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World Juniors 2020 - Czech Republic - Ostrava and Trinec
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Reserve your spot today! Almost SOLD OUT.
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We
are very excited to have a World Juniors in our second home, the Czech
Republic. Azorcan has taken thousands of Canadians to the Czech
Republic over the past 26 years for hockey, soccer, ringette, school,
sightseeing and corporate tours. Visit our Azorcan home page to learn more about our tours.
Our experience and our many contacts in the Czech Republic are your
guarantee of a great experience. This page contains information on the
tournament, our tour options, the host cities, testimonials from past
tours and much more.
Places are going fast so get your compete tour
package today by clicking HERE and
filling out our Priority List form. The package will be sent to you
promptly and will include pricing and registration information. If you have any questions call 780.906.7110 or email us. |
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Listen To Our World Juniors 2020 Tour Podcasts HERE
We
will be podcasting from the 2020 World Juniors Tour Hospitality Suite
during the tournament from the Czech Republic. We are now podcasting
prior to departure to get everyone ready for the tour. The
podcast is now available for subscription on many podcast sites
including Spotify, YouTube, Apple ipodcast and many more. Just search
for the CANADA BEARS SPORTCAST
Podcast 1 - Tour information with hosts Bryn Griffiths & Paul Almeida
Podcast 2 - Our guest is junior hockey expert GUY FLAMING
Podcast 3 - Legendary WHL reporter GREGG DRINNAN joins us
Podcast 4 - Long time Edmonton Oil Kings play by play man, Corey Graham
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About the 2020 World Juniors
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World Juniors 2020 in the Czech Republic
Register today to reserve your spot.
Download our WJ2020 Tour Poster and share it with your friends.
Reserve your place to see team Canada live in the Czech Republic.
The tournament will be held in Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech
Republic. The host cities are located in the Moravian-Silesian Region
of the country and are located in the North East area of the Cech
Republic. They are about a 4 hour drive from Prague.
Canada will be in a group with the host Czechs, the United
States, Russia and Germany. This will be a very exciting group to
watch.
We have
multiple package options available. Some tour options include a few days, including Christmas, in Prague
prior to the tournament. We will have sightseeing and activites planned
in Prague.
If you wish to spend Christmas in Canada we have departures on Boxing
Day. You will miss the first two days of the tournament but don't worry,
you will see plenty of hockey over the next few days.
The tournament will run from December 27th to January 5th. We already
have some of the best hotels in Olomouc, our home base, reserved for
our group. Our New Years Party will be an amazing event and we have
some great tours planned for days Canada doesn't play.
After the tournament we have various departure dates available with
options to go home on January 7th, spend some time in Prague or do
sightseeing in Czech, Austria and Germany.
WE ARE CZECH EXPERTS with multiple tours there every year over the last 26
years. We will have local english speaking guides on each bus and our
experienced staff from Canada and the Czech Republic will be there as well.
We have a very limited number of places available and past participants are still registering every day.
This
is our fourth group tour to the World Juniors in Europe. We had great
tours to Pardubice & Liberec (Czech 2008), Malmo (Sweden 2014) and to Helsinki (Finland 2016).
This is a hockey fan's trip of a lifetime.
Call Paul at 780-906-7110 or e-mail if you have any questions.
Additional Points of Interest
The Czech Republic has its own currency, the Czech Koruna.
Germany and Austria both use the Euro.
The average climate in January in the Czech Republic is around +1
degree Celcius for a high and -4 degrees Celcius for a low. Rain or
snow are both possible with an average of 6 days of precipitation.
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The Azorcan World Juniors 2020 Tour Includes
We are Czech Republic EXPERTS with multiple annual tours to numerous destinations in the country over the last 26 years.
Azorcan Tour Proposal Includes
Return airfare from Canadian gateways to Europe
(a price without air will be available)
Hotel accommodation
3-4 star hotel with single, double or triple occupancy
Bus transportation for all transfers, games and events
Sightseeing tours as outlined in the itinerary
We include tours and events on WJ or Canada days off.
Breakfast daily plus some additional meals
Christmas Day Party including dinner(for those joining us at Christmas)
New Years Day Gala Party with dinner and entertainment
All-inclusive travel insurance (Canadian residents only, option to decline)
Tickets to all games listed in the itinerary
Assistance of a local english speaking guides and Azorcan staff members
All taxes and fees
Azorcan “Canada Bears” tour special tournament jersey
Azorcan "WJ2020" tour guide loaded with information
Special tour souvenirs
Azorcan Tour Proposal Does Not Include
Beverages at lunch or dinners
Meals not included in the itinerary
Gratuities for guides and bus driver
Free time activities
Optional tours
Tickets to other optional matches
Download our WJ2020 Tour Poster and share it with your friends.
