The Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) is bringing some of its iconic displays to Sarnia this weekend, in conjunction with the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge.
Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Executive Director Mark Perrin is thrilled, and said fans are in for a treat.
"We're very excited that we have about 20 different exhibits of hockey's history and the special artifacts from the Hockey Hall of Fame," said Perrin. "We also have seven of the most prestigious NHL trophies coming. Things like the Conn Smythe, Vezina, and Calder trophies. The 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship trophy, Connor Bedard's trophy you might call it, will be on display as well as World Men's and Women's gold trophies from the IIHF. It's just a huge announcement for the area."
The memorabilia will be set up in Rink Two at Progressive Auto Sales Arena during the games, which are scheduled for November 3 to 9.
The Stanley Cup could possibly make an appearance, however it's in Finland for the next few days for the NHL's Global Series.
There are exhibition games on November 1 in Petrolia, Lambton Shores and Sarnia. There's also a FanFest, which was previously announced, featuring games, and activities.
Perrin said preparations have gone extremely well with help from almost 200 volunteers.
The rink was transformed this week and there are new rink boards being installed.
"There's such a great community vibe that we have going on at the rink and so many smiles and excitement," he said. "That's what it's about. The whole tournament is non-profit. All of the proceeds generated go back to support minor hockey in the area through the Hockey Canada legacy programs that we have. Tourism Sarnia-Lambton is really proud to be hosting this for our community and working with all community partners to put this thing on."
Perrin said ticket sales have been strong, with most games between half and three quarters toward selling out.
Prices range from $210 to $265 for adults, and from $140 to $175 for kids. They can be picked up at the Sarnia Sting's box office or www.sarniasting.com.
"We're over our projections when we look at the full tournament packages and the different round robin and medal rounds," said Perrin. "We do still have tickets for the games and some suites that became available as well. It's going to be such a great experience, these are the stars of tomorrow that will be playing in the NHL. We want to get as many fans as we can in the building, wearing red and white proudly to cheer on Canada as well as the other nations participating."
The Sarnia Sting's Alessandro Di Iorio and Beckham Edwards will suit up for Canada White and Canada Red respectively.
In all, there are 19 players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), 15 from the Western Hockey League (WHL), and seven from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Finland, Sweden, Czechia and the U.S. will also be represented.
Perrin said the feedback about Sarnia-Lambton from the international clubs has been tremendous.
"A lot of them can't believe that we're this close to the border," he said. "They love the scenic views with the bridge and the water. Great vibes so far, and the excitement is definitely in the air. You can already feel it at the rink. It'll be two weeks of the best hockey you can catch anywhere in the world."
Sarnia also hosted the tournament back in 2014.
Sting forward Ryan Brown represented Canada Red at the 2023 event in Charlottetown, which saw Canada White beat Team USA 2-1 in overtime.
The tournament is expected to generate between four and five million dollars for the local economy, and it's one of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton's largest events in the past ten years.