TYNE VALLEY, P.E.I. — The crowd gathered at the Tyne Valley Fire Hall Saturday evening to watch Hockey Night in Canada weren’t there to watch the game.
They wanted to see if their community would win the 2020 Kraft Hockeyville competition.
As the 9:30 p.m. announcement loomed, Adam MacLennan, manager of the Tyne Valley and Area Community Sports Centre and member of the local Hockeyville committee, paced, trying to manage his expectations.
“We’ve done what we could. It is what it is.”
Tyne Valley put up a great effort and had a lot of support from communities across the Island and other parts of the Maritimes but didn’t come out the winners.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Twillingate, N.L., had won the Kraft Hockeyville Canada 2000 competition on Sportsnet following an online vote that began Friday.
As runners-up, the community will receive $25,000 from Kraft Hockeyville and $10,000 of equipment for minor hockey players.
In December, a fire destroyed the Tyne Valley and Area Community Sports Centre. Soon after, fundraising efforts started to replace the facility.
Though the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic stalled their fundraising, a new facility was announced in July with a cost of about $10 million, much of which will be covered by federal and provincial funding. The remaining municipal share is about $3.1 million.
The committee was hoping the top Hockeyville prize would put a nice dent in the roughly $1 million left to raise.
While the loss was disappointing, MacLennan is proud of what they were able to accomplish.
“It didn’t go our way, but it was a positive experience. It definitely brought the community together again. It kind of rallied the fundraising efforts and the excitement around the rebuild efforts.”
The night was made more stressful after a 15-minute delay in the announcement and the internet dropping out during the livestream.
“Not gonna lie, it probably felt like my blood pressure went up to 300 and heart-rate went up to 200,” said MacLennan. “It was a pretty serious moment there, but obviously it come through.”
Internet was something the committee had been struggling with until late Friday evening, contacting representatives with Kraft Hockeyville, Bell-Aliant and local politicians, he said.
“I don’t know if it hurt us or not, but I have a feeling that slow speeds in rural areas definitely did slow our votes down.”
Disappointment mixed with pride was the overwhelming response from the Tyne Valley Hockeyville committee.
Rachel Noye, chairwoman of the fundraising committee for the Tyne Valley and Area Events Centre, was happy her community made it as far as it did.
“Getting to the final four of Kraft Hockeyville is no easy feat. We definitely have to thank the surrounding communities, the people of Prince Edward Island and across Canada because without their support we would not have gotten to this point.”
There’s a lesson Noye took away from both Tyne Valley’s loss and Twillingate’s win.
“What we’ve learned is when you live in Atlantic Canada, your entire province rallies behind you.”
