The City of Windsor is hoping to reap the economic benefits of the Memorial Cup in Windsor this week.
Red Deer, Alberta hosted the tournament last year and Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer says it had an economic impact of about $13-million. "It helped to sustain the hotels, retailers, bars and restaurants and helped to build community pride."
"There are also long-term benefits from hosting the event," says Veer. "The other outcome of the Memorial Cup has been the fact that it had the opportunity to showcase Red Deer, not only nationally but internationally. We have word that that will translate to new sports tourism opportunities in our community, so that legacy will continue."
Kinesiology Professor at the University of Windsor, Dr. Craig Greenham, teaches a course about the impacts of hockey in Canada. He questions the amount of money that is generated from these tournaments. "There is not necessarily the economic benefit from these tournaments that are live up to what is proported by the organizers, for hockey fans it is definitely a win because this isn't something they see on an every day occurrence."
Greenham also questions whether it is affordable for fans, with tickets prices ranging from $75 to $90 dollars a ticket plus HST. "I'm not sure if it's even affordable for people in Windsor, I'm not sure if it's affordable for junior hockey fans across Canada, period."
In the third segment of a 5-part-series 'Inside the Memorial Cup', AM800 news will examine the economic impacts and how much Windsor taxpayers put into the tournament. The feature airs today at 7:20am, 12:40pm and 5:50pm.
Click here to listen to the first part of the series.
Click here to listen to the second part of the series.