The Canadiens announced on Wednesday that Montreal will host the NHL Draft on June 26 and 27, 2020.
“We are very pleased to have been chosen by the League to host this prestigious event,” said France Margaret Bélanger, Canadiens executive vice-president (commercial and corporate affairs). “This sign of confidence in our organization and our fans from League management demonstrates that Montreal is, and remains, a top NHL city. For many young hockey players, living this moment at the Bell Centre in Montreal will be an extraordinary experience,” added Ms. Bélanger.
In a news release, the team said securing the 2020 NHL Draft in Montreal was a collaborative effort with Tourisme Montréal and that the Canadiens remain one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. A 2015 KPMG study showed that more than 55 per cent of fans who attended a Canadiens game came from outside Montreal.
“To think that the NHL Draft started in 1963 as a small gathering at a hotel ballroom in Montreal, makes it all the more exciting to announce that the 2020 edition of the Draft is coming back to its original city, Montreal, in a far grander fashion,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
“The NHL Draft has grown into a spectacle befitting our next generation of stars who will walk across the big stage to the next phase of their hockey careers. Montreal is the city where the Draft has been held more times than anywhere else. What a wonderful place for a great celebration of hockey and the players who will shine in our League for years to come.”
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
