 2022 Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons.听听听
Those who thought that it was a given that Estevan would still get the tournament in 2022 were taking things for granted. Penticton, B.C., which was supposed to host nationals in 2021, thought they should become the hosts in 2022.听听听
After all, they didn鈥檛 get to host the tournament in 2021 through no fault of their own. 听
And Portage La Prairie, Man., never had their chance to host the 2020 tournament, either, thanks to a pandemic. 听
But if the Bruins didn鈥檛 host the tournament in 2022, then another team would have been punished for something that wasn鈥檛 their fault.听
Of course, I鈥檒l say that Hockey Canada made the right call, but the good folks in Penticton will say that Hockey Canada erred.听听听
Regardless, the focus for Estevan finally shifts from securing the tournament to putting on a great show for the community and the country. 听
We know that Estevan has the ability to host great events that bring the community together while providing a showcase for the community. We saw it during the 2016 Western Canada Cup 鈥� easily the best of the five editions of the Western Canada Cup that were held.听
We saw it during the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games, which, I鈥檒l argue, was the best Games ever in Saskatchewan. (Of course, my frame of reference is rather limited). 听
And we see it whenever Estevan hosts a provincial championship or any other marquee event.听
We鈥檙e great hosts. It鈥檚 a testament to our volunteers, our business community, our venues and the way in which we get behind these events. 听
And the Centennial Cup will be no different. 听
It鈥檚 going to be a boon for our hospitality sector. Coming out of the pandemic, events that draw people to communities are going to be a real asset. Those who come to Estevan are going to leave raving about our hotels, our restaurants, our businesses and the people who work there.听
They鈥檙e going to talk about how wonderful our people are. Hopefully the only thing they won鈥檛 be happy about is the result when they play the Estevan Bruins. 听
And, of course they鈥檙e going to leave talking about what a first-rate facility we have in Affinity Place, and what a first-rate community we have. 听
This event is going to inject a lot of money into our local economy.听
Ever since Affinity Place opened in 2011, the Centennial Cup has been viewed as the pinnacle for events we could have. Sure, we鈥檝e had other big events, such as the Western Canada Cup. And there are other high-profile sporting events we could host, including the World Junior A Hockey Challenge and some showcase curling functions. 听
But the Centennial Cup has been the one that many have been focused on. 听
Their status as the host team puts pressure on the Estevan Bruins to ice a team that can contend for and win a national championship. We鈥檙e guaranteed to have a Bruins team at nationals for the first time since 1999. But it won鈥檛 be just good enough for the Bruins to make it as the host team and then bow out after the round-robin or in the semifinal; the expectation is there for the Bruins to play in the national final game.听
Imagine how much fun Affinity Place would be for that game. 听
Yes, there will be the questions of whether or not a Centennial Cup will happen in 2022, or if it will become a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, much like the 2020 and the 2021 tournaments before it.听听听
I鈥檓 confident there will be a tournament next year, that we鈥檒l be able to have full capacity for the games and the associated events, and that this tournament will bring people to our community from across Canada and even the U.S. 听
It鈥檒l be the showcase of us that it should be.听
So let鈥檚 make this the best Centennial Cup that鈥檚 ever been held. After all, doing things better than anyone when we鈥檙e given the chance is what we do here. 听
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