Hockey trip in Canada

[Veela]

Hello,
I am from Czech republic and huge hockey fan. I like to travel to Canada in September and travel across the country by car. I will start at Montreal, go down to Toronto to HOF and then across to finish in Vancouver.

I like to see some junior league cities and possibly attend some training camp of Canadian NHL teams. What would you recommend to visit ?

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[johnny_rudeboy]

I would love to do the same some time. Looking forward to the replys.

 

[Mr BLUEandWHITE]

For junior hockey, in Ontario

Ottawa 67's (close to Montreal)
Oshawa Generals (go see John Tavares future star in the NHL)
Kitchener Rangers
London Knights

here is the site for the Ontario Hockey League (junior)

http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/hm/


I am not sure where any of the Canadian teams are holding there training camps, also I think there is a bunch of American teams that have there camps north of the border.

I know you said you want to start in Montreal, but if you really want to see a beautiful city I strongly recommend Quebec City.

 

[Louiss]

Yeah you should start with a junior game in Rimouski and /or Quebec city.

Well actually the better plan will be to start from Halifax...Moncton...Rimouski...Quebec...Montreal...Gatineau...Ottawa...Oshawa...Toronto...Hamilton...London...Sudbury...Winnipeg...Saskatoon...Edmonton....Calgary...Vancouver....Victoria.

That would be an anwsome cover on the complete country + excellent hockey in different leagues.

 

[Mr BLUEandWHITE]

Yeah you should start with a junior game in Rimouski and /or Quebec city.

Well actually the better plan will be to start from Halifax...Moncton...Rimouski...Quebec...Montreal...Gatineau...Ottawa...Oshawa...Toronto...Hamilton...London...Sudbury...Winnipeg...Saskatoon...Edmonton....Calgary...Vancouver....Victoria.

That would be an anwsome cover on the complete country + excellent hockey in different leagues.

Maybe between Sudbury and Winnipeg put Thunder Bay there because that would be a heck of a drive. Also before you hit Sudbury visit Sault Ste. Marie.

 

[vbet*]

Whoa such a loaded question. I think it all depends on how much watching hockey and sight seeing follows your wants. Canada is a very big country and this is no small feat for even the most hardcore hockey fan because there is a ton of driving to do between cities and unfortunatly you won't be using up your digital camera much from ontario to alberta.



edit: You can get plenty of games in around the Toronto area so I would suggest Quebec area, then Ontario, fly to Calgary and then into the mountains and the WHL teams all the way to Vancouver. Sask and Manitoba people are going to hate me for saying that but it is the truth.

 

[Veela]

Great tips guys. This should be done within one month (September). I believe if you spend 2-3 days just for driving, you can go 1500 kilometres a day, supposed you go on highways.

Car is preferable as I want to see the beautiful country. But that would mean rent a car in MTL and return it in VAN. Do you see it as a possibility ?

 

[Louiss]

or course...

just go to Enterprise or Budget and you can rent a car and return it in a different city

 

[LeMAD]

Yeah you should start with a junior game in Rimouski and /or Quebec city.

Well actually the better plan will be to start from Halifax...Moncton...Rimouski...Quebec...Montreal...Gatineau...Ottawa...Oshawa...Toronto...Hamilton...London...Sudbury...Winnipeg...Saskatoon...Edmonton....Calgary...Vancouver....Victoria.

That would be an anwsome cover on the complete country + excellent hockey in different leagues.

What a boring trip....

Edit: There are beautiful places in the country, but much less in the winter and really not everywhere. Some places in Eastern Canada (eastern québec, and parts of the maritimes) are nice, and same with the west, but between the 2...(from western quebec until the rocky mountains, except Toronto and Montréal, there isn't much to see. And not that Montréal and Toronto are beautiful cities either...)

 

[QcS]

for driving info:

Gatineau/Ottawa-Montreal is 2 hours.
Montréal-Québec is close to 3 hours
Rimouski is another 2 1/2-3 hours pass Québec if i'm not mistaken.

all 3 of those cities (Gatineau, Québec and Rimouski) are great for junior hockey and Montréal of course is just a great NHL city.

