The Elm Creek Rink is calling on anyone and everyone with a memory of the facility to share it in support of them being named Kraft Hockeyville.
This annual competition encourages communities across the nation to demonstrate their passion for hockey and community spirit. The grand prize winner will receive $250,000 for arena upgrades and the chance to host an NHL pre-season hockey game.
The nomination and rally portion of the contest runs from Jan. 1 to March 2.
During this time, communities can submit entries, and community members are encouraged to share their stories, photos, and videos of the facility to boost its score. Scores are determined with 80% based on story submissions and 20% from rally points, which can be earned by interacting with posts on the arena’s page. Judging will occur between March 3 and 15, after which the top four finalists will be announced. Voting will open from April 4-5, and the grand prize winner of Kraft Hockeyville will be declared on April 5. Each of the three other finalists will receive $25,000 for arena upgrades. Kaylee Goerzen, a member of the Elm Creek Rink Board, stated that this is the first time the town has entered the competition. Following a highly successful fundraising campaign for an artificial ice plant, the board hopes to win Kraft Hockeyville to support further upgrades once the new plant is installed. Their recent fundraising efforts raised over $600,000—$150,000 more than their original goal. Through a golf tournament and door-to-door canvassing, they collected these funds without any government grants for the project. Goerzen explained that $450,000 of the funds was allocated for purchasing and installing the artificial ice plant, along with additional necessary work such as constructing an outbuilding to house the plant, laying piping, and upgrading electrical systems. With the extra funds, the board has decided to change the original plan from a gravel base to a concrete base. Elm Creek is one of the few towns in Manitoba that still has natural ice, which often leads to delayed starts and finishes in the season due to temperature fluctuations that require ice preservation.
“It was like ‘enough is enough,’” said Goerzen. “We’re ready to start practicing in our own arena sooner.”
Switching to artificial ice will allow the arena to accommodate more ice rentals, increasing traffic to the facility. The Elm Creek Rink Board plans to execute additional renovations following the installation of the new plant to manage the increased usage. This includes expanding the waiting room for spectators and adding more dressing rooms. Winning Kraft Hockeyville would significantly help in these renovation efforts.
“If people can go on there and submit a story about how Elm Creek sport or hockey has impacted or influenced their life, that would be so helpful,” said Goerzen. “We really want people, if you’ve ever used our arena, to go on there and please submit a story.”
Reacting to stories shared by others and posting notes on them counts towards the rink’s rally points, which accounts for 20 per cent of their score. Sharing stories of your own counts for 80 per cent.
“It’s all going to help us get to that next stage,” said Goerzen.
To share your story about the Elm Creek Rink and assist them in advancing towards becoming Kraft Hockeyville, please visit hockeyville.kraftheinz.com/community/11eebf00b2768100c91eac76a462c52c or go to hockeyville.kraftheinz.com and search for Elm Creek.
