WJC: 2014 WJC in Sweden. When? and How? | General talk (tickets, hotels, etc)

[Oyabun]

Stockholm is a capital and therefore the political power is situated here. That brings a more international atmosphere to the city and it also carries the most of Sweden's cultural heritage and institutions. Therefore it's not too strange to suggest that it's at least the center of Sweden, albeit perhaps not the world But it's importance on the international stage is however bigger than it's size, as it's in the frontline in several businesses like advertising, IT and medicine.

I've lived four years in Gothenburg and can compare that city to Stockholm. And Gothenburg falls flat on it's ass on almost every category. They do have a very good music scene, just as Stockholm does. They also have good sports traditions in for example handball and football as well.

I don't agree with you when it comes to the restaurants in Stockholm. Stockholm has a very high standard to the restaurants on average and actually a lot of Michelin stars restaurants considering its size. In my job I have pretty demanding clients coming over from London, NYC, LA, Hamburg etc and they are always very impressed by the restaurants (and city). The traditional pubs are of course not as good as in London, as we don't really have that pub culture. In Sweden you have more bars than traditional pubs. But it's easier to find nice quality micro-brewed beer in Stockholm than in London. And the average cocktail is better than in London, LA and NYC.
But as I said in my earlier post about this subject, it's all about making good research before going here. Otherwise you will just end up going to pricey tourist traps that won't bring you quality or an experience of the true city.

For other Swedes the Stockholm inhabitants are seen as quite cocky. As somebody that is not born in Stockholm but moved here about 16-17 years ago, I don't agree. Stockholm attracts a lot of ambitious and creative people from all over Sweden, because most of the higher education and the best job market is here. I think it's these people that non-Stockholm inhabitants see as cocky. I think it's the Jante law that confuses ambition with cockiness because ambition is in contrast with the conservative "everything should be just the same as it's always have been and you should be just like everybody else-attitude" that this Jante-law brings to people's mindset.

Well, a lot of OT here. But bottom line is that Stockholm is not perfect, but I can't see much better places to live or visit if you want a quite vibrant city that gives you a great night life, sports, a lot of culture, beautiful sights and surroundings, close to nature and you can actually take a swim pretty much in the centre of the city. Did I mention the girls...?

It was just tounge in cheek since your posts came right after eachother. I agree with most of what you're saying. I won't be swayed when it comes to restaurants. Sure Stockholm has some fine michelin restaurants but if you wanna find a restaurant that doesn't leave you with an empty wallet....it's rather easy to strike out. The average level isn't that great IMO.

I'm a moderat (conservative) so I am not a "jantelag" follower. However I would think it's Stockholmare calling the rest of the country "bönder" (farmers) that makes people think they are arrogant. I don't really think there are many people that really dislikes Stockholmare though, just friendly banter

 

[llwyd]

Well, one thing against Malmö is that they don't speak Swedish there. I'm pretty fluent in Swedish for a Finnish speaking Finn, but their awful version of the tongue defeats me totally. And they tell me the climate isn't Nordic at all and they don't have any forests, so it sounds way too exotic for me. The place feels strangely Danish, actually, for some weird reason...

 

[KRM]

Stockholm is a capital and therefore the political power is situated here. That brings a more international atmosphere to the city and it also carries the most of Sweden's cultural heritage and institutions. Therefore it's not too strange to suggest that it's at least the center of Sweden, albeit perhaps not the world But it's importance on the international stage is however bigger than it's size, as it's in the frontline in several businesses like advertising, IT and medicine.

I've lived four years in Gothenburg and can compare that city to Stockholm. And Gothenburg falls flat on it's ass on almost every category. They do have a very good music scene, just as Stockholm does. They also have good sports traditions in for example handball and football as well.

Hehe, funny you should say that because one could easily say that Gothenburg is importance on the international stage too is much larger than its size. And could argue that it's on par with and even ahead of Stockholm in advertising and medicine.

 

[Shrimper]

Any idea when ticket prices are likely to be announced?

 

[joe89]

Any idea when ticket prices are likely to be announced?

They already sold 1000 tickets to Swedes for the bronze and gold medal game(one ticket, two games). Those tix were lower bowl and had the price categories of €34, €57 and €68. Don't think there's a date for the rest, and no idea if those were early bird prices. But I've heard the tickets for group stage games, especially when Sweden's not playing, will be very cheap to come by.

