PITTSBURGH & CHICAGO (January 1, 2019) - Nominations are officially open for the fifth year of Kraft Hockeyville™ USA. Together with the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) and National Hockey League (NHL), Kraft Heinz is on a mission to find America’s most spirited and enthusiastic hockey communities for their chance to compete for the opportunity to host an NHL® Pre-Season Game, receive up to $150,000 in rink upgrades from Kraft Heinz and $10,000 worth of hockey equipment through the NHLPA Goals & Dreams program, in addition to the coveted title of Kraft Hockeyville™ USA 2019.

“In recent years, the Kraft Hockeyville program has helped countless local communities ignite their spirit and passion for hockey,” said Magen Hanrahan, vice president of media and marketing services. “Now entering our fifth year, we’re eager to engage with even more communities and breathe new life into the next class of local rinks.”

Program ambassador Jeremy Roenick, NHL veteran and current NHL analyst for NBC Sports, returns as the spokesperson for Kraft Hockeyville™ USA. “I’m honored to be back supporting this incredible grassroots hockey program,” said Roenick. “Kraft shines a spotlight on local communities, and how important they are to youth hockey. I’m looking forward to another incredible year.”

Kraft Hockeyville™ USA is proud to partner with the NHLPA, the NHL and NBC Sports Group to support the search for hockey communities in the U.S. with the most inspirational stories and strongest voter participation. The 2019 program was announced live during today’s NBC broadcast of the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® outdoor game featuring the Boston Bruins against the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

How Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA 2019 Works

The nomination application is the first step for communities across the country to share unique stories about their local rink, teams, hockey spirit and passion. Throughout the submission process, hockey communities will be asked to bring their stories to life online through the mobile-friendly platform at www.KraftHockeyville.com, to earn Rally Points by adding notes, uploading photos and videos, tweeting from the community page and interacting with the community online. Complete contest rules and how to enter are available on the website. Finalists will be selected based on the best stories and their community’s total Rally Points through three periods, like a hockey game:

• Period 1 (January 1–March 2, 2019) – Local communities submit a story on why they deserve to win Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA on www.KraftHockeyville.com. Once posted, users should activate their community online to rally behind the local rink by boosting their digital Rally Points. Communities are judged based on a combination of total Rally Points and best story.

• Period 2 (March 24–30, 2019) – After the judges read through each rink’s story and calculate the total Rally Points of each submission, the top four finalists will be announced on March 24, 2019. The four finalists will then have one week to rally their community and hockey fans nationwide in preparation for the live voting event.

• Period 3 (March 30–31, 2019) –The four finalist communities will compete to receive as many votes as possible within the 28-hour voting phase. New for 2019, Kraft Heinz is giving away a trip for two to a Stanley Cup® Final game. Each vote cast equals one entry into the sweepstakes, so consumers from across the country can vote for their favorite community multiple times, up to 40 total entries1. The winner of Kraft Hockeyville™ USA 2019 will be announced on March 31, 2019 during an intermission of an NHL game on NBCSN and will be awarded the grand prize of an opportunity to host an NHL Pre-Season Game and receive $150,000 in rink upgrades from Kraft Heinz. The runner-up will receive $30,000 in rink upgrades, and each second-place rink will receive $10,000 in rink upgrades. Each of the four finalists will also receive $10,000 worth of new hockey equipment from the NHLPA Goals & Dreams program.

Since launching in Canada in 2006, Kraft Hockeyville™ has positively impacted more than 100 communities with more than $4.4 million in rink upgrades across Canada and the U.S. During the program, Kraft Heinz will feature its diverse portfolio of products to unite hockey fans in their celebrations of the sport and their communities, including Planters, Kraft Natural Cheese, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

For complete contest rules and nomination applications, visit www.KraftHockeyville.com. Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA can also be found on Facebook (KraftHockeyvilleUSA), Twitter (@HockeyvilleUSA) and Instagram (@KraftHockeyvilleUSA). Fans can join the conversation using #HockeyvilleUSA.

NHLPA, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © 2019. All rights reserved.

NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Final logo and the word mark NHL Winter Classic are registered trademarks 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 2018. All rights reserved.