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World Junior hockey tourney 'over the top' success, says even co-chair

Renato Gandia ,Calgary Sun, January 05, 2012

With the exception of a berth in the coveted gold medal game at the World Juniors, there’s no other way to describe the tourney than “over the top,” says the event’s co-chair

Former Flame Jim Peplinski, who helped lead the successful drive to bring the tournament to Alberta along with Edmonton’s Lyle Best, said the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship has been a resounding success from many angles.

“It’s been over the top in terms of volunteer participation and experience,” he said.

“It’s been over the top in terms of individual players and team experience.

“It’s been over the top in terms of tickets sold and fans who actually attended the games.”

The 10-day tournament co-hosted by Edmonton and Calgary was a culmination of a four-year plan that attracted fans, family and media from across Canada and nine other countries.

The round-robin games were held in Rexall Place finishing off with the playoff showdowns at Calgary’s Saddledome.

Peplinski said the legacy of the tournament is “a clear demonstration of the power of sport.”

“The requirements for commitment, discipline, integrity, transparency, work ethic — all of the characteristics that are important to be a success in life — have been displayed in this tournament,” he said.

“We’ve had the chance to have hundreds of thousands of people across our province see this in the purest form.

“Getting up when you fall down, working as a team, learning how to win and learning how to lose, we’ve seen that in each and every game that these young men have competed in.”

If the lasting memory of the tournament is the incomparable sportsmanship or the athletic prowess of the players, then the legacy of this event has found a way to make a difference in people’s lives, Peplinski said.

Peplinski said the economic spinoff of the event is important for the entire province, but what he’s most proud of is the spirit of volunteers, about 450 in Edmonton and 600 in Calgary.

With the successful staging of this year’s tournament, Peplinski said there’s no doubt he’d like to see it come back to Alberta.

“I’d like to see more events come back to Calgary and Alberta, the facilities and volunteers we have are simply stellar.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."