World Juniors 2020 Tournament Format
Round Robin
The WJHC Tournament has 10 participatiing countries who are placed in
two groups of 5. The teams in each group are determined by the results
of the previous tournament. Each team will play the other four teams in
their group.
Relegation Round
The
two 5th place teams will play a best of 3 series. The winning team will
remain in the World Championships in 2021. The loser will be relegated
to the Division 1A tournament in 2021 and will be replaced by the
Division 1A champion from 2020.
Kazakhstan defeated Denmark in the 2019 relegation round and will participate in Group A this tournament.
Denmark moved down to play in the Division 1 championship while the
2019 Division 1A champion, Germany, moves up and will play in Group B.
Quarter Finals Round
The
1st place teams in each group will play the 4th place teams in the
other group while the 2nd place teams will play the 3rd place teams in
the othe group. The winners move on to the Semi Finals while the losers
are eliminated.
Semi Finals and Medal Games
The Semi Final winners will play in the GOLD Medal game while the two losers will play in the BRONZE Medal game.
World Juniors 2020 Tournament Schedule
Download The Schedule
Azorcan included games are in gold.
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Azorcan World Juniors Tour Options Options
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All Groups During the
WJHC Tournament
Our groups will stay in Olomouc for the entire tournament. Those that
fly out on the 19th or 22nd will be in Olomouc for the first games on
the 26th.
Those
that fly from Canada on the 26th will arrive in Europe on the 27th.
Depending on flight arrival times and busing to the tournament
location, you will probably will miss games on the first two days of
the tournament. Your first games will probably be on the 28th.
Tickets will be included to every Canada round robin game plus some additional round robin games on Canada game days.
We will have tickets to both Quarter Final games at the arena where Canada plays.
We will also have tickets to both Semi-Final games and both medal games.
During the tournament we will have various tours and events included plus our New Years Gala Party.
The tournament concludes on the 5th evening. In the morning of the 6th
we check out of our hotel in Olomouc and move on to our next
destination depending on our tour option selected.
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Tour Option A
3 days including Christmas in Prague and the WJHC
Depart Canada - December 22
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 23
Depart for Canada - January 7
Total Days: 17
Total Nights: 15
Enjoy a full day in Prague on the 24th including a guided walking tour
and free time to enjoy the city and the Christmas markets.
On the 25th we will celebrate Christmas evening together at our Christmas Dinner Party.
On Boxing Day we depart by bus to our hotel in Olomouc and then to the arena to watch the first games of the tournament.
After the tournament concudes we will bus to Prague or Vienna on the 6th for one last night before flying home on the 7th.
On this tour you will not miss any of Canada's games in the tournament.
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Tour Option AA
5 days including Christmas in Prague and the WJHC
Depart Canada - December 19
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 20
Depart for Canada - January 7
Total Days: 20
Total Nights: 18
Enjoy a Prague guided walking tour on the 21st and enjoy free time to take in the Christmas markets and sights of the city.
We will have special tours and events planned for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
On the 25th, we will celebrate Christmas evening together at our Christmas Dinner Party.
On Boxing Day we depart by bus to our hotel in Olomouc and then to the arena to watch the first games of the tournament.
After the tournament concudes we will bus to Prague or Vienna on the 6th for one last night before flying home on the 7th.
On this tour you will not miss any of Canada's games in the tournament.
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Tour Option B
3 days including Christmas in Prague, the WJHC plus Ceske Krumlov, Salzburg and Munich
Depart Canada - December 22
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 23
Depart for Canada - January 9
Total Days: 19
Total Nights: 17
Enjoy a Prague guided walking tour on the 24th and enjoy free time to take in the Christmas markets and sights of the city.
On the 25th, we will celebrate Christmas evening together at our Christmas Dinner Party.
On Boxing Day we depart by bus to our hotel in Olomouc and then to the arena to watch the first games of the tournament.
On this tour you will not miss any of Canada's games in the tournament.
After the tournament concudes we will bus to Ceske Krumlov on the 6th to visit the medieval UNESCO World Heritage town.
On the 7th we will enjoy a guide tour of Salzburg followed by a buffet dinner with local specialties.
On the 8th morning the group will do a tour of the local salt mines before continuing to Munich in the afternoon.
We will enjoy some free time in Munich's city center before our tour
farewell dinner with entertainment at the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus.
