Nominations for the 20th anniversary of Kraft Hockeyville Canada are open at KraftHockeyville.ca, where communities can answer three questions via written or video story to submit their bid until 11:59 p.m. ET on March 1 for the right to host the milestone event and an NHL preseason game in the fall of 2027.
This begins Hockeyville's biggest campaign since Salmon River, Nova Scotia, was crowned the inaugural winner in 2006. It has since awarded $5.4 million to more than 105 communities with 19 voted winners of the grand prize: the preseason game, $250,000 toward upgrading their arena and $10,000 in youth hockey equipment courtesy of NHLPA Goals & Dreams.
New this year is an expanded format that nearly triples the total prize pool. One winner from each of Canada's 13 provinces and territories will be disclosed March 14 and 11 gifted $50,000 for rink upgrades. The final two will be unveiled March 21, followed by voting April 3-4 and the winner to be announced during "Hockey Night in Canada" on April 4.
The runner-up will get $100,000 in youth hockey equipment.
"Hockey isn't just a sport, it's the lifeblood of Canadian communities," said Paul Bissonnette, a retired NHL forward named a program ambassador with Marc-Andre Fleury. "Kraft Hockeyville gets that better than anyone."
Bissonnette, a native of Welland, Ontario, and an analyst for the "NHL on TNT," participated in Hockeyville with the Los Angeles Kings, a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Kal Tire Place in Vernon, British Columbia, on Oct. 2, 2016. The winning community of Lumby earned the bid following the death of beloved local coach Peter Catt of a heart attack at the age of 46 on Nov. 3, 2015.
Opposite Bissonnette and the Kings was Oilers center Connor McDavid, who had a goal and an assist three days before Edmonton named him the youngest captain in NHL history (19 years, 266 days).
"For 20 years, it's been a spark that energizes local rinks and gets people fired up," Bissonnette said. "I remember playing in the Kraft Hockeyville NHL preseason game in Vernon back in 2016 when Lumby took home the winning title, and the local community was absolutely buzzing. That's exactly why I love hockey."
Saint-Boniface, Quebec, will be celebrated this fall for winning the 19th edition of Hockeyville and $250,000 for upgrades to Arena de Saint-Boniface. The municipality is three hours and 10 minutes from Roberval, where the province hosted the event for the first and only time in 2008. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Benoit-Levesque Arena on Sept. 23 of that year.
"This team and this community deserves it so much," Saint-Boniface community representative Sylvain Gervais told Hockey Night in Canada on April 5, 2025. "It means that we'll have money to renovate this arena, to continue and to perpetrate the good fun that those kids have here to play hockey, so we're very happy about it."
To nominate your community and for complete contest rules and program details, visit KraftHockeyville.ca.
