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A Canadian player tries to score on a Slovenian goalie.

Photo courtesy CARHA Hockey

CARHA Hockey World Cup arriving in Richmond

By Matthew Cheung

Published 12:07 PST, Fri March 3, 2023

Last Updated: 3:44 PDT, Mon April 17, 2023

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The Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association (CARHA) Hockey World Cup is beginning soon in Richmond.

The event will take place from March 19 to 26 and feature participants and spectators from all around the world. Some participating countries include Canada, the United States, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Sweden.

Labelled by many as the Olympics of recreational hockey, the Molson CARHA Hockey World Cup presented by Lulu Island Winery has taken place in many cities across Canada and has grown into one of the largest international adult recreational hockey tournaments.

The quadrennial event began in 1996 in Toronto, with the goal of providing recreational hockey players the opportunity to participate in a hockey tournament with an Olympic touch. About 2,500 participated in the event, generating $7 million in one week.

Four years later in Vancouver, the 2000 tournament included 4,500 players and 135 teams representing 11 different countries; 15,000 spectators generated $12 million.

In 2004, the tournament returned to the east coast and was held in the nation’s capital, Ottawa. Hosting over 120 teams, more than 4,500 participants and 18,000 spectators attended the week of events and generated more than $15 million.

The 2008 event in Quebec City hosted 167 teams, 135 of which were travelling teams from 11 different countries. Over 5,000 players and 30,000 spectators attended the tournament—the most people the tournament has ever hosted to date. It also generated $19.2 million.

In 2012, the tournament was hosted in a smaller city: Sault Ste. Marie. Playing host to over 2,500 players and 45,000 spectators, the event generated almost $10 million.

In 2016, the final event before the COVID pandemic was hosted in Windsor. Attracting over 40,000 people in total between spectators and players, the tournament included 134 different teams from 14 different countries. It was also the first time that the event included an opportunity for participants to watch a professional national hockey game live. In total, the event generated over $10 million.

Richmond delivered the strongest bid for the 2020 event, but due to the pandemic, the tournament had to be postponed several times.

Generating an estimated $10 to 12 million in economic activity, each team will be guaranteed at least three games throughout the tournament.

The March of Athletes on March 19 will start off the event with all participants walking towards the Richmond Olympic Oval for the opening ceremonies. Organizers hope to have the streets filled with hockey fans cheering on participants, who will be wearing their own countries’ jerseys.

Around 200 games will be played throughout the week at the Richmond Olympic Oval and Richmond Ice Centre. The feature game, which will be televised, takes place on March 24. Ticketed closing ceremonies on March 25 will conclude the event.

For more information about the event, visit CARHAHockeyWorldCup.ca.