The city of Elliot Lake is joining forces with residents to nominate the Centennial Arena in the Kraft Hockeyville contest, which has a top prize of $250,000.
Elliot Lake staff and support volunteers will be setting up computers to assist residents who may not have access to one, so they can nominate the Centennial Arena on the Kraft Hockeyville contest website. Volunteers from the city, Elliot Lake Vikings Junior A team and Elliot Lake Minor Hockey will be on hand at the library on Tuesday, February 6 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to help those who need it. Since the contest is entered online, nominators must have a valid email address to enter.
City officials said in a press release they’re doing their part by promoting the event and pointing out if they win, they could bring home money to help with repairs to the local arena, and also have the facility host an NHL pre-season game.
Residents have already been submitting nominations by telling short stories about the arena and saying how important hockey has been to the community and its supporters.
A nomination can be placed by going to krafthockeyville.ca and searching for Centennial Arena. There, residents can read some of the stories about local hockey and hockey history in Elliot Lake and add their own nomination.
As residents know, the arena has been closed this season due to concerns about the safety of the structure. City council has hired an engineering firm which found the structure and some of its support beams unsafe. The firm’s findings showed the Centennial Arena, built in 1968, can be repaired and reopened for use over many more years.
Council is committed to spending money on the repairs. A $250,000 Kraft Hockeyville win would assist with the costs of bringing the arena back into operation.
Kraft Hockeyville is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport off ice 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.