Tumbler Ridge is in the top two for Hockeyville, alongside Taber, Alberta.
The town was nominated for the honour by Theresa Nevills, a retired Royal Canadian Air Force veteran from Vancouver Island. She made the nomination on February 19—only ten days from the close of the contest.
After learning more about the community and the important role the arena plays as a gathering place, she put forward the nomination, which was later supported by residents. “Thanks to friends, family, and others in the community, our message snowballed at breakneck speed,” she says.
On March 21, Kraft Canada announced the two towns that would be moving forward to the final round.
One of the two towns will get $100,000 for arena upgrades. The other will get $250,000. And it’s all down to 32 hours of voting that starts on April 3 and goes to April 4.
Nevills is still promoting the contest, encouraging friends and family to get out and vote. “Please spread the word,” she writes in one Facebook post. “The more Canadians that we have, the closer we are to securing their votes. It’s going to take millions of fingers tapping those voting buttons.”
Unlike other contests, where people are only able to vote one, people are able to vote as many times as they like for the Hockeyville title. She says that when she voted for Stirling, Ontario in 2012, she would vote five or ten times before the page would refresh and a “I’m not a robot” message would pop up. “Then back to hitting that voting button again. Stirling—with a population of 5076—won the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville competition with a final tally of 3,986,769 votes. The community won the title after the national voting, beating out runner-up West Kelowna, BC, which received 2,789,594 votes”
In 2024, she says, Elliott Lake won with a population of 12,000. And the entire town was rallying for those 32 hours.
“And finally last year, Saint-Boniface, Québec won with the most votes ever recorded in the history of the contest. The town of just over 5,100 people northeast of Montréal beat out Crossfield, Alberta, Honeywood/Shelburne, Ontario, and Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia in a nationwide vote to win.”
Now, she says, the country needs to rally behind Tumbler Ridge—with a population of just 2466—to help us win. “Please ensure you have signed up/preregistered and are ready for GO time on April 3 against Taber, Alberta (population of 8800).”
Nevills says she is so on-board with this, that she is actually driving to town to participate in the vote and other events. “You have no idea how much this is going to mean to the kids,” she says. “They have no concept what the money is going to do. They know it can help get their Grandparents with mobility issues in the seats to come watch them. But they have no concept of anything else with the big win of money.”
However, what they do understand, she says, is that winning means there will be two NHL teams in town, signing autographs and being there for photo opportunities. “There will be REAL NHL HOCKEY being played in their arena, and scheduling warm-ups in the days before to be on their ice. They understand that they won’t have to drive 1250 kms to Vancouver to watch an NHL game and they didn’t have overpriced tickets to pay for to watch their favourite teams.”
(Note: Edmonton is only 663 km from Tumbler Ridge. And they also have an NHL team. You’re welcome, Darryl.)
“We are small but we are going to be mighty.”
Speaking of Darryl, Mayor Krakowka says “We are very humbled to be named a finalist. We know there are many communities across Canada with strong connections to their arenas, and we have a great deal of respect for the stories that have been shared throughout this process, including Taber, Alberta.”
As part of this, Tumbler Ridge is celebrating ten days of hockey, which started on March 25 with an all-ages scrimmage and will end with a watch party on April 4 at 1 pm, a joint presentation of the District and Minor Hockey.
Other businesses around town are getting in on the act, either supporting the party, or offering sales and discounts.
“This has already meant a great deal to our community,” says Mayor Krakowka. “We’re proud of how people have come together, and we’re ready to build on that momentum as we head into the final stage.”
As the final stage of the competition begins, residents and supporters are encouraged to come together and show their support for Tumbler Ridge, wearing their favourite Hockey Jerseys.
Nevills is encouraging everyone across the country to get involved and vote for Tumbler Ridge. “Canada is known for being there for one another. Today, I am reaching out from sea to sea to sea to ask for your help in rallying support for Tumbler Ridge, as they compete for first place in Kraft Hockeyville 2026,” she writes in another Facebook post. “I recently retired from an over 40 year career in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Throughout those years, it was my mission to help every community I lived in—not for personal gain, but because I feel a natural pull to make life better for others. When tragedy recently struck Tumbler Ridge, I was deeply shaken. Seeing our leaders set aside their differences to stand hand-in-hand for this town reminded me of what it means to be ‘Canada First.’”
“I wanted to find a way for the entire community of 2,400 residents to feel a ‘giant Canadian hug’—one that didn’t cost a dime but would last a lifetime. That is why I nominated Tumbler Ridge for Kraft Hockeyville. By rallying together, we can secure $250,000 in arena upgrades and an NHL game for the whole town, from the youngest child to the oldest resident.”
“While every community has needs, I believe Tumbler Ridge needs this ‘heartbeat’ most of all right now. This isn’t just about money; it’s about helping a town regain its spirit and showing the children of Tumbler Ridge how much compassion their country has for them. I know Canada can bring those children that joy and we are counting on everyone spreading this message far and wide.”
She says she will be awake for all 32 hours of the voting period, and is asking people to join her from 6 am PT. on April 3 to 2 pm PT April 4.
Where to Vote: if you aren’t already registered, you can do so online at
www.krafthockeyville.ca. Voting starts at 6am PT on Friday.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
