It was only a few months ago that Kraft Hockeyville captured the imagination of Saskatchewan residents and saw much of the province rally behind the community of Pense in its bid to win the prestigious title.
The community of just over 500 people, located 28 minutes east of Moose Jaw just off the Trans-Canada Highway, received tons of support with its bid to receive the $250,000 top prize for upgrades to its hockey arena.
Not only did media organizations throw their support behind the bid -- with newspapers and radio stations making get-out-the-vote pleas for the Pense Memorial Rink a regular feature -- you had the likes of Noodle Boy, none other than City of Moose Jaw director of engineering Bevan Harlton, drawing all sorts of attention with his antics and unique costume.
In the end, Pense lost out to Twillingate, Nfld and received $25,000 from the contest towards the $300,000-plus needed to upgrade its rink. The story didn’t end there, though, as donations continued to pour in, and eventually, in late October, it was revealed they’d raised over $301,000 and would be able to move forward with the planned repairs.
Now it’s time to begin the whole process all over again.
Kraft Hockeyville 2021 officially opened voting on Monday, Jan. 4 and will accept nominations through Feb. 14 at 10:59 p.m. Moose Jaw time.
“For many communities, hockey is more than a sport and being crowned the Kraft Hockeyville champion is more than a title,” says Matt Bruce, senior brand manager for Kraft Heinz Canada in a press release. “It represents a passion, a way to connect and feel like their community is part of something bigger. We love seeing that excitement come through every year in the nomination stories, the local and now virtual rallies and the NHL preseason game. The Kraft Hockeyville legacy is a powerful tool to ignite community spirit, which feels more necessary than ever after a challenging year for all Canadians.”
Communities looking to take their shot at the $250,000 and hosting an NHL pre-season game should submit their nomination story online at krafthockeyville.ca before the Feb. 14 deadline.
As an example, the community of Dinsmore, Sask. has already put together a Community Rally Page in support of its arena, which is in dire need of repairs to its roof and structural components.
Once the nomination period closes, judging will take place from Feb. 15 through Mar. 19, after which the Top Four announcement will be made on Mar. 20. The final four will have a chance to rally voters until Apr. 9 at 9 a.m., when 33 hours of online voting will take place, ending on Apr. 10 at 5 p.m..
The contest winner will be announced on Saturday, Apr. 10.
For more information on the contest, and to put together a nomination of your own, be sure to visit krafthockeyville.ca.
