In an otherwise cold and snowy week, Hartford area businesses will get a boost as the world’s largest youth ice hockey tournament comes to town Monday through Thursday.
The 26th Annual Holiday Tournament hosted by the Connecticut Polar Bears features 3,500 female players from around the nation playing at 15 ice rinks at 10 sites around the state. In the four days of the tournament, nearly 450 hockey games will be played, according to the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The event features 200 teams comprised of female players aged 8 to 20. It is the nation’s largest tournament for girls or boys.
“This event is a wonderful holiday present for 50 hotels in Connecticut, most of them in the Greater Hartford area, and we welcome all of the players and their families,” GHCVB President Michael VanParys said in a statement. “The positive economic impact, during what is a traditionally slow period for many hotels, extends to the restaurants and attractions that they enjoy during their holiday stay here.”
