TORONTO, ON (January 1, 2014) – It’s the moment hockey lovers have been waiting for: Kraft Hockeyville opens its nomination period today with even more prizing opportunities. With many local rinks across Canada in need of repair and upgrades, Kraft Hockeyville is giving communities the opportunity to breathe new life into their rinks, keeping them open for many more years to come. The nomination period runs from January 1 to February 9, 2014 at KraftHockeyville.ca.

“Kraft Hockeyville is back and bigger than ever with a total of $1 million in prizing to 16 different communities across Canada,” says Jack Hewitt, Vice President of Marketing Insight & Services, Kraft Canada. “We’re excited to give Canadian communities more opportunities to win vital upgrades for their rink; upgrades they may not otherwise have the resources for.”

Kraft Hockeyville 2014, in partnership with Christie, the National Hockey League® (NHL®), the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and CBC, is awarding a $1 million in prizing:

• One grand prize of $100,000 in arena upgrades, a visit from CBC and the opportunity to host an NHL® pre-season game in the local community
• One prize of $100,000 in arena upgrades
• Two prizes of $50,000 each in arena upgrades for third and fourth place
• Twelve prizes of $25,000 each in arena upgrades

Adding to the excitement, Kraft Canada has enlisted five Kraft Hockeyville Ambassadors, all NHL® players, who know the value of community rinks. They’re on board to help spread the word and ignite the passion of Canada’s hockey communities to nominate themselves. The Kraft Hockeyville 2014 Ambassadors are:

• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Centre (@RNH_93)
• Scott Hartnell, Left Wing (@Hartsy19)
• Nathan MacKinnon, Centre (@Mackinnon9)
• David Clarkson, Right Wing
• Daniel Briere, Centre

The Top 16 communities chosen to compete for Kraft Hockeyville 2014 will be revealed on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, March 8, 2014. From there, it’s game-on as eight communities from the east take on eight communities from the west in the ultimate Kraft Hockeyville showdown. There are three exciting voting rounds throughout the month of March, leading to the grand prize Kraft Hockeyville winner announcement on Saturday, April 5, 2014.

To learn more about how to nominate your own community and for the full official rules, please visit KraftHockeyville.ca. You can also find more information on Facebook (Facebook.com/KraftHockeyville) and Twitter (@hockeyville)

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