Hockey volunteers are the unsung heroes at the World Juniors: organizers

A look at volunteers running the World Juniors As the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship continues, about 250 volunteers are staying busy behind the scenes.

Organizers of the IIHF World Junior Championship say the tournament being held in both Moncton, N.B., and Halifax is going off without a hitch.

In large part, that's due to the dedicated team of volunteers who are working behind the scenes to make sure everything is ironed out and running as smoothly as possible.

“Between Moncton and Halifax, we have about 250 volunteers and that’s fewer than we would have had in the past but those volunteers are doing an exceptional job," said Halifax event lead Grant MacDonald.

More than 9,000 fans packed the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax Thursday afternoon to watch Sweden beat Czechia 3-2 in overtime.

The awe and excitement of the tournament are creating an electric atmosphere in and around the rink and behind the scenes. Many say it's the dedicated group of volunteers making it all happen and on short notice.

In February, the International Ice Hockey Federation revoked Russia's right to host the tournament after they invaded Ukraine and denied Russian and Belarusian teams from competing in the tournament.

Halifax and Moncton had seven days to put a bid together to host the 2023 tournament and eventually won the right to host.

The World Junior tournament that was held in Halifax and Sydney, N.S., in 2003 set in-person attendance and television viewership records.

MacDonald said there were 500 volunteers onboard when the Halifax Mooseheads hosted the Memorial Cup in 2019.

For this tournament, they are getting by with fewer hands but MacDonald says they are more coordinated than ever.

“That's one of the outcomes of the pandemic," said MacDonald. "We are lean but we have a more professionalized staff that has been moving from event-to-event and have done it on very short planning cycles.”

MacDonald said Maritimers are well known for their hospitality and warm welcomes to those who come from away, adding to the success of the volunteers who he says are the "life-blood" of the tournament.

Longtime hockey coach and volunteer Paul Mason is well-known around hockey rinks in Halifax and anytime there's a major tournament in town, you can bet he'll be there volunteering in some capacity.

“It’s the team environment, there’s a bonding experience," said Mason, who is working in the volunteer office, helping to coordinate services among teams, tournament personnel and media.

"As Maritimers, we like to be hospitable and making sure that other people are having a good time," said Mason.

But there are other perks to volunteering.

“You meet people and you see great people from all around the world," said Mason. "They are very receptive to the fact that we are trying to do something for them.”