A beloved member of the Canberra sports community is set to be given special tribute in the return of the Canada-USA Ice Hockey Classic at the AIS Arena, but promoters have flagged that the capital won't continue to host the event long-term.
A two-game series will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, at Bruce.
On Thursday July 16, the Canberra Brave will also take on a merged Canada-USA All-Star team in honour of Leeroy Petersen.
Lee "Leeroy" Petersen died in October last year at the age of 48. He was the owner and manager of Caribou sports bar in Kingston and was a passionate and hands-on sponsor of the Canberra Brave, as well as several other sports in the ACT.
A special Canada-USA jersey will be auctioned as part of the July series, with the proceeds going to a trust for Petersen's three children.
"Leeroy was a very important part of the community, and we all felt the loss of his untimely passing," Brave owner Stephen Campbell said.
"He left behind a very young family, and we were looking at ways in which we could appropriately honour his involvement and his passions for ice hockey.
"Leeroy was an exceptional friend to the Canberra Brave, and to all of the players. He was larger than life and a very optimistic, positive person who had a profound influence."
The three games at the AIS Arena follow the sold-out fixtures last year, and between popular recent television shows on the subject and record-setting sellout crowds, ice hockey has never been cooler.
Another sellout series is expected in 2026, especially as organisers warned that this event "is likely to be the last time the Ice Hockey Classic tours to Canberra for several years".
Ice Hockey Classic organisers earlier announced the event would make its debut in Hobart on July 3 and 4, which received support from the Tasmanian government, and that series has already sold out.
"To bring the Canada versus USA rivalry back to the AIS Arena is something special, but we also want fans to know this may be their last chance to see the Ice Hockey Classic in Canberra for a few years," event director, Kerry Goulet, said.
Campbell said the local government support for the event in Tasmania was a huge boost to their bid, and that the Brave couldn't fork out the same level of financial assistance long-term, with the most costly aspect being player insurances to cover stars in case they are injured.
"We sought some ACT government funding for both last year and this year's Ice Hockey Classic, and it was rejected," he said.
"We bring in considerable tourism expenditure to the territory, which by my analysis is $2.5 million a year, but we can't continue to fund these things off our own back.
"The Brave has cemented Canberra as the centre of ice hockey in this country. Ice hockey is booming across the globe.
"Last year the NHL had 97 percent occupancy, there's booming popularity through the exposure of the sport through television, romance novels, and live streaming, and these have all played an important part in raising the profile of ice hockey.
"My challenge to government is - get with the program. We should be proud of ice hockey in Canberra, embrace it and support it."
The USA and Canada teams are not official national ice hockey teams, rather exhibition squads made up of elite talent from those countries, including past and present NHL stars, and Australian Ice Hockey League players.
In the past, the Canada-USA Ice Hockey Classic has toured all around Australia, with NHL stars such as Brent Burns, Ian Cole, Nick Paul and Scott Darling getting on the ice. In 2016, ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky even visited Down Under to support the series.
The event will raise awareness of concussions in sport and associated research as part of the StopConcussions Global Foundation, and tickets will be available later this week.
Friday, July 10: Canada v USA
Saturday, July 11: Canada v USA
Thursday, July 16: Canada-USA v Canberra Brave
