Christmas is one thing. A major hockey event is another. And this week, we get both.
The World Junior Hockey Championship and all that it brings is expected to have a $75 million economic impact, similar to the U.S. Gymnastic Team Trials held in the Twin Cities a few years ago.
And it really couldn't be more apropos according to Explore Minnesota Executive Director Lauren Bennett McGinty.
"I can't imagine bringing a major hockey tournament to the U.S. that doesn't involve Minnesota in some way, shape, and form," says Bennett McGinty. "So being able to have all of these families come and all of these spectators visit to experience, you know, the State of Hockey, is a really exciting, monumental time for us."
Bennett McGinty says the 11-day tourney at multiple Twin Cities venues will fill around 8,000 hotel rooms.
"I think the most recent one that had such a huge impact would have been the U.S. women's gymnastics, women's and men's gymnastics Olympic trials that we had a couple of years ago," she adds. "They did a great job inviting everyone to downtown Minneapolis and kind of filling the convention space, doing some activations at the Mall of America."
Fan festivities for the World Juniors kick off Friday in Rice Park and at the Rivercentre in downtown St. Paul.
Single-game tickets are still available. Games run through January 5.