Kraft Hockeyville™ USA Announces Top 10 Finalists; First Round of Public Voting Begins April 12
Grand Prize Winner to be Awarded $150,000 in Arena Upgrades and
Opportunity to Host an NHL® Pre-Season Game Broadcast on NBCSN
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Community pride and the love of hockey are alive and well across the
country and now 10 communities are one step closer to being named Kraft
Hockeyville™ USA 2016. The Kraft Heinz search for America’s most
passionate hockey community, in partnership with the National Hockey
League (NHL®) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA),
led to more than a thousand local rink nominations across the United
States. Now that the nominations have been narrowed down to 10
finalists, the first round of public voting will begin on April 12.
Kraft Heinz will award funds to each of the finalists for arena
upgrades and the grand prize winner will be awarded $150,000 and the
opportunity to host an NHL® Pre-Season game televised live on NBCSN.
The 10 communities advancing to the first round of public voting include:
East
- Bridgewater Ice Arena – Bridgewater, Mass.
- Lake Placid Olympic Center Arena – Lake Placid, N.Y.
- Lakeview Arena – Marquette, Mich.
- Rockville Ice Arena – Rockville, Md.
- Twin Ponds Family Complex East – Harrisburg, Pa.
West
- Fox Valley Ice Arena – Geneva, Ill.
- MAYSA Arena – Minot Park District – Minot, N.D.
- NYTEX Sports Centre – North Richland Hills, Texas
- Pagel Activity Center – Minnetonka, Minn.
- Rushmore Thunderdome – Rapid City, S.D.
“We’re thrilled to see so many U.S. communities rally behind their local
rinks and love of hockey, once again nominating more than 1,000 rinks
across the country,” said Nina Barton, Senior Vice President of
Marketing, Kraft Heinz. “The personal and passionate stories shared
throughout the nomination process were truly inspiring, and demonstrate
what Kraft Hockeyville™ USA is all about. We’re looking forward
to watching hockey fans across America unite around these 10 finalists
to select this year’s winner.”
USA Hockey teamed up with Kraft Heinz on Kraft Hockeyville™ USA
to help support and raise awareness for youth hockey across the country.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia were represented among more
than a thousand individual rinks nominated, accounting for nearly 70
percent of rinks nationwide, according to USA Hockey data.
The first of three rounds of voting to determine the Kraft
Hockeyville™ USA 2016 winner will begin on April 12. The voting schedule
is as follows:
-
Round 1 (April 12-14) – Top four communities chosen to move on to the
next round; remaining six each receive $10,000 toward arena upgrades. -
Round 2 (April 19-20) – Top two finalists selected; remaining two each
receive $25,000 toward arena upgrades. -
Round 3 (April 25-26) – One community will emerge as “Kraft
Hockeyville™ USA” 2016; runner-up will receive $75,000 toward arena
upgrades.
The grand prize winner will be announced on or around April 30 and will
receive the top prize of $150,000 and the opportunity to host an NHL®
Pre-Season Game broadcast on NBCSN.
For contest rules and complete program details, visit www.KraftHockeyville.com.
Kraft Hockeyville™ USA 2016 can also be found at Facebook.com/KraftHockeyvilleUSA
and on Twitter
(@HockeyvilleUSA). You can join the conversation using
#HockeyvilleUSA.
NHLPA, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHLPA logo
are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks, and HOCKEYVILLE
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ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY
The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) is the third-largest food and
beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest food and
beverage company in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands. A globally
trusted producer of delicious foods, The Kraft Heinz Company provides
high quality, great taste and nutrition for all eating occasions whether
at home, in restaurants or on the go. The Company’s iconic brands
include Kraft, Heinz, ABC, Capri Sun, Classico, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell
House, Ore-Ida, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters, Plasmon, Quero,
Weight Watchers Smart Ones and Velveeta. The Kraft
Heinz Company is dedicated to the sustainable health of our people, our
planet and our Company. For more information, visit www.kraftheinzcompany.com.
ABOUT THE NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 30
Member Clubs, with players from more than 20 countries represented
across team rosters, competing for the most revered trophy in
professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Each year, the NHL entertains
hundreds of millions of fans around the world. The League broadcasts
games in more than 160 countries and territories through its
rightsholders including NBC/NBCSN in the U.S., Sportsnet and TVA
in Canada, and Viasat in the Nordic Region. The NHL reaches fans
worldwide with games available online in every country including via its
live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. Fans are engaged across
the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL app;
across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™, and
on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring an enhanced
statistics platform powered by SAP, providing the definitive destination
for hockey analytics. A historic media rights partnership between the
NHL and MLBAM will transform the fan experience across the League’s
digital and broadcast assets, with an emphasis on deeper access into the
game and enhanced storytelling. To celebrate the NHL’s international
diversity, the World Cup of Hockey will return in September 2016, a
best-on-best international tournament featuring eight teams comprised of
the world’s best hockey players. On Founder’s Day in November 2017, the
League will celebrate its Centennial anniversary, commemorating 100
years of NHL hockey. The NHL is committed to giving back to the
community through programs including: Hockey is for Everyone™ which
supports nonprofit youth hockey organizations across North America;
Hockey Fights Cancer™ which raises money and awareness for hockey’s most
important fight; NHL Green™ which is committed to the pursuit of
sustainable business practices; and a partnership with the You Can Play
Project, which is committed to supporting the LGBT community and
fighting homophobia in sports. For more information, visit NHL.com.
ABOUT THE NHLPA
The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), established in
1967, is a labor organization whose members are the players in the
National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players
in varied disciplines such as labor relations, product licensing,
marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in
furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of
hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for
the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past
16 years, more than 70,000 deserving children in 34 countries have
benefited from the players’ donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals &
Dreams has donated more than $23-million to grassroots hockey programs,
making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the
NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011,
the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports
Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events,
insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports
media company consists of a unique array of sports assets, including NBC
Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 10 NBC
Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital. NBC
Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights
agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports
properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United
States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of
America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, Tour de France,
French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.
ABOUT USA HOCKEY
USA Hockey Inc., founded on October 29, 1937, and headquartered in
Colorado Springs, Colo., provides the foundation for the sport of ice
hockey in America; helps young people become leaders; and connects the
game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport. More
than one million strong, including players, coaches, officials and
volunteers that span all 50 states, USA Hockey is the National Governing
Body for the sport in the United States and has important partnerships
with the National Hockey League, United States Olympic Committee and
International Ice Hockey Federation. For more information, visit usahockey.com.
Contacts
The Kraft Heinz Company
Caroline Krajewski, 847-646-2567
Caroline.Krajewski@kraftheinzcompany.com
