tiabank Hockey Day in Canada has come and gone, leaving with it a chance to reflect on how Swift Current prospered from the event.

Robin Wall, a co-chair of the local organizing committee, said the event had been a long time in the making.

"Lots and lots of planning, even that WHL game against the Blades, that opponent, that time slot, was planned about a year ago. We actually started our planning in the Fall of 2017, so lots of work on the planning side for sure."

He said that he considered it the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to host the event in Swift Current, especially considering that Shaunovon also played host to the yearly tradition in 2004.

"The show jumps around from province to province, and like I said earlier, with only one host community a year, the chances of even hosting it once are minimal."

Speaking on the number of people flooding the town to witness the nationally-televised event, Wall said that there were a few ways he gauged the tourist attraction's draw.

"I know that hotels were jam-packed, I know that restaurants were busy, lots of companies doing catering services, I saw license plates from several different spots across western Canada, I've heard of people travelling to Swift Current to be a part of the event."

Wall said that being able to bring the opportunity to fruition was something that brought the words 'tough prairie people' to mind, taking into account the weather which reached a low of -30.8 C.

"Working outside at Riverdene for most of last week, but that setup and that teardown took a lot of effort. Just the fact that we were out there, all those guys were out there working really really hard getting it ready for everybody, is something that I think everyone in this city can be proud of."

Wall said that he was not aware of any over-exposure to the elements during the event, whether it be hypothermia or frostbite.