MARKUS LEODOLTER
Had a note today from the International Ice Hockey Federation today, firming up the details for what they're calling the 2010 Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit in Toronto later this summer.
It will be held over four days, beginning Aug. 23, and feature representatives from the IIHF, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
The focus, according to the IIHF, will be primarily on player development and growth of the game and lists the key themes for the event as follows:
- An evaluation of the 2010 Olympic hockey tournaments in Vancouver, Canada
- Player safety and skill development initiatives
- Challenges facing grassroots, youth and junior programs around the world
- The future of the Global Hockey Agenda - International Competition, Interaction and Cooperation
- Women's international hockey - Closing the gap with North America
- International transfers and player movement
IIHF president Rene Fasel told me at the Olympics that safety (listed second on the agenda items) was a primary concern to him personally, given the new information emerging about the devastating effects of concussions on athletes in all major sports. Presumably, it will also attract The IIHF says it wants to engage the public in the sessions and will do so in part through social media initiatives. The overall scope it broad - targeting national federations, league and club executives and administrators, managers, youth and pro coaches, player agents and business representatives - which hopefully means that there'll be some thinking outside the box.
More information is available at iihf.com.