September is a good month to travel, but for NHL games, you'll only get pre-season because the NHL usually starts in the first week of October.
Junior hockey (at least in Québec) starts at the beginning of september. I think the OHL usually starts one or 2 weeks after.

p.s. there are lots of other Q teams on that route (Shawinigan, Drummondville, Victoriaville most notably), but the listed ones are the best for junior hockey. Shawi's arena is awful.

 

[Alpine]

Yeah, I wish I could make that trip and I live here.
I don't know where you're flying out of but there are many daily flights out of England and France to both Moncton and Halifax.
I'd start down east get the full feel of the the country all five time zones.
I can't imagine why you'd start in Montreal and leave out one quarter of the country.
But enjoy, hockey is great where ever you see it in this country.
When you're driving if you hear on the radio white-out warnings, find a hotel and get off the highway

 

[OHLArenaGuide]

Given that you're Czech... you do have a sense of the scale of this country, right? I met a guy in Chicago from Portsmouth who was absolutely gobsmacked that he could ride a Greyhound for 24 hours and still not be even close to halfway across the country.

Far be it to toot my own horn, you might want to look into my website if you're planning to watch some junior hockey.

 

[dank]

very good post, i plan on doing a trip up in a month and a half or so but sticking to Montreal/Ottawa and maybe Toronto.. when i formulate my dates a bit more, i'll definitely be asking you guys for some advice. for now, i'll keep my eye on this thread for more info..

March 17-22 or so.. if anyone has any ideas, let me know.. (not trying to thread jump)


p.s. i have been checking out your OHL Arena guide, its a pretty damn useful sight..

 

[Veela]

Thanks for more tips ladies and germs !

Fly from England to Halifax looks good if the price is not high. I will check the possibilities. I live in Prague and you get only last-minute ticket for a good price to Montreal or any other major canadian city. Planning a big trip like this ahead, you have to count with a really expensive ticket.

You can always fly cheap Prague- New York but to get visa both USA and Canada you have to rob a bank first. But Prague- London is really cheap flight.

And yeah, my measurement is quite different in Czech. If you want to visit Pavel Kubina in the summer, you hop into car in Prague and you knock on his door in 3 1/2 hours. And he lives just near Slovakian border.

 

[daynus]

I would change the West Venues slightly

Yeah you should start with a junior game in Rimouski and /or Quebec city.

Well actually the better plan will be to start from Halifax...Moncton...Rimouski...Quebec...Montreal...Gatineau...Ottawa...Oshawa...Toronto...Hamilton...London...Sudbury...Winnipeg...Saskatoon...Edmonton....Calgary...Vancouver....Victoria.

That would be an anwsome cover on the complete country + excellent hockey in different leagues.

I would say go with Halifax,Moncton,Rimouski,Quebec,Montreal,Gatineau,Ottawa,Oshawa,Toronto,Hamilton,London,Sudbury,Brandon,Regina,Saskatoon,MedicineHat,Calgary,Kooteny,Kelowna, Vancouver.

 

[Roughneck]

The easiest way to drive across Canada is actually cutting through the U.S. At Michigan and making your way up through Minnesota, so if you really wanted a hockey trip, you could check out some of the hockey games in the Hockey State and in Michigan if you could. Because lets face it, between southern Ontario and Winnipeg, there is absolutely nothing.

But it sounds like a great trip, I'm kind of jealous.

 

[BruinsBtn]

To drive from Toronto to Edmonton is 50 hours and there is not a lot in between. I would recommend spending more time in Quebec and Southern Ontario then flying to Edmonton or Calgary.

However, the area you would be missing is a real hockey heartland. Unfortuately, it´s tough to get that sense when you´re there. But definitely try to visit some small town hockey rinks (every town with 300 people has an indoor rink).

