With a quarter million dollars on the line for the years Hockey Night in Canada Kraft Hockeyville Competition – the Onoway arena needs your help to garner points towards moving on to the next round of the competition. The winner of the annual competition receives $250,000 towards upgrades to their local arena – as well as the opportunity to host a preseason NHL hockey game.
The competition begins with the Nomination and Rally phase, during which communities across Canada submit stories explaining why their community should be the next Kraft Hockeyville. Our judges then review the nominations, calculate the total scores, and select the top 4 finalists with the highest scores. The top 4 then compete head-to-head in a round of voting to determine the winner.
In the initial phase, points are awarded for stories, photos, encouraging words and emojis for. The more we as a community promote our history and support of the Onoway arena – the greater chance they have of making the finals.
To help – please go to the official Onoway Arena page on the Hockeyville website located here. You can tell them about a memory of the arena, or just show your support. Honestly everyone – this page will be seen by 5000 plus people through our reach via readers and social media, so we can really give this project a boost into the finals. Do your part please and visit the site – even if you just leave a thumbs up support.
About Kraft Hockeyville
Kraft Hockeyville is an annual competition that began in 2006, created through a partnership between Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League (NHL), and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA). It’s designed to celebrate and support communities across Canada—and later the United States—that show a deep passion for ice hockey.
The way it works is pretty straightforward: communities nominate their local arenas, sharing stories, photos, or videos that highlight their dedication to hockey. A judging panel picks a handful of finalists, and then it’s up to public voting to decide the winner. The grand prize as mentioned now is $250,000 to upgrade the winning community’s rink, plus the chance to host an NHL pre-season game.
Runners-up get smaller cash prizes, usually around $25,000, and sometimes extra perks like new hockey gear for kids through the NHLPA’s Goals & Dreams fund.
The the first winner was Salmon River, Nova Scotia, in 2006. They beat out 450 other entries, got $50,000 for their “Deuvilles Rink,” and hosted a Montreal Canadiens-Ottawa Senators game in nearby Truro. Back then, the prize money was smaller, but it’s grown over time—by 2010, it was up to $100,000, and now it’s consistently $250,000.
The promotion went national on CBC in Canada until Sportsnet took over in 2015. In 2015, Kraft brought the concept to the U.S., with the first American winner being Johnstown, Pennsylvania, hosting a Pittsburgh Penguins-Tampa Bay Lightning game. U.S. games aired on NBCSN until 2019.
Over the years, it’s made a real dent—more than $5.1 million has gone to over 100 communities by 2025, helping fix up aging rinks that are often the heartbeat of these towns. Places like Elliot Lake, Ontario (2024), won after their arena shut down due to structural issues, showing how the contest can be a lifeline. Sydney, Nova Scotia (2022), used it to boost girls’ hockey, while Terrace, British Columbia (2009), brought the Vancouver Canucks to town.
