Kraft Hockeyville 2023 ‘an incredible moment’ for West Lorne

ST. THOMAS, Ontario -- West Lorne needed Kraft Hockeyville.

This rural community with a population of 1,300 is not unlike the hundreds that annually bid for $250,000 in arena upgrades, $10,000 in equipment from the NHLPA Goals and Dreams Fund and to host an NHL preseason game.

Every finalist, every winner, has a unique and compelling story. West Lorne used theirs as a chip on their shoulder and pulled in the municipality of Elgin County to take their best shot.

"We're overlooked so often," said Maryjo Tait, one of many community volunteers. "Three communities use our arena and sometimes we operate like we're separate, but we're really not. We're all together and this was the thing that kind of brought us all together. It has shown us that it's the first step that we can keep working together as one for all our residents."

That group led by Tait and Jessica Small were tenacious enough to win Hockeyville after entering the contest six days before deadline. The hours were long, and sleep ran short. The reward left them breathless: the Toronto Maple Leafs defeating the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 in front of a sold-out Joe Thornton Community Centre, the Hockeyville 2023 trophy and the ceremonial puck drop between Maple Leafs captain John Tavares and Sabres forward Dylan Cozens.

"You really can't [put it into words]," Small said. "It's nerve racking, but it is an incredible feeling. It's everything we worked so hard for over the last couple of months. I know we've had so much support behind us the whole time. It was really an incredible moment."

About 40 minutes northeast of St. Thomas is West Lorne Arena, a 55-year-old building given the fountain of youth when the prize money helped renovate the facilities. Hockeyville rejuvenated the spirits in West Lorne and surrounding areas following years of rink closures and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The brand will attract new registrants to a minor hockey program already building off record-setting numbers and bring families to businesses on Main Street.

Yes, West Lorne needed this. Ask Tim Horvat, the father of New York Islanders center Bo Horvat and younger brother Cal Horvat, once a forward for St. Thomas of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Tim remains loyal to his roots, the people and their passion. His family supports the nonprofit Gooday Lets Play helping local kids participate in organized minor hockey organizations and founded in memory of John Horvat, Bo's grandfather who died from colon cancer in 2010.

"It shows how much love there is in the community and for hockey itself," Tim said. "If you're moving to the community, you want to make sure there's a facility for hockey and the kids can play. That's what it's all about for us, to see our community pull together to help the arena, to keep it going. Let's hope it continues."

A large gathering of kids and adults were outside the building well before the Maple Leafs arrived at 8:20 a.m. for the red-carpet ceremony, filling it for the morning skates and watching Tavares get a plus-1 rating and two shots on goal in his preseason debut, five years after the Mississauga native played his first game for Toronto 40 minutes north at Hockeyville 2018 in Lucan.

Synergy on the ice was flawless when Conor Timmins perfectly timed his stretch pass to Max Domi coming out of the penalty box that led to a breakaway and the forward's first goal since signing a one-year contract with Toronto on July 2.

The connection put the Maple Leafs ahead 3-1 at 14:06 of the second period. The game brought Domi, 28, back to junior hockey when he won the 2012 Ontario Hockey League championship with the London Knights.

"I think the whole day was just awesome," Domi said. "You saw how happy everyone was to see all the boys. The whole town was out for our morning skate, the town that loves hockey so much as these guys do here. They deserve stuff like this.”

Even in defeat and the Sabres getting outshot 41-15 before a partisan Maple Leafs crowd, Buffalo defenseman Henri Jokiharju said he had fun, "especially for a preseason game. I like the atmosphere in the barn."

Tim and Cindy Horvat taught Bo one of his biggest lessons while he grew up in small-town barns: don't forget where you come from, even if you have to write it on your stick.

Bo hasn't forgotten. The Maple Leafs, Sabres, the Stanley Cup and the NHL are out of town, but Hockeyville is West Lorne, taking permanent residence in a place once overlooked.

"This is our generational legacy," Tait said. "You look at these kids running past [us], they're going to remember this forever. There's not going to be anyone in our community that's not going to think of it and that's what we will always remember -- six days and everybody's lives changed."