Kraft Hockeyville partners with Marie-Philip Poulin, nominations end April 3

By Robert Belardi 

Following her Olympic triumph, Kraft Hockeyville has partnered with three-time Olympic gold medallist and captain of Team Canada Marie-Philip Poulin to share the importance of hockey in local communities. 

“To be able to be on the Kraft Hockeyville campaign, is a privilege to be honest. I feel like I connect a lot there, obviously with community and hockey together,” Poulin said in a Zoom interview with The Citizen. 

“It's been since the start of my career playing hockey and, obviously, in my local rink since I started playing hockey. Being able to nominate your community until April 3, where you can win a prize up to $250,000. So that's pretty cool to be able to do that to renew your local rink. We all know that hockey brings people together. It brings community together [and I'm] very happy to be a part of it.” 

According to a recent survey conducted by Kraft Hockeyville, 85 per cent of all Canadians believe that hockey is the catalyst in binding together communities. 

Poulin has seen this since she began her career in a small rink in Beauceville, QC, and continued through her Olympic journey.

It really all begins from the grassroots level, she said. Youth who participate in the sport get to make friends and parents become friends with one another. In her eyes, hockey has shaped her into the person she is today. 

Poulin expressed that it's fascinating to see people get together in bars, restaurants and at home, to watch hockey games. The sport continues to bring Canadians closer together and that is what hockey is all about. 

With nominations set to end on April 3, Poulin shared her opinion on how communities can approach this unique opportunity. 

“It's so exciting. Go on the website to Krafthockeyville.ca to be able to nominate your local rink. Obviously, there's going to be a couple of questions when you have the chance to do that. All the info is on the website,” Poulin said. 

“Entering the nomination, just don't be scared to nominate your local rink. Anything can happen. Really bring people together as you nominate your community. You can either win that prize or have an NHL hockey game in your local rink. I can't imagine what it would be like, because if I look back at my career, in Beauceville, small town, if I had the chance to have two NHL teams playing there it would have been quite awesome, for sure.” 

Also found in the survey, 50 per cent of Canadians believe the pandemic has impacted community connection. For those who are still adjusting to getting back to normal, getting back out there might not be something everybody is prepared to do just yet. 

Poulin suggested for those who might not be comfortable going out in public to get involved online. She encouraged everyone to share the Kraft Hockeyville nomination page on social media. She also said people could get involved in their minor hockey teams virtually as well.

Since coming off a two-goal performance in the Gold Medal game against the USA in Beijing, Poulin became the first-ever Olympian to score in four straight Olympic Gold Medal games. 

Still feeling on Cloud Nine, in the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres played on March 13, the women's national team was invited to sing the Canadian national anthem in front of Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

Poulin said that moment was very special as it was her first time singing in front of a large crowd. 

To sign up the community for a chance to win, head to krafthockeyville.ca/ to nominate a local rink in the community.