| Kraft Hockeyville | |
|---|---|
 Kraft Hockeyville logo | |
| Created by | Tony Chapman Fred Nicolaidis Pamela McNair Harry Doupe Jack Hewitt |
| Country of origin | Canada (2006–present) United States (2015–2020) |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 44 minutes (2006) 5 minutes (2007–present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC Television/Sportsnet (Canada, 2006–present) NBC/NBCSN (United States, 2015–2020) |
| Release | 2006 (2006) – present |
Kraft Hockeyville is an annual competition sponsored byKraft Heinz, theNational Hockey League and theNHL Players' Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport ofice hockey. The winning community gets a cash prize dedicated to upgrading their local home arena, as well as the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season game. Runners-up also get smaller cash prizes to upgrade their ice rinks. The contest is normally held in the winter and spring during the latter half of the NHL regular season while the winner is announced in late March or April, with the pre-season game usually held in September before the following regular season. If the winning arena is not adequately equipped to host the pre-season game, it is then played at an alternative site nearby.
The idea and theme was developed by Capital C, a Canadian Advertising Agency that was founded by Tony Chapman. The contest itself was developed by Fred Nicolaidis, Pamela McNair, Harry Doupe of the CBC and Jack Hewitt of Kraft Canada. The competition was first held across Canada in 2006 as areality television series aired byCBC Television, but since 2007, it has been relegated to segments aired during CBC'sHockey Night in Canada. Kraft expanded the event in 2015 to the United States, with segments of the US contest airing on theNHL on NBC until 2020.
The Kraft Hockeyville games are televised regionally, in their respective countries on national basis. From 2006 to 2014, the Canadian game was broadcast across Canada on CBC, whileSportsnet took over airing it in 2015. The United States game was televised nationally in the U.S. onNBCSN from 2015 to 2020.
Communities are invited to submit their nominations. The application form also requires a short essay, and photographs or a video, depicting the community's hometown pride and passion for the game of hockey. A judging panel then selects four finalists. The winner is then determined by a public vote.[1][2]
The inaugural 2006 season ofHockeyville featured finalistsSmithers, British Columbia,Falher andAirdrie, Alberta,Barry's Bay, Ontario, and as its very first champion, the community ofSalmon River,Nova Scotia. Salmon River's entry, the "Deuvilles Rink", beat 450 other entries from across Canada. The initial four episodes for the 2006 season were shot at the Memorial Centre inKingston, Ontario, with the final three episodes shot inDave Andreychuk Mountain Arena & Skating Centre inHamilton, Ontario.
The NHL exhibition game was held September 25 at theColchester Legion Stadium in the neighbouring town ofTruro (the Deuville Rink being too small); theMontreal Canadiens beat theOttawa Senators 7–3.
The 2007 season ofHockeyville began on March 4 and was changed significantly from the previous season's format. Organizers made the application process more accessible. Communities could now enter by logging on to the website, creating a team name, filling out an application form, submitting a short essay and including three photographs which depict hometown pride and passion for the game of hockey. A video, which was a requirement in previous contests, is no longer part of the process.
In 2007 the series was no longer given its own time slot, but rather shown during broadcasts ofHockey Night in Canada.
The Top 10 communities resulting from the first round wereCornwall, Ontario;Nanaimo, British Columbia;Noëlville, Ontario;North Bay, Ontario;Plaster Rock, New Brunswick;Rockyford, Alberta;Saint-Hubert, Quebec;Smithers, British Columbia;Vernon, British Columbia andWarner, Alberta.
The Top 5 communities resulting from the second round were Cornwall, Noëlville, North Bay, Smithers and Warner.
North Bay was the winner. TheAtlanta Thrashers beat theNew York Islanders 4–3 in overtime.
The 2008 season ofKraft Hockeyville began February 23.
