The Mac's Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament is a prestigious ice hockey tournament held annually for midget aged players in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. First held in 1978 as the CP Challenge Cup, the tournament features 25 male and 15 female teams from across Canada, the United States and Europe.
In 2009, the Vancouver NW Giants captured their first title after playing in their third consecutive championship game, while the St. Albert Slash won the female final.
The Mac's tourney is held every year beginning on Boxing Day, and concluding with the male and female championship games on New Years Day at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The championship game has been held in front of as many as 10,000 spectators, while tournament games see as many as 3,000 fans per game, the largest crowds many of the players will have played in front of at that point of their careers. Overall, the tournament draws as many as 100,000 spectators over seven days.
Match games are played at several Calgary arenas with the Max Bell Centre being the primary facility. Games are also held at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena, and Centennial Arena.
Many participants of the Mac's tourney have gone on to play in the National Hockey League. These players are recognized by Mac's tourney officials by having their photos added to the tournaments wall of fame at the Max Bell Centre.
On January 2, 1989, Petr Nedved, playing for a Litvínov based team, left his hotel room in the middle of the night and walked into a Calgary police station declaring his intention to defect from Czechoslovakia.
Read more about Mac's Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament: Tournament Format, Wall of Fame, See Also
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