Fort Providence’s arena has been named the Northwest Territories winner in this year’s Kraft Hockeyville campaign, earning $50,000 for arena upgrades.
Kraft Heinz, in partnership with the NHL and players’ union NHLPA, changed the format this year by selecting one winner from each province and territory.
Eleven communities get $50,000 while two finalists – to be announced on March 21 – will compete for the grand prize of $250,000.
Sydney Sapp, a Fort Providence resident and volunteer minor hockey coach, nominated the hamlet’s Nahecho Keh Centre after being encouraged by a member of Physical Literacy NWT.
When she tried to apply, Sapp found the Fort Providence arena wasn’t listed on the competition website. After contacting organizers, it was added the next day, allowing the nomination to proceed.
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The campaign relies on community participation, with points awarded for stories, photos and notes submitted online. Fort Providence residents contributed about 15 stories along with numerous photos and messages.
Sapp said she had been hesitant because Kraft Hockeyville is “such a big thing and our community is so tiny,” but decided to give it a go.
“I just nominated it, got the arena page open, and then it was all the community’s doing,” she told Cabin Radio.
Sapp said the arena has seen little change since the 1980s and still looks a lot like it did when she visited as a child.
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She said she monitored the online countdown as the community was declared a winner, on March 14, while hosting a minor hockey tournament for the program’s roughly 20 young players.
“I kept refreshing. I logged in and I saw that we had won. So I made the announcement to the community that we’ve won the $50,000,” she said.
“It’s actually amazing. I’m super happy and excited that we were awarded this.”
Besides the prize money, Sapp said the community is also set to receive $10,000 in new hockey equipment through the NHLPA Goals & Dreams program and the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund.
If Fort Providence is selected as one of the two finalists and goes on to win, it would receive $250,000 in arena upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season game, though Sapp noted a nearby centre such as Hay River or Yellowknife would likely host due to facility requirements.
Sapp said the hamlet is considering forming a committee to discuss what the arena truly needs. She said the change rooms could use upgrades to provide more space and privacy for female hockey players, though plans have not been finalized.
“There’s obviously more repairs that need to be done,” she said, “but these would definitely be something that we would benefit from sooner rather than later.”
