The small community of Saint-Anselme in Bellechasse can dream of the NHL. The city of just over 4,000 people is one of four finalists in the 2023 Kraft Hockeyville competition.
Should Saint-Anselme win after the popular vote, which takes place from March 31 (9 a.m.) to April 1 (5 p.m.), the Bellechasse-Dorchester sports center would be the site of an additional NHL preseason game check for $250,000 for a renovation .
The other finalist cities are Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Sainte-Anne, Manitoba, and West Lorne, Ontario.
Established in 2006, the competition only once crowned a Quebec community, when the Aréna Benoît-Lévesque in Roberval was the scene of a duel between the Canadians and the Sabers on September 23, 2008.
need love
The Bellechasse-Dorchester Sports Center was built in 1978. Funded by the residents of Saint-Anselme, it has since hosted hockey games, fundraisers, music performances and day camps.
If it looked great at first, today the place could use some love. By winning the Kitty, according to the press release published by Kraft Hockeyville, it would be possible to “replace the rink boards, seal roof leaks, improve cooling systems, adjust the ventilation system and much more.”
Since its inception, the Kraft Hockeyville competition has donated $4.5 million to 93 athletic facilities across Canada.
With the winner receiving $250,000, the other three communities will each receive $10,000.