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Tour Option BB
5 days including Christmas in Prague, the WJHC plus Ceske Krumlov, Salzburg and Munich
Depart Canada - December 19
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 20
Depart for Canada - January 9
Total Days: 22
Total Nights: 20
Enjoy a Prague guided walking tour on the 21st and enjoy free time to take in the Christmas markets and sights of the city.
We will have special tours and events planned for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
On the 25th, we will celebrate Christmas evening together at our Christmas Dinner Party.
On Boxing Day we depart by bus to our hotel in Olomouc and then to the arena to watch the first games of the tournament.
On this tour you will not miss any of Canada's games in the tournament.
After the tournament concudes we will bus to Ceske Krumlov on the 6th to visit the medieval UNESCO World Heritage town.
On the 7th we will enjoy a guided tour of Salzburg followed by a dinner with local specialties.
On the 8th morning the group will do a tour of the local salt mines before continuing to Munich in the afternoon.
We
will enjoy some free time in Munich's city center before our farewell
dinner with entertainment at the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus.
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Tour Option C
Christmas in Canada then the WJHC plus 1 day in Prague
Depart Canada - December 26
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 27
Depart for Canada - January 7
Total Days: 13
Total Nights: 11
Enjoy Christmas at home with your family and depart for Europe on Boxing day.
We will arrive in Europe on the 27th and will travel by bus to our home
base, Olomouc. We will probably arrive to late to watch any games on
the 27th.
We will miss one and maybe two of Canada's round robin games. We will still get plenty of hockey.
After the tournament concudes we will bus to Prague where you will have aguided walking tour of the city that afternoon and one last night before flying home on the 7th.
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Tour Option D
Christmas in Canada then the WJHC plus 3 days in Prague
Depart Canada - December 26
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 27
Depart for Canada - January 9
Total Days: 15
Total Nights: 13
Enjoy Christmas at home with your family and depart for Europe on Boxing day.
We will arrive in Europe on the 27th and will travel by bus to our home
base, Olomouc. We will probably arrive to late to watch any games on
the 27th.
We will miss one and maybe two of Canada's round robin games. We will still get plenty of hockey.
After
the tournament concudes we will bus to Prague on the 6th where you will
have aguided walking tour of the city that afternoon.
On the 7th and the 8th we will special tours and dinners included.
On the 9th we will depart for Canada in the morning.
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Tour Option E
The WJHC plus Prague, Ceske Krumlov, Salzburg and Munich
Depart Canada - December 26
Arrive in Prague, Czech - December 27
Depart for Canada - January 12
Total Days: 18
Total Nights: 16
Enjoy Christmas at home with your family and depart for Europe on Boxing day.
We will arrive in Europe on the 27th and will travel by bus to our home
base, Olomouc. We will probably arrive to late to watch any games on
the 27th.
We will miss one and maybe two of Canada's round robin games. We will still get plenty of hockey.
After the tournament concudes we will bus to Prague on the 6th where
you will have aguided walking tour of the city that afternoon.
On the 7th and the 8th we will special tours and dinners included.
On the 9th morning we will bus to Ceske Krumlov to visit the medieval UNESCO World Heritage town.
On the 10th we will enjoy a guided tour of Salzburg followed by a dinner with local specialties.
On the 11th morning the group will do a tour of the local salt mines before continuing to Munich in the afternoon.
We
will enjoy some free time in Munich's city center before our farewell
dinner with entertainment at the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus.
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World Juniors Host Cities And Climate
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Olomouc, Czech Republic
Azorcan Tour Host City
All
participants on the tour will be staying at hotels in Olomouc. The city
is situated on the Morava River in the eastern part of the Czech
Republic in the region of Moravia. The city has a population of about
100,000 residents making it the sixth largest city in the Czech
Republic and is part of a larger urban zone with 480,000 people.
The
city is home to Palacky University, which was founded in 1573 and is
the second oldest in the Czech Republic. The University and the
Moravian College Olomouc have 25,200 combined students who represent a
large portion of the city’s population.
The
Holy Trinity Column on the main square is designated as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. The city hall with a domed astronomical clock and the
Saint Wenceslas Catheral are other famous landmarks. The city hall is
connected to a gothic church that now houses the Olomouc Museum of Art.
Olomouc also has six baroque fountains.
Former NHL and Czech national team member Jiri Hudler is a native son.
Clarion Congress Hotel
Olomouc, Czech Republic
The Clarion Congress Hotel in Olomouc will be our main tour
headquarters during the WJ Championship. It will be the location of our
New Year's Gala Party.
