Hockey Day in Canada 2020 could be in Yellowknife

• UPDATE: At a council meeting on April 8, 2019, Yellowknife city councillors voted unanimously to host the 2020 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada in Yellowknife on Feb. 11 to 15, 2020.

Yellowknife may host Hockey Day in Canada in 2020.

The nationally-broadcast special bills itself as a celebration of Canada's "favourite sport."

The annual event typically includes hockey games and clinics, craft sales, music and a breakfast with the Stanley Cup. This year's broadcast from Swift Current, Sask., reached 9.6 million people in Canada, according to a memo to Yellowknife city council.

Mayor Rebecca Alty says the event would promote the city nationally and internationally.

She said it's also a chance to drum up interest at home in an active lifestyle, and for young hockey fans to meet NHL alumni.

• Hockey Day in Canada showcases key games for country's NHL teams

"I've just been posting it on Facebook and Instagram over the past couple of hours folks seem pretty excited and positive about it," she said.

The memo from city administration says a Rogers Sportsnet executive producer toured city facilities in January and "indicated that Yellowknife is their ideal location" for the next Hockey Day in Canada.

It says Rogers Sportsnet and Scotiabank would contribute up to $500,000, and fly in former NHL players as well as Hockey Night in Canada hosts Don Cherry and Ron MacLean.

Hockey Day in Canada would cost Yellowknife about $55,000, says the memo, but the city could make that money back through sponsorships and ticket and merchandise sales.

'Massive' exposure, major preparation

The memo says the exposure for Yellowknife would be "massive."

It says the Hockey Day in Canada agreement includes two commercials, offered by Rogers Sportsnet, that would advertise the city as a tourist destination.

But the event would require a lot of preparation.

The memo says it would take the work of a designated committee, city staff, and about 250 volunteers to pull off. Alty is confident Yellowknifers will step up.

"There's a lot of planning required and working with the Hockey Day in Canada team to get all the logistics prepared, but I think that we do have the volunteers as well as the staff resources to make it happen," she said.

Doug Rentmeister, executive director of Sport North, said his organization would be happy to help out as well.

"Any attention to a high-profile sport event such as that is going to be a feather in our cap, and something that's going to build some enthusiasm in both kids and coaches and officials wanting to be engaged in sport," he said.

Council will discuss on Monday the possibility of hosting Hockey Day in Canada next winter.

If approved, the event will run from Feb. 4 to 8, culminating in a 13-hour national broadcast on the final day.