The Pete Knight Memorial Arena in Crossfield, Alta., opened up in 1977.
It has a rich history and has played an important role in keeping the community together.
Mayor Kim Harris says it’s “really the community hub for Crossfield.”
“This is where everybody gathers and makes friends,” Harris said.
“There’s engagement and there’s a social connection.”
Being 48 years old, the arena has had its share of wear and tear over the years and could use some tender loving care.
Randy Copeland, arena supervisor, says that’s why Crossfield put their names in the hat for Kraft Hockeyville.
“We need to improve the concession area. Right now, we don’t have a lot of options for hot food.,” Copeland said.
“We need to improve our accessibility for seniors to be able to watch games. A lot of times, they can’t get up into the stands and have to watch from the glass.
“For wheelchair accessibility, we have a ramp that we use but it’s just portable and it comes in and out and isn’t always available to them.”
Final four
Copeland would also like to see improvements to the upstairs viewing area.
The good news for Crossfield is they’ve made it into the final four.
The winner of Kraft Hockeyville is awarded $250,000.
Harris says the money will be put to good use.
“That $250,000 is huge for communities our size. We could make those dollars stretch more than larger communities,” Harris said.
“That will allow us to either do concession, some accessibility or do the loft for better viewing and better activities upstairs.”
The winner also gets to host an NHL pre-season game.
Copeland says that would be huge for the community.
“That would mean everything for the little kids all the way up,” he said.
“It would be fantastic to have an NHL game here and just see everyone happy and jumping up and down and filling this place to max capacity, which would mean everything to this town, I think.”
This is the 19th year for Kraft Hockeyville and so far, there’s only been one winner from Alberta.
That was Sylvain Lake back in 2014.
Crossfield is hoping to get votes from all over Western Canada.
The voting starts on April 4 at 7 a.m. and wraps up on April 5 at 3 p.m.
You’re allowed to vote as many times as you want.
For more information, go to https://hockeyville.kraftheinz.com/landing.
