The Kraft Hockeyville competition is down to two communities that have each gone through hardships in recent months, giving both a chance of celebration in a year that’s been anything but.
On Saturday, Kraft announced Taber, Alta., and Tumbler Ridge, B.C., as the final two.
“I haven’t stopped smiling, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing, it’s been extraordinary,” said Meghan Brennan, the communications manager for the Town of Taber. “We are humbled, we are honoured, we’re thrilled. There is no way to adequately describe a feeling like this – it is euphoria.”
The contest, a partnership between Kraft Heinz, the NHL, and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), awards the winner with $250,000 for rink upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL Pre-Season game for the community. The runner-up will receive $100,000 for rink upgrades.
In addition, each community, along with other provincial and territorial winners, will receive $10,000 in brand-new hockey equipment for youth.
“We’re honoured to mark this top-two-finalist milestone in Kraft Hockeyville’s 20th anniversary year,” said Kelly Fleming, chief marketing officer for Kraft Heinz Canada. “Canadians shared inspiring stories about how their local rinks foster connection, strength and community. That spirit is reflected in this year’s finalists – Taber, Alberta and Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia – where the arena is at the heart of it all.”
Each town is still recovering after tragedies in recent months.
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Last month, eight people – including several students – were killed, when a shooter went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opened fire. The shooter had gone to the school after killing her mother and half brother at their family home.
Other students were injured, with at least one still in hospital undergoing her fourth surgery to repair her fractured skull.
“When we were faced with the tragedy of this year, this is where we gathered,” said Amy Heaton, a hockey parent and coach, in a post by Hockeyville about Tumbler Ridge. “When we’ve recently been hurting, we’ve all come here to support one another. It’s not just an arena, it’s who we are.”
The town said if it wins Hockeyville, it would upgrade its sound system and accessible seating.
“Kraft Hockeyville has brought our whole community together. It’s lifted our spirits,” said hockey parent and coach Zeb Irving.
The importance of an arena is also true for Taber, which lost its only two rinks in a Zamboni explosion in December.
“It wasn’t one hour after the arena exploded – the dust hadn’t even settled – and people in Taber (were) already saying, ‘What’s next? How do we rebuild? Let’s join into the Hockeyville,’” Brennan told Global News.
City council agreed this month to spend about $6 million to rebuild its large ice rink after the blast shattered the walls around it. But about $5 million more is needed to fix the second ice rink and the remaining parts of the community centre. The town has requested $8 million from the federal government for upgrades.
The leak was reportedly ignited by a nearby electric heater, creating a fireball that shattered glass, damaged the roof, toppled concrete walls and bricks, and hit gas lines.
Brennan said she also recognizes the importance of Tumbler Ridge being a semi-finalist, adding Taber recognizes the pain the community is in.
“Taber of all communities can certainly understand the pain that they’re going through and can sympathize with that and wish we didn’t have to,” she said. “But we’re really, really glad to have seen their name in the top two. And I mean that sincerely, knowing that we’re the competitor.”
Taber was the site of a school shooting in 1999, when a teenager walked through the doors of W.R. Myers High School and opened fire. One student was killed and another was injured.
Taber residents say the idea of NHL players coming to their city would be “life-changing.”
“If we were to win Kraft Hockeyville and have the NHL game here, it would just be a life-changing experience for so many people,” said Amy Allred, economic development manager for the Town of Taber, in a Facebook video.
Voting for the winner begins April 3 at 9 a.m. Eastern time, with the announcement of the winner set for the evening of April 4.
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