SPOKANE HAS LANDED ANOTHER MAJORSPORTING EVENTUSA VS CANADA WOMEN'S HOCKEY |
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SPOKANE, Wash. (September 9, 2008) The two biggest sports of the Winter Olympics will now be showcased in Spokane, heading into the Vancouver Winter Games. Today Star USA announced that in addition to hosting the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Spokane has landed one of only three games to be played in the United States, featuring the biggest rivalry in Women's hockey. Team USA will square off against Team Canada. The game will be held at the Spokane Arena in just over one year on Friday, October 16, 2009. As part of the Qwest Tour, USA Hockey will host the Canadian National Team for three games; one to be held in the east, one in the mid-west and the only game slated for the west will be held in Spokane, Washington. The U.S. Women's National Team is the current World Champions, having defeated Canada for the gold medal at the IIHF World Women's Hockey Championships in Harbin, China this past April. Either Team USA or Team Canada have taken home the gold medal at all three Olympic Games since Women's Hockey was added to the Olympic schedule, with Canada winning two and USA winning one. Canada secured the gold medal at Torino in 2006 and Salt Lake in 2002, the U.S. won gold at the Nagano Games in 1998. Star USA has organized games in Spokane for both the U.S. National Men's and Women's teams. In 2002 the U.S. Women's National Team played China leading into the Salt Lake Olympic Games. The attendance at the Spokane Arena was over 9,000 fans. In 1991 the U.S. Men's National Team played Canada to a sold out crowd at the Spokane Coliseum. "We are so excited to be hosting Team USA again," said Toby Steward, President of Star USA. "This is such a great coup for Spokane to get this game especially with the Olympics taking place in our backyard just a few months later." This game along with hosting the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships truly solidifies Spokane's reputation as Skate City USA!"
Star USA will be working with the Spokane Chiefs to ensure the best hockey experience for the fans. The Spokane Chiefs will provide all of their game day personnel, including section leaders and event staff for the game. "It is not a coincidence that the Spokane Chiefs colors are red, white, and blue." said Bobby Brett, President of Brett Sports & Entertainment and the Spokane Chiefs. "We are very excited to be partnering with Star USA to bring the greatest women hockey players in the world to the home of the Spokane Chiefs." Spokane has distinguished itself as a great host city for Olympic events." said Kevin Twohig, Executive Director of the Spokane Public Facilities District and General Manager of the Spokane Arena. "There will only be three cities selected to host U.S. versus Canada. We are very proud of Spokane's reputation built on the support of Olympic events, which allows us to be selected as a host venue." Tickets for the game go on sale Friday, October 3, 2008 at 10:00AM. Tickets will range in price from $15 to $35, with discounts for groups, seniors, children, and military personnel. Tickets can be purchased by calling TicketsWest at 1-800-325-SEAT or 325-SEAT in Spokane. On line at http://www.ticketswest.com/ or at the Spokane Arena Box Office. More about the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.Spokane was selected to host the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships after hosting the Championships in 2007, when the event experienced unprecedented success, including an all-time attendance record. The 2007 U.S. Championships received the prestigious honor of being recognized as the "Sports Event of the Year" and "Amateur Sporting Event of the Year" by SportsTravel magazine. Initial ticket sales for the 2010 Championships have been extremely strong. In the first 48 hour period tickets were available for sale the volume of sales increased by 25% over the same period for the 2007 Championships. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held annually since 1914, is the nation's most prestigious figure skating event, with past winners including such skating luminaries as Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton. National champions will be crowned in 12 events: ladies, men's, pairs and ice dancing in the senior, junior and novice levels.
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