International eight-team event starting May 28th at Moose Jaw Events Center for the first time ever to host a tournament on Canadian soil
The best para hockey players in the world come to Canada.
Hockey Canada and World Para Ice Hockey announced Monday morning that the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship will be held beginning May 28, 2023 at the Moose Jaw Events Center in Saskatchewan.
The event marks the first time the Para Hockey World Championships will be held on Canadian soil, giving the tournament a special feel that players and organizers alike are excited to be a part of.
“It’s a historic moment, it’s the first time in the history of the sport that Canada has hosted a World Cup and it’s hard to believe it’s been so long, but there’s no better time,” said Team Canada- Captain Tyler McGregor. “Especially after a year like last year where we played a big tournament at the Paralympics with nobody in the stands. It’s been years since our families, friends and home fans have been able to come out to cheer us on, except for a few tournaments and a few games along the way, so we’re really looking forward to that.”
The organizing federation of World Para Hockey had been unable to find a host for the 2023 World Championships earlier this season and decided to approach Hockey Canada in hopes of gaining a community in a short space of time.
Because the Moose Jaw Events Center has great accessibility, the City of Moose Jaw first offered a host offer, and the rest is history.
“We had an application process that targeted communities across Canada that had wheelchair-accessible facilities and fit our logistics and operational model, and Moose Jaw came back as the most affordable of the communities we wanted to bring the event to,” said aid Ryan Robins, Director of Events and Properties at Hockey Canada.
“It will be a fantastic legacy to be left in the community and province to have a Western Hockey League caliber facility capable of hosting Para Hockey Worlds this year as well as other events in the future .”
Canada joins Czech Republic, Korea and the United States in Group A, with the top two teams receiving a bye to the semi-finals and the bottom two seeded teams progressing to the quarter-finals. In Group B, China, Germany, Italy and Norway will battle it out for the remaining two spots in the quarterfinals.
The preliminary round schedule will be highlighted by the first game of the tournament between the Czech Republic and Korea at 11am MT, Canada’s first game on May 29 at 7pm MT against Korea and a repeat of the gold medal match at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games with Canada and the United States on May 31 at 7 p.m. MT. All 20 games, including the gold medal game on June 4th at 7pm MT, will be played at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
Tickets for the 2023 World Para Hockey Championships will go on sale March 29 at 10:00 am MT at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets and start at just $15
Keep an eye on www.hockeycanada.ca for more information closer to the date.