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Whoa such a loaded question. I think it all depends on how much watching hockey and sight seeing follows your wants. Canada is a very big country and this is no small feat for even the most hardcore hockey fan because there is a ton of driving to do between cities and unfortunatly you won't be using up your digital camera much from ontario to alberta.



edit: You can get plenty of games in around the Toronto area so I would suggest Quebec area, then Ontario, fly to Calgary and then into the mountains and the WHL teams all the way to Vancouver. Sask and Manitoba people are going to hate me for saying that but it is the truth.

Not really. I'm from Winnipeg and I can vouch from experience: driving straight through Manitoba and Saskatchewan is the most boring thing you could ever do. But it is a gauntlet of sorts; you can't say you drove cross-Canada without experiencing the mind-numbing drudgery of the mile-upon-mile of flat that is Saskitoba.

 

[OHLArenaGuide]

Not really. I'm from Winnipeg and I can vouch from experience: driving straight through Manitoba and Saskatchewan is the most boring thing you could ever do. But it is a gauntlet of sorts; you can't say you drove cross-Canada without experiencing the mind-numbing drudgery of the mile-upon-mile of flat that is Saskitoba.

Northern Ontario is worse.

"Look! Another birch tree! Wow! Another lake!"

The Arrogant Worms did a song about Canada where the first verse and chorus was:


My country's bigger than most,
And if asked I boast.
Cause i'm really proud,
So I shout it loud.
Though our numbers are few,
We will welcome you.
Although we don't have history,
Gold medal winning teams,
Heroes or prisoners, world famous volcanoes,
Still what we've got's glorious.

Cause we've got rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and water.

 

[Zine]

Like many have said, just realize what you're getting into by driving (especially if you're by yourself)......that's a looooong drive. Its almost like driving from Moscow to Portugal without the scenery in a lot of places.

Talk about the ultimate hockey road trip though.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Northern Ontario is worse.

"Look! Another birch tree! Wow! Another lake!"

The Arrogant Worms did a song about Canada where the first verse and chorus was:


My country's bigger than most,
And if asked I boast.
Cause i'm really proud,
So I shout it loud.
Though our numbers are few,
We will welcome you.
Although we don't have history,
Gold medal winning teams,
Heroes or prisoners, world famous volcanoes,
Still what we've got's glorious.

Cause we've got rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks,
and water.

Rocks, trees, and water > Flat fields.

 

[Pioneer13]

From Sudbury or Windsor cross the border to Detroit - Ann Arbor - East Lansing - Grand Rapids - Chicago - Madison - Minneapolis-St.Paul - St. Cloud - Duluth - Bemidji -Grand Forks - then continue on to Winnipeg. Great college (University) hockey towns and a couple NHL games thrown in. (Although when in Chicago you may want to opt for an AHL game or USHL in addition to or rather than NHL.)

 

[Le Golie]

If I were doing this trip I would skip central Canada. It really is the heartland of hockey and it's neat how Manitoba and Saskatchewan communities all revolve around the arena - but there isn't much to see or do. The lakes in Manitoba are amazing, but in September it won't be worth going off the beaten path to get to them.

The junior teams will be playing games by the middle part of the month, but if you just fly from Ontario to Calgary or Edmonton, you'll still be able to see a ton of junior and pro hockey in Alberta... that way you're at the edge of the rockies and not far from some of the most amazing scenery on Earth.

You'll get enough of a drive between Calgary iand Vancouver... It will take a long time, but that's where the mountains and wildlife and party/ski resort towns will really keep you stimulated.

Good luck, I'm sure it will be a rewarding and wonderful experience.

 

[Boston]

Quebec City is a must.

 

[ReLyT]

I'd check out OHLAG's site at http://www.ohlarenaguide.com/ for your ontario travels... In the OHL I'd suggest Kitchener, Ottawa, London and Oshawa for sure.

Pick some players you want to see before your decide and try to get to games to see certain guys. If your doing travels through Ontario find a game with Oshawa in it to see JT and London to see Kane. Some potential first overall picks...