Restaurants full, shops busy as Spud lands in Charlottetown

The annual Spud hockey tournament is in Charlottetown this weekend, and that will bring exciting times to the city's rinks and a lot of extra traffic to the downtown.

Brodie O'Keefe, chair of the 2019 Spud Minor Hockey Tournament, said the hockey community looks forward to this event every year.

"It's an amazing vibe around rinks and around the city," said O'Keefe.

"The Spud has a reputation of being a premier tournament in Atlantic Canada. Everyone knows about it, everyone is excited, fans are passionate about their child's team in the tournament and the energy around the rink is second to none."

The 44th annual P.E.I. Source for Sports Spud Minor Hockey Tournament started Thursday afternoon and will continue to Sunday, and that will mean a busy weekend all over.

"We fill hotels all around the city and the outskirts, all the restaurants are full, the shops are busy," said O'Keefe.

"It's a great little boost for businesses, in the city especially, during this non-peak tourist season."

There is a total of 67 teams, including 45 from off-Island who come not just with players and coaches, but families as well.

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