"Poor marketing" "There hockey happening? Mid summer?": NHL fans react to poor crowd turnout for Hlinka Gretzky Cup Final

Canada won its third straight gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, beating Czechia 2-1 in the final. Liam Kilfoil and Caleb Desnoyers scored in the first period, while goalie Jack Ivankovic made 18 saves and was named player of the match.

The tournament ran from August 5–10 in Edmonton and featured top young hockey talent. However, the event saw a low turnout for the final, and fans were disappointed.

One fan shared the clip of the Rogers Place Arena venue for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Final and captioned it:

"Pathetic crowd in Edmonton."

Many blamed poor marketing for the lack of awareness.

"Nobody knew the tourney was even happening. Poor marketing. We would have bought tickets for ourselves and then some … this town is drooling for hockey right now," one fan said.

"There hockey happening? Mid summer ? In an Olympic year ? That’s super event planning !" another fan said.

"I for one, had zero clue the tournament was on. Not a single advertisement was put out there about this," a fan said.

In a hockey-loving city like Edmonton, fans believe better marketing could have drawn larger crowds for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup finals. Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"It’s August. It’s 30 degrees outside. We just watched the Oilers make it to game 7 of the Stanley cup final that went into June. Nobody cares about hockey right now. Lots of other things to do. I assume you were there though?" one fan said.

"Show the other side of the arena, idiots. The only thing pathetic is your complete ignorance of the sport of hockey. Sit down." another fan said.

"Half the lower bowl was pretty full. I do wish this was marketed better though, but summer hockey is a tough sell for people and I don't think the Hlinka tends to draw well (I could be wrong??). I went to all Canada games plus the bronze.. Was a great tourney." one fan pointed,

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Gavin McKenna received advice from cousin Connor Bedard for Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Gavin McKenna, a 16-year-old hockey player, helped Canada win the Hlinka Gretzky Cup by defeating Czechia 2-1 in the final. McKenna, a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft, scored six points in five games.

He sought advice from his cousin (via marriage), Connor Bedard, on handling pressure during big tournaments.

"I asked him (Bedard) before this tournament how he dealt with pressure going into big tournaments," McKenna said via NHL.com, "He kind of just said to play my game and don't let the outside stuff get to me. He's the best playing under pressure, and he's shown it so many times. I think that was the right guy to go and he helped me a lot."

McKenna had a standout season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, earning 97 points and being named Rookie of the Year. He views this tournament as a confidence boost and hopes to play for Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship.

McKenna remains focused on his development ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.