The tournament started in 1991, hosted by Japan for the first three years, as well as the fifth. In its first year, it was known as the
Phoenix Cup, after which the
Pacific Cup moniker was adopted (with the exception of 1994, when Mexico served as the host country and the tournament was known as
La Copa Mexico). In 1996, the tournament was first held in Canada. Beginning in 1997, four years after the
dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia began alternating as hosts, and the tournament was renamed the
Nations Cup. The two countries alternated until 2003, then co-hosted from 2003 through 2017. At this time, it was also renamed the
U-18 Junior World Cup. In 2007, the event was renamed the
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in honour of prominent Czech player and the most successful Czech national team head coach
Ivan Hlinka—who had died in a vehicle accident in 2004. The tournament will alternate between Edmonton/Red Deer and
Břeclav/
Piešťany annually through 2022.
The Sports Network (TSN) first televised the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, after reaching an agreement with OEG executive
Bob Nicholson. TSN vice-president
Paul Graham envisioned a marketable hockey event in August despite low in-person attendance at the time. He felt that by agreeing to televise 2019 event in Europe was part of a process of educating Canadians about the event. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, while Canada did not participate in the 2021 tournament—with Germany replacing them. It was announced that this hosting cycle would be extended through 2023. Due to the
2022 World Junior Championships being rescheduled for August in Edmonton shortly after the event, the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup was played exclusively in Red Deer. ==Results==