PENHOLD – The town is preparing to welcome the world for its first Hlinka Gretzky Cup pre-tournament game early next month.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an international hockey tournament and features the premier under-18 players from Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. The tournament will be played in Red Deer and Edmonton Aug. 6 -11.
Penhold will host teams Sweden and Finland in a pre-competition game at the Penhold Regional Multiplex on Aug. 4.
Ticket sales and marketing for the Penhold game was a topic of discussion at a recent council meeting on July 9.
“I think we got to get creative on how we’re going to fill that arena,” said Mike Walsh, Penhold councillor. “The worst possible thing is for that arena to be empty on that day (Aug. 4).”
He inquired about ticket sales, the possibility of special promotions for group ticket sales and community or sports group purchases.
“The money is important, but I don’t think it’s as important as the optics in this case,” he added.
Penhold mayor Mike Yargeau said ticket sales were slow to start when they went on sale in the spring, but have picked up.
“Tickets sales are good. They are getting better as we get close,” said Yargeau. “We want to make sure (the arena is) full and we’re working towards that.
“It’s a great chance to showcase Penhold and our facility,” he added.
Yargeau noted radio ads and other types of marketing the town is doing for the event.
“We’re in the home stretch now so we want to push as many tickets as we can and get as many folks as we can in there,” he said, noting the town has reached out to community and sports groups, including the Penhold U-14 boys' soccer team that recently won gold at the provincial championships.
They will be in attendance and will be recognized during intermission.
“We’re trying to get our local groups, especially the youth, involved.”
Yargeau also noted that costs to host the event were not an issue.
“This isn’t something that we’re taking a big loss on,” he said. “I’m not sure if we’ll make a lot of money on it but it’s more about the exposure for our town and for the building.”
Yargeau did note the challenge they face with the August long weekend, but remains optimistic the town can host a sellout crowd.
One that will include family members and friends for teams Sweden and Finland.
“I’m very confident that we can have a sold-out arena (on Aug. 4),” said Yargeau. “Especially as we get closer and closer to the event and we see the interest level rise.”
The Town of Penhold is hosting a pre-game party at 12 p.m. at the Penhold Regional Multiplex. Game time is 3 p.m.
Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at the town office or online through Hockey Canada at https://tickets.hockeycanada.ca
“It’s a chance to see future NHL players for a great price,” Yargeau concluded.
