CHICAGO — Today the puck officially drops on Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA 2016 at the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® featuring the Montreal Canadiens® and Boston Bruins® broadcast on NBC at 1 p.m. ET. This year’s search for America’s most passionate hockey community reunites an all-star roster of partners, including the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), National Hockey League (NHL®), NBC Sports Group, and USA Hockey. Through the program, hockey communities across the U.S. can now vie for the coveted title of “Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA 2016” and enter for a chance to win the grand prize of hosting an NHL® Pre-Season game televised live on NBCSN and $150,000 in arena upgrades.
“Our first Kraft Hockeyville in the U.S. last year was a tremendous success that truly ignited the passion of hockey communities across the country,” said Nina Barton, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Kraft Heinz. “The spirit and tradition in Johnstown – last year’s winning community – demonstrated to America what Kraft Hockeyville is really all about. Now, as Kraft Heinz, we’re eager to once again celebrate the pride of local hockey communities and help build the sport by providing much needed awareness and financial support for local rinks.”
Jeremy Roenick – an NHL on NBC analyst and one of the leading American-born scorers in NHL history – is back again as program ambassador. “The response from communities across the country in the first year of Kraft Hockeyville™ USA was inspiring, and I am thrilled to be a part of it again in 2016,” said Roenick. “This program reflects my own passion for community and youth hockey, and has allowed me to share the important role the sport played in my life growing up in Boston, where hockey brought all of us together in a way that nothing else could.”
How Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA Works
Like a hockey game, Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA has three periods. In the first period, communities across the country are encouraged to enter by sharing unique stories about their local rink, teams, hockey spirit and passion and submitting their nominations now through March 11, 2016, at www.KraftHockeyville.com, where complete contest rules and nomination applications are available.
Ten community finalists will be chosen to kick off the second action-packed period, which includes three rounds of public voting:
- Round 1 (April 12-14, 2016) – 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, 2016) – Top two finalists selected; remaining two each receive $25,000 toward arena upgrades.
- Round 3 (April 25-26, 2016) – One community will emerge as “Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA” 2016; runner-up will receive $75,000 toward arena upgrades.
In the final period, the winning community will be announced – on April 30, 2016 – and receive the grand prize of the chance to host an NHL® Pre-Season game televised on NBCSN, as well as $150,000 in arena upgrades from Kraft Heinz.
Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA is meant to not only ignite a passion for hockey in America, but also bring a renewed sense of pride to communities. Since launching in Canada in 2006, Kraft HockeyvilleTM has positively impacted 53 communities with nearly $2 million donated in arena upgrades. On May 2, 2015, after months of community rallying, Johnstown, Pa. – the city that served as inspiration for the popular hockey movie, “Slap Shot” – was named the first-ever Kraft Hockeyville™ USA. Kraft Heinz will also leverage its diverse portfolio of products to help unite hockey fans in their celebrations of the sport and their communities. The campaign will celebrate consumers’ excitement around a variety of iconic brands including Planters, Velveeta, Maxwell House, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Heinz Yellow Mustard, Oscar Mayer, and Kraft Natural Cheese.
For contest rules, information on nominating your community and complete program details, visit www.KraftHockeyville.com. Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA 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, the NHL Shield and the word mark NHL Winter Classic are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League, and the NHL Winter Classic logo and HOCKEYVILLE are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks (including HOCKEYVILLE) and NHL team logos and marks are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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 GameCenter LIVE™. 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 be celebrating 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.
Source: The Kraft Heinz Company