 

[Anders]

After reading this thread I want to share some rumors and facts.

Tickets:
I'm 90100% sure I've read (in a paper) that tickets are released Feb 7, the same day as the Oddset Hockey Games enters Malmö. Take it as a rumor but keep your eyes open.
Source: http://cdn.sds.se/pdf/20130107/c3/sds_130107_e3_c_16183.pdf page 18, bottom right corner, in swedish tough :-( but it is not true just because it is in a paper
I guess the 1000 final tickets were sold here, maybe the other tickets will be sold here as well.
http://www.ticnet.se/event/world-junior-championship-2014/244777

Snow:
The chance of a white christmas is about 20%, but since the tournament are more than a day the chance is a little bit bigger to see snow during the tournament.

Copenhagen transport:
Hyllie is the railroad station just outside Malmö Arena. Just less than 30 minutes from Copenhagen main station.
Triangeln is the closest railroad station to Isstadion, expect a 20 minute walk and 30-32 minute train ride from Copenhagen.

Trains normally go every 20 minutes, every 60 minutes during late night and early morning (about 23:30-5:00) and every 10 minutes during the rush hours. There are other stations in Copenhagen where the Malmö-trains stop. In central copenhagen it is Nørreport and Østerport. You may also find hotels close to Ørestad and the airport. You can also connect with the Metro at Nørreport, Ørestad or the airport. (Nørreport is being rebuilt so there might be disturbances)
Tip: Use google maps to find out you options, for example: http://goo.gl/maps/geh6o. Buses, metro and trains are all there.

Welcome to Malmö!

 

[Mr Leth]

Good post by Anders!
As expected you'll likely see a couple of people trying to slander Malmö here.
Malmö and actually the whole region of Skåne (Scania) is disliked by many Swedes.
This is just old heritage and doesn't really affect any tourist wanting to visit the WJC.

So is Malmö a dangerous place to visit?
No, it's not.
But with that said any town/city in the world can be dangerous if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Sure there are places you'd want to avoid.
But with normal precautions like...don't wander around by yourself in strange neighbourhoods off the beaten track, you'll be just fine.
Then..I've just been to Detroit and walked around by myself (downtown) after dark in areas where I couldn't even see a single soul.
And I'm still alive and well...
---

This has already been covered by most but Malmös main airport is actually Copenhagen Airport in Denmark!
You'd might think that this would cause extra problems with customs and such.
Don't worry, it wont.
Once you've cleared the airport customs you good to go.
If you rent a car to drive across the bridge to Sweden, sure you have to face customs again on the swedish side.
But mainly what they are looking for is narcotics and smugglers, they don't really care that you visiting from Canada, US, UK or whatever.
If you take the train you might come across a customs officer, but remember once again they are looking for smugglers.
The train never stops at any customs point.

If you're flying in from Europe you might get fooled by an airport called Malmö Airport.
Don't be, this airport is not in Malmö.
This name is only used in advertising purposes and would just land you at a desolate place further away from where you'd want to be.
---

Where do you want to stay during your visit?
Well this might be a bit tricky and would depend upon what your other interests are, besides hockey.
Yes it is just as easy to get a hotel in Copenhagen and take the train/car to Malmö.
You'll find a whole lot more attractions on the Danish side but don't forget the bridge between the two cities is a toll road, which means it is a bit pricey crossing it several times.
Or well in fact, I wouldn't recommend getting a rental car and then stay on the Danish side.
A single trip across the bridge could set you back as much as 45 EUR...
---

What to do outside the WJC-hockey?
Like I wrote before this is solely based on your interests.
I'm sure there are plenty of tourism sites across the web that can help out with that one.
But if you're hockey freaks like me you're probably wondering if there's any local hockey to check out in the meantime.
Sad to say this region isn't a hotbed for hockey.
For obvious reasons the team that draws the biggest crowds around here isn't going to play any home games during this period.
If you're looking for a game with an attendance higher than just the players closest friends and relatives then I guess you'd have to search in the Danish AL-Bank League.
Although any Copenhagen team rarely draws crowds that exceeds the 1000 mark...
---

I guess that's it for now.
But any questions would be welcomed.
Just don't listen too much to all the nonsens being spread around in this thread.

