The 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup has been cancelled. In a statement made on Tuesday, the under-18 international men’s hockey tournament was to take place from August 3-8, 2020 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, but will no longer take place because of the coronavirus pandemic according to Hockey Canada. The tournament is projected to return to Edmonton in 2022 after being in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2021.
There are currently 4850 cases of coronavirus in Alberta and 80 deaths. However, the majority of the coronavirus cases in Alberta are in the southern part of the province, specifically the Calgary region. There have been a significant number of cases in the Calgary region in meatpacking plants and long term care facilities.
Another one of the speculated reasons why the tournament is being cancelled is because Rogers Place in Edmonton could be used as a site for when the National Hockey League resumes. The NHL is considering finishing its season sometime this summer and fall, with Edmonton being a possible venue due to the fact the arena is in walking distance to various hotels and that the capital city of Alberta has a low number of cases and deaths.
The 2020 Gretzky Hlinka Cup was to be the second U-18 event to have taken place in Edmonton. The first was in 2018 and won by Team Canada. In the gold medal game, Alexis Lafreniere of Saint-Eustache, Quebec led Canada in scoring with three points (two goals and one assist) as Canada defeated Sweden 6-2. Lafreniere is projected to be the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
