Inside the World Juniors

[RGM81]

https://hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/2...s-announcement

Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) made it official on Sept. 17 – all games of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship will be played in Edmonton, Alta., without fans in attendance.
It was also announced that the World Juniors would return to Alberta in 2022, with Edmonton and Red Deer – the two cities previously announced as the hosts for 2021 – set to welcome the hockey world for Canada’s holiday tradition.


How will the bubble in Edmonton work?
Hockey Canada has worked closely with the IIHF, the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Oilers, the Oilers Entertainment Group, and local, provincial and national health authorities to ensure many of the same protocols that have made the NHL bubble in Edmonton so successful will be in place for the World Juniors. The plan is still awaiting final approval from the federal government.
How will nine international teams safely enter Canada?
Three charter flights will deliver the eight teams from Europe, while the American team will travel directly to Edmonton by bus. These protocols will ensure minimal contact with Canadians outside of the bubble. Hockey Canada continues to work with the provincial and federal governments on quarantine requirements for the teams arriving from outside Canada.
What about testing for COVID-19?
Players and staff from all 10 teams will be tested prior to their departure for Edmonton, as well as upon their arrival. The current plan is for all players and staff to be tested on a daily basis while inside the bubble.

[30ranfordfan]

Anyone was entitled to their opinion about the NHL playoffs this year. Complain about the immediate end of the season, expanded playoffs, etc. I thought the plans were good, but that's me.

What you can't argue with is how successful the bubble was, in the sense that there were no issues with COVID throughout the whole thing.

This seems like a great idea by the IIHF, and I suspect will work well. The bubble should be pretty straight forward to bring back. They've already got the infrastructure in place, and there's no reason to believe we'll be seeing NHL games before then anyway.

[RGM81]

Anyone was entitled to their opinion about the NHL playoffs this year. Complain about the immediate end of the season, expanded playoffs, etc. I thought the plans were good, but that's me.

What you can't argue with is how successful the bubble was, in the sense that there were no issues with COVID throughout the whole thing.

This seems like a great idea by the IIHF, and I suspect will work well. The bubble should be pretty straight forward to bring back. They've already got the infrastructure in place, and there's no reason to believe we'll be seeing NHL games before then anyway.

That's what I'm thinking too. The IIHF will definitely rely on the infrastructure and expertise of the NHL. They nailed it, and given that we'll be seeing kids from all over the world converging on Edmonton over the holidays, all the more important to make sure they get all the precautions in place. It's one thing to get it right with (reasonably responsible) grown adults, many of whom have families, let's see how it goes with a bunch of 18- and 19-year olds.

Also, I suspect that given TSN's superiority over Sportsnet in all things presentation, we will see some great visuals at the tournament.