And by the way, yes I've got my ticket to the bronze & gold medal games already!

 

[Shrimper]

I seem to recall there being a team in Copenhagen? Would probably be worth checking that out if people are there for hockey.

 

[TreeSapLlama]

They already sold 1000 tickets to Swedes for the bronze and gold medal game(one ticket, two games). Those tix were lower bowl and had the price categories of €34, €57 and €68. Don't think there's a date for the rest, and no idea if those were early bird prices. But I've heard the tickets for group stage games, especially when Sweden's not playing, will be very cheap to come by.

They have sold single game tickets before they offered the full packages? That seems...interesting to me. I would think they want to sell the full packages first to get an idea of how many single game tickets they can offer.

I am super pumped for this tournament as it will be my first trip to Europe. I've heard great things about European hockey fans and it should be a good tournament. My only regret is Canada isn't at the good arena, but thats the way it goes.

 

[Prntscrn]

I've heard great things about European hockey fans and it should be a good tournament. My only regret is Canada isn't at the good arena, but thats the way it goes.

Yeah... don't expect to much, big difference between club teams and national team. Canadian fans are waaaay better when it come to national teams

 

[Anders]

They have sold single game tickets before they offered the full packages? That seems...interesting to me. I would think they want to sell the full packages first to get an idea of how many single game tickets they can offer.

I don't expect any packages to be sold really. Maybe the tour operators have got some. Single (or pass) tickets seems to go on sale Feb 7 8:00 GMT at http://www.ticnet.se/event/world-junior-championship-2014/244777

Please beware that ticnet is bad. Espicially for events like this. My previous experiences from UEFA U21 and the Handball WC are not good. There was no shopping cart so I had to do a lot of individual orders. And generally they seem to allow only 2 orders per day and credit card. So have a bunch of credit cards at hand or take help from others. If you get an "unkown error" the third time you pay with same card it is probably not unkown, it's the limit.

 

[Mr Leth]

I seem to recall there being a team in Copenhagen? Would probably be worth checking that out if people are there for hockey.

3 out of 9 teams in the highest Danish league (AL-Bank Ligaen) are from Copenhagen.
They are: Rødovre Mighty Bulls, Herlev Eagles and Copenhagen Hockey.
However as we speak, they are the leagues bottom three...
As I pointed out earlier, hockey isn't a big thing in Copenhagen.
Although Rødovre has been known as a provider of good youngsters through the years, the team hasn't really benefited on it interest wise.
Rødovre do have the biggest arena in Copenhagen (to my knowledge), the capacity of 3.600 might not be too impressive though.
To anyone who's interested, this map link hopefully works:
http://goo.gl/maps/pkYNQ

 

[Mr Leth]

Gotta love this, it's soooo 2013...

If you have a credit card issued outside Europe:
To purchase tickets, call our call center +46 775 78 00 00
If you want to buy tickets for a group, call +46 771 21 21 21

Anyway, that info was taken from IIHF.
http://www.iihf.com/channels1314/wm20/tickets.html

 

[Shrimper]

Tickets going on sale at 8am CET. They won't sell out for the big games will they? At college until 1:00pm and want to get good games. Doubt they'd sell out though.

 

[TreeSapLlama]

I would just like to thank all the posters here for the information they are providing. It is really helpful for some of us to get an idea of what to expect.

*edit* That European credit card stuff is going to really be a pain in the ass.

 

[Justinov]

Well, one thing against Malmö is that they don't speak Swedish there. I'm pretty fluent in Swedish for a Finnish speaking Finn, but their awful version of the tongue defeats me totally. And they tell me the climate isn't Nordic at all and they don't have any forests, so it sounds way too exotic for me. The place feels strangely Danish, actually, for some weird reason...

Well Skåne-Sjælland is where the danes originally came from - otherwise danes wouldn't be "scandinavians", but west-germanic like English, Frisians, Germans and Dutch .
Jylland-Fyn are later danish conquest around 500 AD -> Jutes and Angles were colonizing England/"Angelland" in 400-500 AD (whether it's before or because of danish west-movement is very uncertain).

