Nominations are now being accepted for Kraft Hockeyville.
The prize this year is $250,000 for arena upgrades and the lucky winner will host an NHL exhibition game.
Community groups are encouraged to submit their story before April 3 at 10:59 p.m. at Kraft Hockeyville
The top four finalists will be recognized.
The three runner up communities will receive $10,000 to purchase new hockey equipment for their minor hockey programs.
A recent survey found that 85% of Canadians agree that hockey is a catalyst to bringing communities together, but nearly 50% feel the pandemic has impacted the community connection they get from sports like hockey.
Other findings from the survey:
-Other than being a source of physical activity, Canadians see hockey as an important way for children to build social skills and teamwork (45%) and improve their mental wellbeing (45%)
-Canadians agree that accessibility is important in the sport. 74 per cent of Canadians feel that hockey would improve if the sport were more inclusive of people with different backgrounds and needs.
-78 per cent of Canadians feel that families in their community would benefit if more programs were available to help cover the high cost of playing hockey, which averages $1,700 per player each year. However, only 28% of Canadians understand the actual costs associated with the sport.
Since its inception in 2006, Kraft Hockeyville has awarded $4.1 million to 89 communities across Canada and has celebrated 13 NHL preseason games in eight different provinces.