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Ostrava, Czech Republic
WJ2020 Host City
Ostrava
is the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic
and is only 15 kilometers from the border with Poland. It has a
population of 300,000 but with surrounding bedroom towns it has the
second largest urban area in the country after Prague with 500,000
residents.
Ostrava was an important industrial city, especially for steel, iron
and chemicals due to a huge coal deposit in the area. The last coal was
mined in 1994 and the city has undergone a major economic shift.
The city’s past coal economy is still very visible in the city’s Lower
Vitkovice area as the city has retained the historical industrial
architecture. After the economic shift in the 90s, the city has emerged
as a modern cultural city with theatres and galleries. The city’s very
good cultural and sporting facilities allow Ostrava to host major music
events like the “Colors of Ostrava” and major sporting events like
co-hosting the Men’s World Hockey Championships with Prague in 2004 and
2015.
Current and former NHL players Roman Polak, Vladimir Vujtek, Filip
Kuba, Richard Smehlik, Rostislav Olesz, Marek Malik and Petr Mrazek all
hail from Ostrava. It’s most famous athlete is probably tennis legend
Ivan Lendl who won 8 major titles and was the world No. 1 for 270 weeks.
Ostravar Arena
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Capacity 10,004
This will be the second time that Ostrava has been the primary host of
the tournament. Ostravar arena was opened in 1986 and undewent a major
renovation in 2003-04. The capacity is 9779 plus 16 skyboxes. It was
the host arena for the 1994 WJHC.
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Trinec, Czech Republic
WJ2020 Host City
Trinec
lies on the Olza River in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has a
population of about 40,000 inhabitants. Trinec is very close to the
Polish and the Slovak border as it is located at the very far eastern
part of the Czech Republic.
About 17% of the population is Polish.
The town has the largest steel plant in the Czech Republic, the Trinec
Iron and Steel Works due to plentiful iron ore in the area. The main
town of Trinec was built around the steel works.
The Beskydy mountain range surrounds the city and offers a great opportunity for numerous outdoor activities and sports.
HC Ocelari Trinec or the Trinec Steelers Hockey Club have a huge
following in the area and play in the country’s top league, the Czech
Extraliga. They have a spirited regional rivalry with Ostrava’s HC
Vitkovice.
Werk Arena
Trinec, Czech Republic
Capacity 5,200
This will be the first time that Trinec has hosted a major hockey
tournament. The Werk Arena was built in 2014 and hosted a Davis Cup
tennis event in 2016.
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Azorcan Sport, School and Sightseeing Tours - Future World Juniors Tours
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Future World Junior Hockey Champonships
2021 Canada (Edmonton & Red Deer)
2022 Sweden (Gothenburg)
2023 Russia (Novosibirsk)
2024 Canada (TBA)
2025 United States (TBA)
2026 Canada (TBA)
2027 Finland (TBA)
If you can't join us in the Czech Republic for WJ2020 but want to be placed on our "Sport Fans Priority List" for future World Juniors tours in Europe please do so here.
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| Azorcan WJ2020 Tour Shop |
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Azoran Included Apparel
Coming soon
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Azorcan Tour Shop
Coming soon
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| Azorcan World Juniors Tour Testimonials
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World Juniors Tour 2016 Testimonials
Helsinki, Finland
I took my daughter on the World Juniors tour to Helsinki and it was
amazing! The tour was so well put together, with absolutely
everything taken care of. There were even little surprises along
the way. The tours of Tallin ( and their beautiful Christmas
market), Turku and Suomenlinna (to name a few) were so well organized
and interesting. You received a guided tour and then had time to
explore on your own. The buses were great (and always on time),
the hockey seats were fantastic and all of the people on the tour with
us were so friendly and fun. Paul went out of his way to make
sure that everything was taken care and that everyone had what they
needed. We are definitely considering the 2020 World Junior tour,
and if you are looking for a tour company to take care of your group,
definitely give Paul at Azorcan a call!
Laurie Schneider - Edmonton, AB -World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
We had so much fun in Finland!! The WJ2016 was great, the fans out of
this world, and the day tours of Finland and Stockholm, Sweden hit the
top spots that I had researched. The day trip by ferry to Tallinn was
our favourite outing - such a quaint little spot complete with the
gorgeous Christmas market. Paul organizes the tour so that there is
lots of time to do your own sightseeing and the group tours allow
everyone to go at their own pace. The hotel location was exceptional
(again) and the group dinners always have great food. We have toured
with Paul at Azorcan for two World Juniors, and we wouldn’t miss WJ
2020 for the world!
