The competitive balance in women's hockey will be one of the hot topics discussed at the World Summit of Hockey in Toronto.
As far as Brian Burke is concerned, a stolen idea carries the same weight as an original idea. That’s why he plans to come to the World Hockey Summit ready to pick the brains of the best and brightest hockey minds from around the world to help improve the growth of the sport both in the United States and around the world.
Burke, the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will act as one of the ad hoc hosts for the 2010 Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit, which will be held Aug. 23-26 in Toronto.
He will be joined by Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman, Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators and four-time Canadian Olympic Team player Hayley Wickenheiser.
The World Hockey Summit is a collective effort of the International Ice Hockey Federation, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the National Hockey League, the National Hockey League Players’ Association and the Canadian Hockey League.
Brian Burke is looking forward to welcoming the hockey world to Toronto for the World Hockey Summit.
The core theme of the Summit is Global Teamwork Promoting the Growth of the Game, will be brought to life through interactive seminars, presentations and discussions involving a who’s who of hockey from around the world.
The Summit will open on the evening of Aug. 23 with a series of round table discussions on the issues confronting the hockey world, including the challenges facing transfers and contractual status throughout the hockey world.
“My primary goal going in is to say, ‘How do we continue to grow this game?’ ” said Burke, who was recently awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award during USA Hockey’s Annual Congress.
“It’s the hardest game in the world to play. You can master the athletic skills to play any other game much quicker than you can in hockey. It’s the most expensive, timeconsuming and difficult game to play from an equipment standpoint. These are things we have to keep our eyes on.
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TO REGISTER:1. Click here to register for the 2010 World Hockey Summit2. Hockey Canada will process payment. $450 CDN for the 4-day event (accommodation not included) 3. Once payment has been successfully processed you will receive an email confirming your spot at the conference. 4. Once registered you will receive monthly updates on the conference via e-mail 5. Registration closes on August 6, 2010 |
“There’s no crisis. This is a great idea. … If we can get in a room and someone can come up with an idea that makes sense, we’re going to grab it, take it, do it right away.”
Over the course of the four days, the following six themes will be addressed:
• Player Safety and Skill Development
• Junior Development in the World
• Vancouver 2010 Evaluation
• Establishing a Long-Term Global Event Agenda
• Women’s Hockey After 2010
• Growing Participation in Hockey
A limited number of tickets will be available to the general public to attend and participate in the sessions. Registration information can be obtained at worldhockeysummit.com. (See Inset)
According to USA Hockey Executive Director Dave Ogrean, there have been three other hockey summits held in the past, including two in Boston in the 1990s, but this one will have even more of an international flavor than the previous summits.
“The theme of this summit is how to grow the game and how to promote the game. We all know that it’s the best game on earth. We just want to make it strong, make it safe, make it healthy and make it more popular as we go forward,” Ogrean said during the introductory press conference in Toronto.
“We think this is a great opportunity to not only get leaders from around the world but also the general public from both Europe and North America to participate in the dialogue.”