Squamish could join communities like Terrace, B.C., Salmon River, N.S., and North Bay, Ont., as one of Canada鈥檚 鈥淗ockeyvilles.鈥�
As of late last week, more than 30 people had nominated the community鈥檚 Brennan Park Arena.
鈥淭here鈥檚 people in the community getting excited about the nomination process,鈥� said 麻豆社国产Minor Hockey Association president Derek Cranfield. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be exciting for it to happen, but it鈥檚 a huge task.鈥�
Kraft Hockeyville is an annual face-off of towns across the country trying to get funding for arena upgrades.聽
As the contest website states, 鈥淣o country in the world is more passionate about hockey than Canada. It brings us together as fans, friends, family, and ultimately, as a community.鈥�
Winning also comes with other perks, such as hosting an NHL pre-season game. Nominations opened on Jan. 1 and run until Feb. 7, with the shortlist of 10 communities announced on March 5. The winning community will get $100,000 in arena funding and the exhibition game, while other communities will get funding based on how far they go in the competition.
In the 10 years since the contest started, Hockeyville has provided more than
$2 million to 53 communities across the country, according to Kraft.聽
For nominations, people are asked about their community and are provided space to attach pictures or videos to support their claim that the community should be the next Hockeyville.
Regarding Squamish, resident Mary Jane Nattrall wrote that the community is the outdoor recreation capital of Canada and listed off many of the sports people play both in and out of doors, including 鈥渓ast but not least鈥� hockey.
Jennifer Offutt pointed out that Brennan Park has not undergone a serious upgrade in more than 30 years, and with only one sheet of ice, the rink poses limits on the number of teams that can use the facility.聽
Graham Raschella wrote about playing hockey back when they were 鈥減ond puppies鈥� but added that the arena now needs upgrades, especially its tiny dressing rooms.
Already, there are several social media hashtags aimed to giving 麻豆社国产the push it needs, including #KHV_BrennaPk104; #khv_squamishminorhockey; #KHV_BrennanParkSquamish; #KHV_BrennanParkRecCentre; and #KHV_BrennanPK96.
The real work, Cranfield said, will be if 麻豆社国产makes the shortlist, which would require a large-scale volunteer effort to get community support for the campaign. 鈥淚 appreciate what everyone鈥檚 doing. If we do it, it鈥檚 got to be a detailed plan.鈥�
He also spoke to some of the important questions around the current arena, specifically whether the grand prize would cover what Brennan Park actually needs. The district, he said, is planning to put in a new floor for the rink, which will help, but it is only part of the work required. He echoed some of the reasons people cited in the Hockeyville nominations, such as the need for better dressing rooms.
麻豆社国产has grown so quickly in recent years that there is a demand for a second sheet, which would add ice time for community users as well as provide more opportunities to host hockey tournaments.
In Cranfield鈥檚 perfect world, 麻豆社国产would be able to build a new arena with two ice sheets, but this would cost more than the grand prize. With the district investing money to fix the floor of the current building, he expects the local government will want Brennan Park to be used for some time.
