CBC-Sports

Passion for hockey on full display in Terrace, B.C.

September 17, 2009 02:22 PM | Posted by   Cassie Campbell  

Kraft Hockeyville 2009 is officially over and it was a fun ride across the country searching for hockey’s most passionate community. There was some tough competition, but I think it was very fitting that Terrace, B.C., won this year’s event.

There have been tough times recently for Terrace as it felt the wrath of having two mills close and as a result many people lost their jobs. The community needed a pick-me-up and their passion for hockey was how they received it.

The best thing about this entire journey for Terrace was the fact that it started by Carol Fielding answering an ad in the local paper. The chair of the organizing committee answered an ad in the paper by Tom Harwood, who had put in a Kraft Hockeyville bid the previous year on behalf of Smithers, B.C. Unfortunately for Smithers, their submission didn’t win, but the passion for doing something good for Northern British Columbia paid off, as they encouraged others in the area to put a bid forward.

After being involved with this program for the last three seasons, I have come to one conclusion: This contest is not necessarily about hockey itself, but more about the people of hockey. I’ve travelled across the country and one common trait stands out. The people who are passionate about hockey are also people of good character who care about their communities.

Terrace, B.C., won this contest because of the great people they had involved. The organizing committee bent over backward for us at CBC and they also made sure that all the tickets for the NHL game went to the people who mattered most - the youth of the community.

The senior men’s hockey team, the Terrace River Kings, were tremendous role models as they spent endless hours volunteering and making sure the events were successful. The people of the community sent in 716 stories to CBC’s website stating why they should be Kraft Hockeyville 2009 and the involvement of everyone had such an impact right from the beginning.

My favourite thing of all was to spend an hour with Leona Murray, owner of the Northcoast Anglers fishing store, who not only showed me how to fly fish, but also why Terrace has some of the best fly fishing around. In less than an hour our group caught two fish and I had one bite, but made a rookie fishing mistake and lost what was definitely going to be a 25 pounder!

The passion for hockey in Terrace was never more evident than when Lois and David Newman decided to celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary at the NHL game rather than going for a romantic dinner. They were lucky enough to win two tickets and celebrated their day in style with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders and of course the man of style, Don Cherry.

I’ve now been to Terrace twice and both times it was a lot of fun. It brings me back to what hockey is really all about. It’s not about the wins or losses, it’s about the people. The people who make hockey the great game it is, and who use it to teach youth how to become successful adults.

Thanks Terrace! And good luck to those communities bidding for Kraft Hockeyville 2010!

" Previous Post | Main
  •