Kraft Hockeyville Collage 20th Anniversary Season

Kraft Hockeyville Announces Details of 20th Anniversary Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jacob Billington | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 6:00 AM ET

Kraft Hockeyville has announced the details of their 20th Anniversary Season, promising the biggest prize pool ever, and a revamped national format to more Canadian communities than ever before.

Over the past 20 years, Kraft Hockeyville has allowed communities to nominate a local arena for funding for upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL preseason game.

Kraft Hockeyville’s New Format, Including 13 Winners

Kraft Hockeyville’s new format delivers the biggest community investment in program history, bringing this year’s total to over 1 million dollars in community prizing. The expanded program also ensures more communities than ever can receive essential rink upgrades at a time when many local arenas are struggling. For the first time in the program’s 20-year history, Kraft Hockeyville will recognize 13 Provincial and Territorial Winners – one from each Canadian Province and Territory – marking the most communities ever supported in a single year by the program.

Nominations opened on Jan. 1, 2026, with the campaign officially launching on Jan. 5, 2026. The 2026 prize structure, which represents the largest community investment in the program’s history, includes:

13 Provincial & Territorial Winners: With 11 of these communities each receiving $50,000 for rink upgrades, and the top two advancing for the chance to compete for a larger prize.
The runner-up will receive $100,000.
The Kraft Hockeyville 2026 champion will earn $250,000, plus the opportunity to host an NHL® Pre-Season Game for their community.

To celebrate its milestone year, Kraft Hockeyville is also introducing two program ambassadors for the first time–recently retired NHL legend Marc-André Fleury and top hockey media personality Paul Bissonnette. Both will champion the importance of revitalizing local rinks and supporting the next generation of Canadian hockey fans.

“Hockey isn’t just a game in Canada, it’s part of the community,” said Bissonnette. “Kraft Hockeyville gets that. For 20 years, it’s energized local rinks and gotten people fired up. I remember playing in the Kraft Hockeyville NHL Pre-Season game in Vernon, B.C., back in 2016, and the local community was absolutely buzzing. That’s what hockey is all about.”

Since 2006, Kraft Hockeyville has awarded $5.4 million to 105 Canadian communities, helping keep local rinks, which serve as vital gathering spaces, open and thriving.

Nominations open January 1, and Canadians have until March 1, 2026, to share their community’s story and submit a nomination by answering three questions at KraftHockeyville.ca.