Világgazdaság was the first to announce, and sources close to the federation confirmed to our newspaper: One of the best teams in the world will come to Hungary in the spring to play against the Hungarian national team, which is also preparing for the World Cup. The Canadian team has previously visited our country with different teams and in several locations, but they have never played in front of such a large crowd that can welcome the teams to the MVM Dome.
The 20,000-seat multi-function hall at Nepliget was filled for the first time during the European Men’s Handball Championship, which was partly organized in Hungary, so this could be the next time a sporting event is played in front of a full audience at the facility.
The most successful national team of all time last visited Hungary in 2016, although not in its strongest squad, but with the so-called League Team, which only includes hockey players who play in European clubs. However, of course, the Canadians won easily.
The Canadian national team has already played in Budapest in a hall similar in caliber to the MVM Dome: in the spring of 2004, the two teams met at Laszlo’s door Budapest Sportarena, which was the Canadians’ last warm-up game before the World Cup. , which they eventually won, just like the match.
Canada is considered a major sporting power in ice hockey, having won the Winter Olympics nine times and the World Championship 27 times. With some exceptions, its players play in the strongest and most popular league in the world, the North American professional league, the NHL. Interestingly, the highest-paid player in the league, Canadian Connor McDavid, has an average salary of 4.5 billion Hungarian forints per year, which alone is several times the annual budget of HK Gyergyói, who finished the regular season of the Erste Liga in second place.
Budapest almost hosted the World Cup this year
For a long time, the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation had intended to make a joint bid to host the 2023 Group I Ice Hockey World Championships with Slovenia, but withdrew its application last May. The elite tournament in Budapest would have been a historic milestone for domestic hockey, and the Hungarians would have proven themselves against the best in the world on their home turf, in front of a full crowd.
In the end, Tampere in Finland and Riga in Latvia won the right to organize. The World Cup tournament, with the participation of 16 teams, begins on May 12 and ends on May 28. The Hungarian ice hockey team can measure itself among the world elite once again, and our country’s best will also meet the USA, Austria, Sweden, Germany, France, Finland and Denmark in the group stage.
The Hungarian national team will play its first match against Denmark on May 13. The defending world champions are Finland.
(Cover image: Getty Images)
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