Crosby, Ovechkin, Brodeur, Eberle, Price and the Sedin twins may not be on the ice these days but there are hundreds of thousands of kids still playing Canada’s favourite game. According to the Hockey Canada website there are over 500,000 kids of varying ages registered to play hockey in Canada.

Kraft Canada wants everyone to know that no matter what the big boys are doing… HOCKEY GOES ON!

My family is in love with hockey and that’s putting it mildly. Season tickets for the Kitchener Rangers {OHL} have been in my husband’s family for over 30 years now. My Father-in-law was so well known there that the Kitchener Rangers sent flowers to his funeral.  Dad’s Hurst flew their flag. He was a dedicated Junior A Hockey Fan!

Three generations have sat in those golden seats behind the Ranger’s net. {Fun Fact: Paul Coffey got his start right here in KW!} This is what kept my husband out of trouble during his teen years, instead of being at parties… he was at the rink with his dad.

Daddy & Daughter

Hockey runs in my family too, my Dad learned to skate on the frozen ponds in Edmonton, Alberta. He was scouted for the farm team of the Montreal Canadians but chose to become an architect instead.

My oldest played left-wing on a major pee-wee team. I was amazed with the coaches and score keepers all of whom volunteer several hours each week, four or five months a year. Rink side, I heard many parents yell at the coaches and tell them how to do their jobs better or the biggest complaint of all… that their kid needed more ice time. Only when a game went well, did I hear the gratitude for a job well done.

According to Hockey Canada, there are 4,000,000 volunteers, like our coach, contributing to local hockey in Canada. This can be a very thankless job.

Then think of all the other people who keep hockey alive; the dedicated hockey parent who gets their kid to the rink for a 6am practice every Saturday morning, the volunteer who maintains the outdoor arenas in cities big and small all across Canada, all the way to the many local sponsors who make minor hockey possible.

It takes a Village to raise a Hockey Player!

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, you’ll love this video and then take a look at the Kraft Hockey Goes On program.

Do you know someone who is passionate about the game and goes above and beyond to make sure “Hockey Goes On”? Nominate local hockey volunteers to win up to $100,000 for their community!

Kraft Hockey Goes On connects directly with communities across Canada and will recognize the unsung heroes that live and breathe the country’s passion for hockey.

Communities from coast to coast can celebrate people who support grassroots hockey-related initiatives.

Through Kraft Hockey Goes On, Kraft Canada will be awarding up to $1,000,000 to hockey-related organizations coast to coast.

Communities can nominate local hockey volunteers by going to KraftHockeyGoesOn.ca from January 21, 2013 until March 8, 2013. A panel will determine the top 100 individuals. Canadians can vote for their local hockey volunteer starting on March 23, 2013. 

The top five winning communities will be announced March 30, 2013, and will each receive $100,000. 20 other communities will each receive $20,000.

Kraft Canada is also partnering with Hockey Canada to purchase $100,000 in skates and helmets to support communities in a learn to skate program.