The top 10 communities that were in the running for Kraft Hockeyville 2008 were:
The top five communities were:
On April 8, 2008, Roberval won the title of Kraft Hockeyville 2008. Roberval won:
The pre-season game has been taped and shown on aHockeyville special Saturday, September 27.[3]
The four remaining communities from the Top 5 won:
The 2009 edition had these cities as the five regional finalists:
The winner, announced on March 7 during theHockey Night in Canada broadcast, was Terrace, British Columbia. Terrace played host to theVancouver Canucks and theNew York Islanders on Monday, September 14, in which the Canucks defeated the Islanders by a score of 2–1. The game was broadcast live onNHL Network in the US, and highlights were televised during a one-hour Kraft Hockeyville broadcast showcasing their community on CBC Television. Terrace also received C$100,000 towards arena upgrades from Kraft Canada.
The five finalists for the 2010 edition ofHockeyville were:
Dundas, Ontario was announced as the winner byGary Bettman on April 3, 2010, during theHockey Night in Canada broadcast with 1,066,855 votes.[4] The game featured division rivalsBuffalo Sabres andOttawa Senators playing in Dundas's J. L. Grightmire Arena on September 28, 2010, with Buffalo winning 2–1.[5] (Incidentally, Dundas has been, since 2000, within the boundaries of the city ofHamilton, Ontario, a frequent target of efforts regardingpotential National Hockey League expansion.)
In 2011, the wildcard was eliminated and the West and Pacific divisions were split from each other.
The top five communities were:
Conception Bay South, NL, was declared the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2011 on April 2, 2011. The town's arena received C$100,000 worth of renovations, and also was to host a pre-season game between theOttawa Senators and theAtlanta Thrashers on September 26, 2011. However, with the purchase of the Thrashers and their re-location to Winnipeg as a revival of theWinnipeg Jets, the game was instead played between the Senators and Jets. Additionally, the game was re-located to theMile One Centre inSt. John's, 30 km north of Conception Bay South, which was the home arena of their newly relocatedAmerican Hockey League affiliate, theSt. John's IceCaps (formerly theManitoba Moose). The Jets defeated the Senators, 3–1; the game would also technically serve as the first IceCaps-related game, as many of the Jets players in the game were assigned to the team shortly thereafter.[6]
Each of the other four finalists received C$25,000 in arena upgrades from Kraft.
Stirling-Rawdon,Ontario, was the winner of the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville contest. The planned game between theColumbus Blue Jackets and theToronto Maple Leafs on October 3[7][8] was eventually cancelled due to the2012–13 NHL lockout, but other festivities continued as scheduled. An NHL alumni charity game was held in the town instead, with one of the participants being Stirling nativeRob Ray. No contest was held in 2013 due to the lockout.[9] A makeup game for the market was held inBelleville, Ontario, on 2013 between theWashington Capitals and theWinnipeg Jets.[10]
The Top 16 towns for the Kraft Hockeyville contest were announced on Saturday, March 8. This year's contest has a theme much like the NHL itself: East VS West. This means there are eight towns chosen from Eastern Canada and eight towns from Western Canada.[11]
From Eastern Canada:
From Western Canada:
This year, the top 16 towns are guaranteed C$25,000 in upgrades to their arenas instead of the top 5. Then the top 4 (two from the East and two from the West) received at least C$50,000. The winner receives the usual prize of C$100,000, an NHL pre-season game hosted in their community, and a visit from CBC'sHockey Night in Canada. Sylvan Lake won the competition on April 7, and hosted a pre-season game between theArizona Coyotes and theCalgary Flames on September 24.
For the 2015 season,Kraft Hockeyville USA, for the first time, drew candidates from the United States. The US finalist in the east was theCambria County War Memorial Arena inJohnstown, Pennsylvania, while the finalist in the west was the Decatur Civic Center inDecatur, Illinois. Johnstown was named the winner on May 2, received US$150,000 for arena upgrades, and hosted theTampa Bay Lightning and thePittsburgh Penguins.[12] The game was televised in the United States onNBCSN.
The Canadian Kraft Hockeyville finalist in the east was theChatham Memorial Arena inChatham, Ontario, and the finalist in the west was the Panorama Recreation Center Hockey Arena inNorth Saanich, British Columbia. North Saanich was named the winner on April 5, and received C$100,000 in upgrades.[13] Because the Panorama Recreation Center Hockey Arena had a limited capacity of only 500, the pre-season game featuring theSan Jose Sharks and theVancouver Canucks was instead played atThe Q Centre in nearbyColwood.[14] For the first time, the Hockeyville game was broadcast in Canada onSportsnet instead of CBC.
