Elliot Lake hopes to be named Hockeyville and re-open its shuttered arena

A small city in northeastern Ontario is looking to be crowned Canada's Hockeyville for 2024, despite very little hockey being played there this winter.

Elliot Lake is one of the four finalists— along with Enderby, B.C., Cochrane, Alb. and Wolseley, Sask.— for the national contest sponsored by Kraft.

The winning community will get $250,000 in arena upgrades, plus host a National Hockey League exhibition game.

"I think it would bring a lot of attention to Elliot Lake," local Hockeyville organizer Sam Gagnon said of Elliot Lake hosting an NHL game.

"But that being said I think the main thing is the money. We just need our arena back," said fellow organizer Steffani Watson.

Elliot Lake's only indoor rink, the 55-year-old Centennial Arena, was suddenly shut down in September out of fears it could become the latest building to collapse in the city of 11,000, a former uranium mining capital turned retirement destination. 

That has forced minor hockey players, figure skaters and the Elliot Lake Vikings junior hockey team to drive about 45 minutes to every game or practice in the nearby towns of Massey and Blind River.

"It's been hell if I can say that. It has been torture. We've gone through the ringer on every level. Mainly, we've lost another activity for Elliot Lake," said Watson, who billets Vikings players and has two young children of her own.

"I'd love them to be in hockey and I've love them to learn how to skate, but we can't do that if we don't have a rink."

Elliot Lake Mayor Andrew Wannan says he watched the announcement of the four Hockeyville finalists with a group of citizens, who burst into "pure elation."

"There's people crying everywhere. It's kind of the break we've been looking for," he said. 

"I think it is really important for our community. It's going to bring us back together, rekindle our spirit."

Wannan says while this warm winter has been bad for most outdoor activities in northern Ontario, it has been a "good winter" for Centennial Arena, with less snow load on the questionable roof allowing engineers to get more work done and "hopefully put us ahead of schedule."

He says Elliot Lake city council should be getting an update "shortly" and they are hopeful that the arena can be repaired and re-opened by September. 

Hockeyville, which was won by North Bay back in 2007, is decided by an unlimited online vote for any Canadians over the age of 14 on March 29 and 30.

Gagnon and Watson are planning to set up some polling stations where Elliot Lakers can vote and are expecting a "weekend of no sleep."

"I think we have a lot of community spirit," said Gagnon. 

"We really wrap around each other in times of need."