Ituna Arena’s Quest for Kraft Hockeyville Ituna’s quest for Kraft Hockeyville began in February of 2017 with a call from the community to the people of Ituna and surrounding area for nominations describing the town’s passion for hockey as well as it’s need for funds. The citizens responded in an enormous way with dozens and dozens of nominations recalling memories and experiences at the arena, stories of inclusion, team building, and hockey played in Ituna, as well as heartfelt pleas for funds to repair our aging arena infrastructure. On March 4th, during Hockey Night in Canada, it was announced that Ituna Arena had been chosen as one of the Top Ten hockey arenas in Canada. Of the 2932 communities nominated, Sean and Tamara Trefiak’s heartfelt submission garnered Ituna a coveted spot in the Top Ten. While being in the top ten was a celebratory feat in itself, with its guarantee of $25,000, Ituna had our sights set much higher. As the oldest rink, and the smallest community, Ituna wanted a coveted spot in the top two, which would earn $100,000 as well as hosting an NHL game for the winning community. There would be a 39-hour window during which people from across Canada could vote as many times as possible to determine the top two communities. Our work was cut out for us. A Hockeyville Committee was quickly formed, and a plan implemented to share Ituna’s story – the story of a small Saskatchewan town that could. Press releases were sent out, and a social media campaign was 1 formed. Ituna came together as a community and rallied behind the arena in ways that touched the hearts of Canada. A Hockeyville voting day and campaign was organized at the arena with hockey practices and playoff games played, as well as a free skate for families. Laptops and tablets were supplied to help visiting patrons vote. Social media was a flurry of activity, with support rolling in from across the country. With the help of celebrities like Jarret Stoll, Greg Johnson and Brad Wall, it was the first time that Ituna, a town of under 700 habitants, trended number two on twitter. On March 18th, Ituna gathered as a community to learn the fate of our plight for Hockeyville. During the first intermission of the Oiler and Canucks game, Milan Lucic announced that the top community in the west was Ituna! The crowed celebrated, and immediately got to work on planning the next leg of our hockeyville journey. We began our second round of voting for 39 hours straight with passion and determination. Once again, social media played a key role in Ituna’s voting success with Brett Wilson, Roughrider Chris Best, The 2 Saskatchewanderer, Jarett Stoll, Erin Andrews, The Saskatchewan Roughriders, Andrew Scheer, and Brad Wall offering support. Even Ituna’s oldest resident, at 104 years old, got into the online voting. Once again, Ituna was trending on twitter. Following the voting period, Ituna had two weeks to plan an enormous celebration event for the revealing of the top Hockeyville spot. The town was covered in Kraft Hockeyville signs, even the streets were renamed as famous hockey players. A floor was installed over the melting natural ice surface, and the arena was prepped to host a large crowd for the event. Enormous screens were installed to live stream the announcement, and a stage was built. Dozens of people gathered to make over 700 dozen perogies to feed the crowd. Once again, pride in our community pulled people from all walks of life together to put on the once in a lifetime event. On April 1st people from across Saskatchewan gathered in Ituna to hear the Kraft Hockeyville announcement. Carly Agro and her team from CTV 3 Sportsnet flew in from Toronto to cover the event and broadcast it live across Canada on Hockey Night in Canada. Countless past Ituna residents returned home and took part in the festivities. Many memories were shared, and the nostalgia of the old arena was re-lived. With over 1500 people gathered to honour Ituna, it was truly a once in a lifetime celebration. A street hockey tournament kick-started the day, followed by great food and drink inside the arena. Bouncy castles and mini stick hockey entertained the small children while adults visited within the crowd. A hockey jersey auction was held, dignitaries gave speeches, and the crowd gathered around the giant screens to watch NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announce that the 2017 Kraft Hockeyville winner was…. O’Leary, PEI. While it was not the news that Ituna wanted to hear, it did not dampen our spirits. Celebrations of Ituna’s success lasted well into the night. In the end, Kraft Hockeyville journey was a time that we will all hold in our hearts. It was an event that showed that hard work, dedication and passion will take you to great heights, not unlike the great learning lessons of hockey. For a town of under 700 people, a truly small town, Kraft Hockeyville proved to all of us just how strong of a voice a community and all its alumni can have when we are all working together toward a common goal. 4 .