Canada will play the 2024 women’s hockey world championship on rival territory.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and USA Hockey announced on Sunday that next year’s event will take place in Utica, N.Y., at the Adirondack Bank Center and the Utica University Nexus Center.
The 10-team, 31-game tournament will take place from April 4-14.
It’s the fifth time the event will be held in the U.S., and the first time since 2017.
Former NHL goalie Robert Esche, who represented the U.S. in international competition nine time during his career, will head up the organizing committee.
“It’s an absolute honour to host such a prestigious event,” he said. “I know how special it is and how much it means to everybody and we want to make sure that on our end … we do the very best by all of you.”
The current U.S. women’s team will look to return home with gold medals around their necks after Sunday’s championship final against Canada in Brampton, Ont.,
Media, IIHF officials to vote on top player
Meanwhile, IIHF president Luc Tardif also announced the creation of women’s and men’s player of the year awards, which will be handed out for the first time in June.
The awards will be voted on by media (70 per cent share) and the IIHF (30 per cent). Tardif said he hopes to include fans in the voting process moving forward.
Any player who competes in at least one IIHF tournament and in “a domestic league of the highest calibre” will be eligible.
It is unclear whether the IIHF considers the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association’s Dream Gap Tour to meet those criteria. If not, it would rule out nearly the entire Canadian and U.S. rosters.
The IIHF told CBC Sports that “as far as we can see it should be considered because a season was played and a champion was determined.” It said would follow up with “exact criteria” in the coming weeks.
Tardif said he is monitoring the progress of the PWHPA’s reportedly incoming formal pro league, but “that’s not our business.”
Bans on Russia, Belarus remain in place
He also reiterated that Russia and Belarus would be banned from all events next season due to the invasion of Ukraine, and that the matter would be reopened on a yearly basis.
“I hope Russia and Belarus will come back as soon as possible because it will mean the war is over,” Tardif said.
It doesn’t appear the IIHF will be instituting legalized body checking in time for next year’s tournament, either.
IIHF council member Marta Zawadzka said the organization is monitoring the progress of a pilot project that brought hitting into the Swedish Women’s Hockey League, and discussing its plausibility with doctors, athletes and referees.
She said the IIHF is taking a global approach that meets every level of hockey.
WATCH | Canada vs. USA — A hockey rivalry like none other:
Canada has had the USA’s number lately in women’s hockey, and the two countries are gearing up for another showdown at the women’s hockey world championships.
“We are in close contact with the NHL, so basically we are all working hard to have a unified rulebook,” Zawadzka said.
The federation also confirmed it was returning to a double relegation system for the tournament, meaning France and Hungary will be demoted and miss the Utica event, barring a change in format.
The top two teams from the Division 1A championship in China in August will be promoted. The tournament will be contested between the hosts, plus Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands.
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