The Canadian Kraft Hockeyville finalist in the east was the Aréna St-Isidore inSaint-Isidore, Chaudière-Appalaches, Quebec, and the finalist in the west was the Pat Duke Memorial Arena inLumby, British Columbia. Lumby was named the winner on April 2, and received C$100,000 in upgrades.[15] Because the Pat Duke Memorial Arena had a limited seating capacity, the pre-season game featuring theLos Angeles Kings and theEdmonton Oilers on October 2 was instead played atKal Tire Place in nearbyVernon.[16]
The Kraft Hockeyville USA finalist in the east was theLakeview Arena inMarquette, Michigan, and the finalist in the west was the Rushmore Thunderdome inRapid City, South Dakota. Marquette was named the winner on April 30, received US$150,000 in upgrades, and hosted theCarolina Hurricanes and theBuffalo Sabres on October 4.[17]
The Canadian Kraft Hockeyville finalist in the east was the O'Leary Community Sports Centre inO'Leary, Prince Edward Island, and the finalist in the west was the Ituna Skating Rink inItuna, Saskatchewan. O'Leary was named the winner on April 2, 2017, and received C$100,000 in arena upgrades. Citing transportation and other issues with the O'Leary Community Sports Centre, the pre-season game between theNew Jersey Devils and theOttawa Senators on September 25, 2017, was instead played at theConsolidated Credit Union Place in nearbySummerside.[18]
The Kraft Hockeyville USA finalist in the east was theRostraver Ice Garden inBelle Vernon, Pennsylvania, and the finalist in the west was the Bloomington Ice Garden inBloomington, Minnesota. Belle Vernon was named the winner on April 29, 2017, and received US$150,000 in arena upgrades. Because the Rostraver Ice Garden (despite being large by community arena standards and having hosted professional sports in the preceding decade) was deemed not fit to host a pre-season game, the contest between theSt. Louis Blues and thePittsburgh Penguins on September 24, 2017, was instead played the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex inCranberry, Butler County.[19][20]
For 2018, the East vs. West theme that began in 2014 was discontinued. Instead in each contest, four finalists were selected from the pool of nominations to compete in the final round of voting.[21][22]
The four Canadian finalists wereHigh River, Alberta,Huntingdon, Quebec,Lafleche, Saskatchewan, andLucan, Ontario. Lucan was named the Canadian winner on March 31, 2018, and awarded a prize of C$250,000 to upgradeLucan Community Memorial Centre.[23] The pre-season game in Lucan was played between theOttawa Senators and theToronto Maple Leafs on September 18.[24]
The four USA finalists wereBrandon, South Dakota,Clinton, New York,Middlebury, Vermont, andShreveport, Louisiana. Clinton was named the USA winner on April 14, 2018, and awarded a prize of US$150,000 to upgradeClinton Arena.[25] The pre-season game in Clinton was between theColumbus Blue Jackets and theBuffalo Sabres on September 25.[26]
The four Canadian finalists wereRenous, New Brunswick,Rich Valley, Alberta,Saint-Polycarpe, Quebec, andWilkie, Saskatchewan. Renous was named the Canadian winner on March 30, and awarded a prize of C$250,000 to upgrade Tom Donovan Arena.[27] As Tom Donovan Arena was judged too small to host an NHL game,K. C. Irving Regional Centre inBathurst, New Brunswick, instead hosted theFlorida Panthers and theMontreal Canadiens on September 18.[28][29]
The four USA finalists wereCadillac, Michigan,Calumet, Michigan,Eagle River, Wisconsin, andSartell, Minnesota. Calumet was named the USA winner on March 31, and awarded a prize of US$150,000 to upgrade theCalumet Colosseum.[30] The Colosseum hosted theSt. Louis Blues and theDetroit Red Wings on September 26.[31]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the announcements of the four finalists for each contest were delayed until August. The four Canadian finalists were announced on August 2:Pense, Saskatchewan;Saint-Félicien, Quebec;Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island; andTwillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador. Online voting was from August 14 to August 15.[32] Twillingate was announced as the winner on theHockey Night in Canada broadcast on August 15, and was awarded a prize of C$250,000 to upgrade George Hawkins Memorial Arena.[33]
