Hockey Canada should not be hosting this world junior tournament
This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a lot of Canadian hockey in the last few years, but when 2022 began there was hope this year could be different.
The men's world junior championship tournament was rescheduled to this month after it was postponed in December because of numerous COVID cases among players. The tournament showcasing the brightest and the best of young men's hockey in the world began Tuesday in Edmonton. But it would seem that fans don't seem as keen on the tournament this month as they usually are over the winter holiday.
Will you be going to the Men's World Junior Championship in Edmonton beginning this week? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yeg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a>
Yes, it is summer and people may not be in hockey mode with vacation and traveling plans returning to normal after two and a half years of a standstill. And with food and housing prices astronomically high, disposable income for such activities has decreased.
But there are other reasons why this particular tournament is of disinterest and that thousands of tickets are still available.
While a very toxic and airborne illness brought hockey federations to their knees around the world, we have seen Hockey Canada struggle with a different crisis — one of morality and ethics.
In May, an investigation by TSN's Rick Westhead into the settlement with a woman who alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a group of the Canadian junior men's team in 2018 led to a parliamentary inquiry in Ottawa. Minister of
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