Chris Stedile
Castlegar News
Monday night’s council meeting was short and sweet with one main topic receiving unanimous backing.
It’s that time of year again; Kraft Hockeyville nominations have opened.
Councillors Dan Rye and Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff will be returning as Castlegar’s Hockeyville liaisons and they are confident that the city has an even greater chance this time around.
The nomination period opened on Jan. 1 and will close Feb. 8. The website — www.khv2015.com — has been revamped and Heaton-Sherstobitoff expects voters will have a much easier time getting their nominations in.
“They’ve changed the website quite a bit, so it’s much more user-friendly this year,” she said. “It is a little more in depth what you have to provide but it is much easier to navigate.”
After the initial sign-up, voters are asked three questions that will significantly help advance Castlegar’s nomination chances. Kraft wants to know, in your own words, what is special about the community’s passion and spirit for hockey and why Castlegar should be the next Hockeyville. Additionally, they ask, “What arena project would most benefit from the prize money and what impact would this project have on your community?”
The Councillors encourage everyone to go take a look and share your stories because every little bit helps.
Of course, Hockeyville isn’t just about bringing in the most votes and taking home the prized title. This event is about community and the sport of hockey itself.
Heaton-Sherstobitoff said, “We’re going to do the Smoke n’ Guns tournament again with the RCMP against the fire department.”
“I have been approached by the Selkirk Saints to do something and I have to approach the Rebels.”
She said everyone was waiting for the go-ahead from council and now they have it.
“We don’t have a lot of time. Like last year, we only had three weeks and it’s the same this year.”
The councillor said they have a lot of activities to pack into three weeks but it was easy to tell how enthusiastic she was about the whole thing.
After the nomination period two communities are picked from each province in the West.
As of Monday night, there were only three other communities in the running within B.C.. They are Salmon Arm, Port Hardy and Cranbrook.
In a related matter, Councillor Kevin Chernoff mentioned that the City had been invited to participate in Rogers Hometown Hockey. He was contacted by the program’s Vice President in the Fall and although any participation would not be this year, but in 2016, he was hopeful that inquiries could be sent out.
“This would be like the Hockey Day in Canada that Nelson had a few years ago,” Chernoff said.
“They come and set up big screens and have [professional] hockey players come to your town. Basically they showcase your town for a weekend so I think it’s something worth exploring.”
More information on Hockeyville will be available during the upcoming meetings when they are scheduled, but until then, you can get your votes in at khv2015.com.