The four USA finalists were announced on August 16:East Grand Forks, Minnesota;El Paso, Texas;Wichita, Kansas; andRiver Falls, Wisconsin. Online voting was from August 29 to August 30.[34] El Paso was announced as the winner on theNHL on NBC broadcast on August 30, and was awarded a prize of US$150,000 to upgradeEl Paso County Coliseum.[35]
Games held at both El Paso and Twillingate were postponed, as the NHL canceled the entire 2020 pre-season due to the pandemic.[36] The makeup game for El Paso was rescheduled for October 3, 2021, between theArizona Coyotes and theDallas Stars.[37] It was not televised nationally in the U.S., asESPN andTNT replaced NBC as the league's U.S. national broadcasters prior to the start of the 2021–22 season, and neither of the two committed to airing the game on a Sunday night. Instead, the contest was streamed on nhl.com.[38]
The makeup game for Twillingate was played on October 6, 2022, at theSteele Community Centre inGander, Newfoundland and Labrador between theOttawa Senators and theMontreal Canadiens.[39] The game was only televised on French-language broadcasterTVA Sports.[40]
Only the Canadian contest ran in 2021; in the United States, the previous year's unplayed matchup was made up in lieu of a new contest. The four Canadian finalists were announced on March 20, 2021:Bobcaygeon, Ontario;Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick;Lumsden, Saskatchewan; andSt. Adolphe, Manitoba. Online voting was from April 9 to April 10,[41] with Elsipogtog being announced as the winner on the April 10Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. The prize of C$250,000 was used to help finance repairs to the Chief Young Eagle Arena, which was damaged by a fire in September 2020.[42] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the area, the makeup game for Elsipogtog was played on October 8, 2022, at the J.K. Irving Centre inBouctouche, New Brunswick, between theMontreal Canadiens and theOttawa Senators.[39] The game was only televised on French-language broadcasterTVA Sports.[43]
The U.S. Hockeyville contest was discontinued after Kraft Heinz's USA division declined to renew its part of the sponsorship with the league.[citation needed] The four Canadian finalists were announced on April 23, 2022:Princeton, British Columbia,Douro-Dummer, Ontario,Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, andSydney, Nova Scotia. Online voting was from May 6 to May 7,[44] with Sydney being announced as the winner. The prize of C$250,000 will help upgrade theCape Breton University Canada Games Complex,[45] which has not been used for hockey in at least over two years since theCBU Capers do not have a hockey team. Supporters used the contest to help raise funds for the arena so it would become a permanent home for local female hockey associations.[46][47] Since the previous two Hockeyville games were postponed into 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the one for Sydney was also delayed. The makeup game was scheduled for October 1, 2023, atCentre 200 in Sydney, between theFlorida Panthers and theOttawa Senators.[48] This game was not televised nationally in Canada.[49]
The four finalists for 2023 were announced on March 11:Maple Ridge, British Columbia,Ste. Anne, Manitoba,West Lorne, Ontario, andSaint-Anselme, Quebec. Online voting was held from March 31 to April 1.[50] West Lorne was the winner, and the C$250,000 prize will help upgrade West Lorne Arena.[51] The pre-season game was scheduled for September 27, 2023, at Joe Thornton Community Centre inSt. Thomas, Ontario, between theBuffalo Sabres and theToronto Maple Leafs.[48]
The four finalists for 2024 were announced on March 9:Elliot Lake, Ontario,Enderby, British Columbia,Cochrane, Alberta, andWolseley, Saskatchewan. Online voting was held from March 29 to March 30.[52] Elliot Lake was the winner, and the C$250,000 prize will help upgrade Centennial Arena.[53] The pre-season game was scheduled for September 29, 2024, atSudbury Community Arena inSudbury, Ontario, between thePittsburgh Penguins andOttawa Senators.[54][55]
Bolded teams denote winners
