Okotoks deserves to be named Kraft Hockeyville 2016, now it’s time to get out the vote to make sure it becomes a reality.
Okotoks is in the top 10 and the key now is to vote, and vote as many times as possible. So, call your family, text your friends and tell them why Okotoks deserves to win.
Okotoks has a strong case.
We are a hockey town, with 1,300 youths involved in all levels of minor hockey, two junior teams and the third largest female hockey program in Alberta.
The winning community will receive $100,000 for arena upgrades. Okotoks has a shortage of rink space and the Town is planning to twin the Pason Centennial Arena.
$100,000 will go a long way towards getting shovels in the ground.
As a top-10 finalist Okotoks has already received $25,000. It’s a good start, but $100,000 would be even better.
There are already too many men on the ice at Okotoks rinks with hockey teams, figuring skating and other groups vying for space. Local minor hockey teams have to move practices and games out of town to Stavely, Black Diamond, Blackie and even as far south as Claresholm.
Winning Hockeyville comes with another prize, the right to host an NHL exhibition game. It would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for local hockey fans.
Who knows, maybe we could even witness the battle of Alberta upclose with a Calgary Flames versus Edmonton Oilers tilt. We can dream, right?
It’s exceptional for Okotoks to have gotten as far as it has in a field of more than 3,000 entries from across Canada.
Committee co-chairs Deana Halifax, Connie Drake and the dedicated group of volunteers leading the charge deserve immense credit.
They’ve been a fixture at community events almost daily for the past eight weeks, including the wildly popular Winter Carnival, and they’ve helped to showcase just how much hockey means to the community.
They’ve gotten the word out in a big way on social media and in person.
Now it’s up to us to reward their commitment to the campaign by voting online at khv2016.ca.