So they were danes in Skåne (Scania) until 1658, when they were conquered (provoking the Snaphane wars lead by the Gønge høvding - Svend Poulsen), so that might explain the dialect and why you have the danish feel even after 350 years of "swedification"
In the Island of Bornholm the speak the more original danish-scanian dialect, though it's dying out because of modern mass media influence. (More like standard danish with a bornholmian accent these days).

 

[Mental Mac]

tnx for all the info you guys provide! Will make sure to book some tickets soon

 

[JacketsFanWest]

I saw that tickets were going on sale for the WJC 2014 on ticnet.se
on Feb 7th:
http://www.ticnet.se/artist/world-junior-championships-2014-biljetter/24368

Buying tickets on Ticnet.se from North America is a pain. Unless they are changing things for this tournament, they only take European credit cards.

The only way you can buy tickets is to call their phone number and then wire the money from your bank. There's no other payment options. Banks usually charge a fee to do this.

When the Gyllene Tider tickets went on sale a few weeks ago, there was chaos with all the foreign fans calling them trying to buy tickets and crashing their website. It took hours to get through on their phone line if you need an English speaker.

 

[Shrimper]

I'm just hoping that the tickets won't sell out to the games I want to go before I have a chance of buying them. Won't be able to get on the pc until 2:30PM CET at the earliest.

 

[Mr Leth]

I'm just hoping that the tickets won't sell out to the games I want to go before I have a chance of buying them. Won't be able to get on the pc until 2:30PM CET at the earliest.

I'd be truly shocked if any tickets were sold out the first day.
The first 1000 for the final games didn't.
Then again, like anyone who'd try to provide an answer to this, I'm just guessing...

 

[joe89]

They have sold single game tickets before they offered the full packages? That seems...interesting to me. I would think they want to sell the full packages first to get an idea of how many single game tickets they can offer.

I am super pumped for this tournament as it will be my first trip to Europe. I've heard great things about European hockey fans and it should be a good tournament. My only regret is Canada isn't at the good arena, but thats the way it goes.

I'm surprised they are this inflexible with the arenas. One group per arena. They should let the big nations play in the big arena to increase revenues.. According to the organizers most Canadians skipped the UFA tournament to spend their money on this one. They've renovated/will renovate the old arena(more like an old-fashioned ice rink) though, and that one will not be too shabby either.

 

[Mr Leth]

I'm surprised they are this inflexible with the arenas. One group per arena. They should let the big nations play in the big arena to increase revenues.. According to the organizers most Canadians skipped the UFA tournament to spend their money on this one. They've renovated/will renovate the old arena(more like an old-fashioned ice rink) though, and that one will not be too shabby either.

Increase revenues?
Malmö Isstadion has a capacity of 5800, no wait after the renovation it's just 5140 but still.
Do we really expect it to be sold out at any point...?!
I'd be pleasantly surprised, but to really fill up the Isstadion the Swedes would have to get involved.
Somehow I'm doubting they will if Sweden's not even on the ice.
I will try to catch as many games as possible but that's just me.

 

[Shrimper]

I'd be truly shocked if any tickets were sold out the first day.
The first 1000 for the final games didn't.
Then again, like anyone who'd try to provide an answer to this, I'm just guessing...

Well, if the 1000 final tickets didn't sell out in the first day didn't sell out then that's good for me.

I'm thinking that they won't sell out in the first day either as a lot of the teams aren't often that widely followed i.e Germany and Slovakia. Also, compared to the last time Sweden hosted it the stadiums are bigger. I believe the Malmo Arena holds 13,000? When they only just managed to sell out for the odd game last time.

Any idea on what the price will be? Hoping it's not that much as I'm looking to go around 4/5 games.

 

[joe89]

Well, if the 1000 final tickets didn't sell out in the first day didn't sell out then that's good for me.

I'm thinking that they won't sell out in the first day either as a lot of the teams aren't often that widely followed i.e Germany and Slovakia. Also, compared to the last time Sweden hosted it the stadiums are bigger. I believe the Malmo Arena holds 13,000? When they only just managed to sell out for the odd game last time.

Any idea on what the price will be? Hoping it's not that much as I'm looking to go around 4/5 games.

Just another 6½ hours before the tickets go on sale.

http://www.ticnet.se/search.php?language=en-us&keyword=World+Junior&tm_link=tm_header_lang2

 

[the_gman83]

Anyone have any luck getting tickets yet? I've been trying to call for the last hour, but it's been busy.