Bob Nicholson wants to double down.

The CEO and vice chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group has decided he wants BOTH the World Junior AND the World Cup.

Think World Junior in 2019 and World Cup in 2020.

The whole idea would be to show off the by-then world-famous Rogers Place and at the same time celebrate the opening of Edmonton’s Ice District.

Returning from IIHF meetings in Toronto at the World Cup, the former Hockey Canada head, who is also No. 2 to Rene Fasel with the IIHF, said he believes Edmonton would make a monster success of both.

With the World Junior, of course, he had no doubt.

“What we did in Edmonton the last time was the best we’ve ever seen for a World Junior. And I think we can build on that,” said Nicholson.

The event sold a record 571,000 tickets with a record 440,000 going through the turnstiles in the combined Edmonton-Calgary hosting.

“They didn’t just show up for the Canadian games. There were 14,000 or 15,000 for every game,” said Nicholson, who recalled that the event pumped $90 million into the Alberta economy and made $20 million to break the previous record of $13.4 million.

When Edmonton and Calgary took on the 2012 World Junior, with the medal round in Calgary, the plan was always to run it in reverse once the new downtown arena was built in Edmonton.

Canada has the right to determine host cities for 2019 and 2021 but with Nicholson’s desire to also hold the 2020 World Cup, 2019 would make the most sense. It would mean a year and a half between events instead of five months.

Besides, Nicholson wants to celebrate the Ice District with a first big event in the winter.

“The Ice District is really going to be something we can use to our advantage. Everyone is focused on Rogers Place right now. As we get comfortable with Rogers Place, they’re going to see this Ice District building up every time they come here.

“We’ll have the capacity to put an outdoor rink out there in Ice District and a curling sheet out there. There are a lot of different events we can have there in the winter — even a little bobsleigh run for little kids. Your imagination can just run wild,” he said of ice carvings and ice bars, etc.

“It’s called the Ice District for a reason.”

Nicholson wasn’t sure before the World Cup began if it would be a fit here, but despite an event that lacked the sizzle of previous Canada Cup in 1976, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1991 in the era before NHL participation in the Olympics, and even the two previous World Cups in 1996 and 2004, he sees it working.

As the event comes to an underwhelming conclusion with empty seats and nowhere near the interest of the old Canada Cups, a secondary story to the local teams opening training camp and pre-season games even in Canada, there’s debate about if or how the World Cup should return.

Almost for sure it would have to be held earlier and completed prior to NHL camps opening, but that would work in Edmonton’s favour, with a summer flavour to the Ice District.

But bid for it?

“Yeah,” said Nicholson.

“We have to see what they’re going to do with it. If there’s a possibility for us to get in the process in some manner, we’re going to get in the process.

“The NHL and NHLPA are going to debrief and find out how they’re going to run it in the future.”

Nicholson said there were too many positives not to proceed with it.

“It was a real, real positive event for Toronto and for Europeans,” said Nicholson.

“People questioned Team North America and Team Europe. I think those questions were answered.

“There’s going to be tweaks. Should the first-place team get a bye? Certainly there are things to look at.

“Toronto did a good job. For the first time starting it up again since 2004, it was really well done.

“I loved what I saw. Let’s not forget the Blue Jays were playing and there were 50,000 people coming out of there.

“The economic impact for Toronto was huge. I know talking to Lanny McDonald, the chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, their numbers were up by a huge percentage with Europeans. Those things show it’s pretty nice to have in the city.

“I really think they just scratched the surface with getting Europeans over here for it and I think we could really have an impact on that if we held it here.”

terry.jones@sunmedia.ca

@sunterryjones