The '21 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer could be held “with no fans in the stands,” though there is a possibility the Alberta cities could hold the '22 event “with fans,” according to Terry Jones of the EDMONTON JOURNAL. Oilers Entertainment Group Chair Bob Nicholson, who also serves as IIHF VP, is going to Zurich later this month “to discuss the possibility.” He said, “Our fans deserve to see the world juniors sitting in the seats and, just as important, the players deserve to have the experience of playing in front of a building full of fans. We’d do it as an empty building, but the fans and players deserve to experience it here with full buildings the following year.” Jones notes the '21 World Juniors “sold out all 16-games in Edmonton and all 16-games in Red Deer” a year out from the event. One component that would “make the 2021 empty buildings/2022 full buildings concept attractive is that the organizing committee could keep the planning in place and still follow up a year later with the signature Ice District celebrations” (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 9/2).
