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By Patrick Maloney and Ryan Pyette/The London Free Press

London is planning a bid to play host to the 2019 world junior hockey championship, multiple sources tell The London Free Press.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or London planning bid for 2019 world junior hockey championship, possibly with Windsor as partner, multiple sources say Back to video

Windsor’s mayor says their city, also a junior-hockey hotbed, is considering being part of a joint bid for the tournament – which would surely be the biggest sports event in Southwestern Ontario history.

The world juniors, as they’re known to fans, are a Christmastime competition that draws millions of TV viewers nationwide. It’s one of the biggest events in hockey outside the NHL and a showcase for star teenage players.

A Toronto-Montreal bid won the hosting rights in 2015 and 2017. Bidding for the 2019 edition is open.

Both London and Windsor have passionate fan bases and rich junior-hockey traditions. The London Knights and Windsor Spitfires have in the past decade each won two Memorial Cups, the top junior-hockey prize in Canada.