The city of Buffalo will host the 2016 NHL Draft, 18 years after it last hosted the event. The last time the city hosted the event, there were a lot of complaints about the city’s transportation system, having nothing to do downtown, having a limited number of places to eat, and the fact that some prospects had to stay in hotels at the airport. This time around, the city will be trying to make a better impression on its guests as its team continues to build toward the future. With the Buffalo Sabres picking 8th, their online NHL odds of making the playoffs next season are very slim.
Since the last time Buffalo hosted the NHL Draft, there have been significant improvements in the city. The Canalside, which hadn’t been built 18 years ago, will host the NHL Draft FanFest on Friday night. There will be plenty of games and music to keep fans busy, as well as appearances by current and former Sabres.
The Canalside will also show the NHL Draft, which will take place at the nearby First Niagara Center, on two large screen televisions.
The last time the draft was in Buffalo, there was no Canalside for fans to interact and have fun. This time around, they have more than one option. The HarborCenter is another venue that will host a lot of NHL Draft festivities.
On Thursday, the HarborCenter will host a youth clinic organized by some of the top prospects. Prospects and fans who are in town for the draft also don’t have to worry about staying in hotels by the airport because there are two major hotels in close proximity of the First Niagara Center.
Commuting also won’t be a problem because the hotels are connected to the center by a skywalk.
Before the hotels were built, the FNC successfully hosted the 2011 IIHF World Juniors Hockey Championship tournament. During the tournament, the transportation problem was solved by the city providing a shuttle that took people downtown.
The event was such a success that the 2018 tournament will be hosted in Buffalo.
While most people don’t consider the NHL Draft and the World Junior Hockey Championships big events, the city of Buffalo is also hoping to use the draft as an audition for bigger events like the All-Star game.
If Buffalo successfully hosts the NHL Draft, it might convince the commissioner and other owners that the city is capable of organizing the All-Star game, which will be a success in a hockey crazed town like Buffalo.
Even if the city doesn’t get to host the All-Star game, hosting a game like the Winter Classic will be an alternative Buffalo can live with.
Since the NHL Draft festivities will take place from Monday through Saturday, plenty of hockey fans have flocked to Buffalo to watch the event and almost every hotel room in the region has been booked. Local restaurants have also reported an increase in reservations, which signifies that the event is having a significant impact on the city’s economy.
If a relatively small event like the NHL can boost the city’s economy that significantly, imagine what an All-Star game can do.
Filed under: Local Headlines
Tagged with: Buffalo, Canalside, First Niagara Center, Harborcenter, NHL Draft, online NHL odds
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