| Kraft Hockeyville | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Language(s) | English, French |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBC Television |
| Original run | 2006 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Kraft Hockeyville is a Gemini Award-winning Canadian reality television series developed by CBC Sports and sponsored by Kraft Foods, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association in which communities across Canada compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. It is in its sixth season.
The contest revolves around a central theme of community spirit, passion for hockey and Canada.
The broadcast is directed by Gemini Award winner Mike Dodson and the website is managed by Gemini Award winner Lauren Paré.
The winning community gets:
The remaining communities in the Top 5 receive:
Contents |
The inaugural 2006 season of Hockeyville was won by the community of Salmon River, Nova Scotia on June 11. Salmon River's entry, the "Deuvilles Rink", beat 450 other entries from across Canada. Episodes for the 2006 season were shot in arenas in different cities throughout Ontario, with the final episode shot in Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena & Skating Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
The NHL exhibition game was held September 25 at the Colchester Legion Stadium in the neighbouring town of Truro (the Deuville Rink being too small); the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 7-3.
The 2007 season of Hockeyville began on March 4 and was changed significantly from the previous season's format. Organizers made the application process more accessible. Communities could now enter by logging on to the website, creating a team name, filling out an application form, submitting a short essay and including three photographs which depict hometown pride and passion for the game of hockey. A video, which was a requirement in previous contests, is no longer part of the process.
In 2007 the series was no longer given its own time slot, but rather shown during broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada.
The Top 10 communities resulting from the first round were Cornwall, Ontario; Nanaimo, British Columbia; Noëlville, Ontario; North Bay, Ontario; Plaster Rock, New Brunswick; Rockyford, Alberta; Saint-Hubert, Quebec; Smithers, British Columbia; Vernon, British Columbia and Warner, Alberta.
The Top 5 communities resulting from the second round were Cornwall, Noëlville, North Bay, Smithers and Warner.
North Bay was the winner. The Atlanta Thrashers beat the New York Islanders 4-3 in overtime.
The 2008 season of Kraft Hockeyville began February 23.
The top 10 communities that were in the running for Kraft Hockeyville 2008 were:
The top 5 communities were:
On April 8, 2008, Roberval won the title of Kraft Hockeyville 2008. Roberval won:
The pre-season game has been taped and shown on a Hockeyville special Saturday, September 27.[1]
The 4 remaining communities from the Top 5 won:
The 2009 edition had these cities as the five regional finalists:
The winner, announced on March 7th during the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, was Terrace, British Columbia. Terrace played host to the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Islanders on Monday, September 14, in which the Canucks defeated the Islanders by a score of 2-1. The game was broadcast live on NHL Network in the USA, and highlights will be televised during a one-hour Kraft Hockeyville broadcast showcasing their community on CBC Television. Terrace also received CDN $100,000 towards arena upgrades from Kraft Canada.
The 2010 edition had these cities as the five regional finalists:
Dundas, Ontario was announced as the winner by Gary Bettman on April 3, 2010, during the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast with 1,066,855 votes.[2] The game featured division rivals Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators playing in Dundas's J. L. Grightmire Arena on September 28, 2010, with Buffalo winning 2-1.[3] (Incidentally, Dundas has been, since 2001, within the boundaries of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, a frequent target of efforts regarding potential National Hockey League expansion.)
In 2011, the wildcard was eliminated and the West and Pacific divisions were split from each other.
The top 10 communities that were in the running for Kraft Hockeyville 2011 were:
The top 5 communities are:
The winner of the 2011 Kraft Hockeyville contest was Conception Bay, NL, announced on April 2, 2011. Winning this title includes:
Each of the other 4 finalists will receive $25,000 in arena upgrades from Kraft.