An upcoming NHL preseason game between the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins in Elliot Lake this September may be forced to relocate — and Sault Ste. Marie appears to be on the short list of potential cities to oversee the game instead.
Elliot Lake earned the opportunity to host an exhibition game when the city of 10,000 was crowned the 2024 Kraft Hockeyville champion during a live broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada this past March.
In addition to being awarded an NHL preseason game, Elliot Lake also received $250,000 to go towards repairing the aging Centennial Arena.
And the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2024 is....
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2024
Elliot Lake, Ontario!! 🎉@hockeyville | #KraftHockeyville pic.twitter.com/4u3fCCaPU7
Built in 1967, the arena closed suddenly last September due to structural issues — just one week after the start of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League season for the newly renamed Elliot Lake Vikings.
This past spring, an engineering report found the structure could be repaired and stay operational as a recreational facility for many years, but a September opening for the Centennial Arena would be unlikely.
In May, city officials in Elliot Lake noted the cost to fix the arena would be roughly $4.3 million.
The arena must meet all the requirements of the NHL and its players association to be considered to oversee the game on Sept. 29 — and time appears to be dwindling.
SooToday has learned that Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury have both been considered as potential host sites for the upcoming game if Elliot Lake — located roughly halfway between the two cities — is unable to prepare their arena in time.
In a statement issued to SooToday on Monday afternoon, mayor Matthew Shoemaker mentioned that he reached out to the City of Elliot Lake to offer the GFL Memorial Gardens as a host site for the preseason game.
“I certainly wish our friends in Elliot Lake the best and hope they are able to host the preseason game as they are deserving winners of the competition," he wrote. "But in the event they aren’t able to accommodate the festivities, their friends and neighbours in the City of Sault Ste. Marie are ready to help and our staff are prepared to work with their counterparts.”
An NHL exhibition game was last played in the Sault in October 2016 when the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres hit the ice at the Essar Centre.
Reaching out by email earlier this morning, GFL Memorial Gardens manager Rob Santa Maria said they have been in contact with the organizers of the preseason game between the Senators and Penguins, noting the Sault is “fully capable of hosting the event.”
“We have submitted all the necessary information, including details of similar events of this scale that the City has successfully hosted, such as the 2016 pre-season NHL game,” he wrote. “However, we are still awaiting the event’s location confirmation.”
“Information has been shared with the agency that is working with the NHL to produce the Kraft Hockeyville,” he added. “The questionnaire and technical specifications were confirmed to meet the requirements.”
While the relocation would be disappointing news for this year’s Kraft Hockeyville champions, Elliot Lake would not be the first winner to forfeit its right to host a game.
The 2023 winner West Lorne, Ont. and 2022 winner Sydney, NS both witnessed their preseason games relocated to nearby facilities due to “logistical requirements,” according to the NHLPA.
The 2017 champion Belle Vernon — located about 20 miles southeast of Pittsburgh — also had their preseason game between the Penguins and St. Louis Blues relocated after their arena was deemed unfit to host.
The Penguins still held a practice in Belle Vernon, and members of the community received the majority of the tickets when the preseason game was moved to the Penguins’ practice facility in Cranberry — roughly 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh.
Despite the relocation of the game, every winning city still received the promised funds for their arenas.
Hockey fans in the Sault have been vocal on social media about this preseason conundrum in northern Ontario. Some have suggested that Elliot Lake residents should have priority when purchasing tickets for the game — regardless of where it’s held.
Centennial Arena had a full house on-hand for the Vikings’ season opener just before the building was forced to close on Sept. 12, 2023. The remainder of the team’s home games and practices had to be moved to arenas in Massey and Blind River.
The closure also impacted minor hockey, figure skating and recreational users, requiring families to readjust their work and dinner schedules to meet the travel times outside of Elliot Lake.
A campaign to save the arena was kickstarted by former Elliot Lake residents Jamie and Jo-Ann Armstrong this past spring when they generously donated $300,000.
The fundraising challenge in their names received a number of donations from the community, including a sizeable contribution of $100,000 from BHP just two weeks ago, propelling the campaign’s efforts beyond its $500,000 target.
SooToday is awaiting comment from the City of Elliot Lake for an update on the Centennial Arena and their viability to host September’s NHL preseason game.
The Kraft Hockeyville program has awarded more than $4.8 million to 97 communities over the past 18 years in support of revitalizing Canada’s aging sports and recreation infrastructure.
— with files from Kris Svela and Stephen Calverley, ElliotLakeToday