Sheri Gagne - Chetwynd, BC - World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
Wayne
and I just want to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip with
you/Azorcan. We cannot believe how well organized it was,
considering the numbers, games, events, tours, etc. you had to contend
with. As mentioned, we could not have been more pleased/satisfied
if we hand picked our seats for EVERY game and appreciated all the
add-ons so much. It was so much fun interacting with the others
on the tour and getting to know some of them.
We are so pumped about going to Prague and have passed your name on to
a few people who might also be interested, however I don’t imagine you
have much trouble filling your tours.
You did such a great job and we can’t wait to travel with you again.
THANKS so much again for our wonderful experience and we are counting
the sleeps to 2020!
Lynda and Wayne Martin - World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
Our trip to the 2016 World Juniors in Finland with Azorcan was
fantastic. Paul did a great job with all the travel details. The
accommodations were great and the included breakfast choices were
amazing. Buses ran on time to all the games and the seats were
outstanding. The side tours were interesting leaving just enough time
to explore on one's own. All in all a great experience with friendly
people. We are seriously considering Prague in 2020.
Ron & Cindy Guina. Winnipeg MB - World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
Hi Paul,
Just a quick note expressing our sincere thanks, for all you did, to
make our Helsinki trip a lifetime experience. It exceeded our
expectations. We thoroughly enjoyed the excursions, the hockey, the
people and the total organization you presented. Couldn't ask for
anything more. We are already looking ahead to Czech in 2020.
Keith Moore - Amherstview, ON - World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
Hi Paul,
We have safely arrived home in Halifax and back to our regular
routines. I wanted to send this note to thank you sincerely for the
wonderful time we had in Helsinki and Stockholm. I thought the trip was
very professionally managed and the days without hockey such as Estonia
were excellent adventures!!
You have a wonderful approach with people and take the time to chat with all your guests. I wish you continued success…
Take Care,
Greg Sweet - Halifax NS - World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
Hey Paul,
We want to thank you and all your staff for the best hockey tour ever.
We have been busy over the past week showing our pictures and ‘pumping the tires’ of Azorcan Tours.
Paul and Karen - Kingston, ON - World Juniors 2016 Helsinki
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World Juniors Tour 2014 Testimonials
Malmo, Sweden
The
experience of a lifetime! Paul’s outstanding organizational skills and
his caring personality made our trip to the 2014 IIHF World Juniors in
Sweden a wonderful family experience. The accommodations, busses,
hockey games and seating were excellent and all 86 of us were proud to
wear our special Azorcan Polar Bear jerseys. The Sweden and Copenhagen
tours were fantastic; the fireworks at Malmo's New Year’s Eve
celebrations were truly unforgettable. A champagne toast to a job well
done!!
Sheri Gagne - Chetwynd, BC - World Juniors 2014 Malmo
Just wanted to send a note to thank you and your colleagues for a great
trip and experience! We all really enjoyed the trip and miss Malmo a
lot. We all really had a great time. The trip was really well
organized; the excursions were fun and interesting and we really
appreciated how you guys added in the extras of the jerseys, the Team
Canada memorabilia and the extra bus trips to/from games, etc. Well
done!
Mark Coady - Calgary, AB - World Juniors 2014 Malmo
Paul, I just wanted to take a moment and indeed say a huge “thank you “
on behalf of myself and my son Daniel. We both felt you went out of
your way to ensure ….and I’ll use your words…that everyone got value
for their money. We had in my son’s words – “the trip of a lifetime”
and created some incredible memories together of the World Juniors in
Malmo.
Andrew Huntley - Edmonton, AB -World Juniors 2014 Malmo
Just wanted to say thanks again for putting together the trip to Malmo,
it was such a great time. Michelle mentioned more than once to me
how she was having so much more fun than she expected. Originally we
had the mindset that this was going to be a “once in a lifetime” trip;
but now we are seriously considering Finland as a possibility for
2015/16.
Jay Reid - Edmonton, AB - World Juniors 2014 Malmo
Just wanted to send a huge thank you to you and your group for a truly
unforgettable and amazing trip to the World Junior's in Malmo, Sweden!
Your professionalism, attention to detail and personable service is
second to none! Our whole family will always cherish this trip
and will hold every one of our memories for a lifetime.
Everything from the hockey and tours, to the sitting and chatting, was
just an incredible experience.From all of us....thank you....and we
will definitely see you (& Jaakko....to return the gold medal to
Canada) in Finland!
The Phillips Family (Ron, Kori, Marena & Melanie) - Midland, ON - World Juniors 2104 Malmo
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