Buffalo has been chosen as the host city for the 2018 World Junior Championships tournament, winning the bid over finalists St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Chicago and Tampa Bay were serious but were eliminated before the final round of selections, leaving St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. And that makes the fact that the announcement will be made on the 18-yard-line significant. The Sabres are expected to make a play for an upcoming NHL All-Star Game and the 2018 Winter Classic to coincide with the outdoor World Junior game, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t get one or both of those events, thanks to the Pegula family’s combination of classiness and wealthiness, each of which seems to be endless.
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Either way, the return of the IIHF World Junior Championships to Buffalo is huge.
“It’s not a guarantee yet but we think it’s going to end up that way”, said Dave Ogrean, executive director for USA Hockey. If the teams aren’t scheduled to be in the same group based on the results of the 2017 world juniors, officials have the ability to place the two countries in the same group for the benefit of the tournament.
This time around, Buffalo is even more equipped to host the tournament.
Officials said they were hoping to play that game some time between December 27 and 29, though it’s too soon to tell if everything will fall into place.
Terry and Kim Pegula own the Sabres and Bills and have said they would like to host the 2018 Winter Classic on the 10th anniversary of the original one between Buffalo and the Penguins. We all know the complications that come with playing outside – the ice surface is usually bad, the wind is a factor, lighting is a problem, and I don’t know if you’ve heard, but sometimes Buffalo gets bad weather in December. But it’s a disservice to the players and a big time game that deserves to be played only under the best, most fair conditions.
Buffalo was regarded as the front-runner to host the tournament based on the city’s past success and its proximity to southern Ontario’s large population base. It is connected to First Niagara Center by an enclosed skywalk above the street.
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A similar situation could occur in 2018, with First Niagara Center set to repeat as the main arena and the brand-new 1,800-seat HarborCenter rink serving as the secondary venue.
