Crews prepare for return of North American Cup in Gravenhurst. Ont.

Crews are working around the clock trying to get all 22 hockey rinks on Lake Muskoka finished by the weekend for the return of the North American Cup in Gravenhurst, Ont.

"They are clearing all the snow with the snow we got last night," said Rob Carleton, organizer. "They are putting up the boards to box in the 22 rinks and getting the nets polished up."

Ninety teams from across the country will participate in this year’s tournament. It’s a four-on-four format with five different divisions.

With so many people coming from out of town, most hotels and motels are either booked solid or very close.

"This weekend, I am fully booked because some guests booked for four nights, three nights or tonight. So, until Monday, we are fully booked," said Milan Modh, Oakwood Motel supervisor.

Restaurants and other local businesses said they are thrilled to have the tournament back after COVID-19 put the event on hiatus.

The downtown area is expected to get busy starting Friday night as staff at Boston Pizza get ready for the rush.

"It’s amazing. We have all staff on deck to have everything back up to 100 per cent capacity. We’re expecting it to be one of the busiest nights of the year and it’s just amazing to have that feeling of being back to normal," said Vaughn Fenton, of Boston Pizza.

About 800 hockey players are expected to participate in the tournament that wraps up Sunday.