Crossfield short votes for Kraft Hockeyville but, tightens community bonds

Hockey is a part of the identity of the small prairie town of Crossfield. Before there was an arena built, kids and parents would meet in a park and use their trucks’ lights to flood an outdoor rink so they can hold their games.

Originally built in the late 1970s, the Pete’s Memorial Arena is starting to show its age as the community of Crossfield continues to grow.

Hope and community spirits were lifted as the town made it to the final four finalists of Kraft Hockeyville for a chance to win a grand prize of $250,000 dollars and the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season game.

On the final day of voting, April 5, young and old gathered at the Arena to see if their arena would be chosen for the grand prize.

Because of the rising costs of living, the small farming town has been seeing families move in and then commute to work in Airdrie and Calgary.

Long-time resident Joan Noonan shares how the day is connecting community members who may not often take part in gatherings.

With smaller hamlets in the area near crossfield, the Arena sees a lot of action with teams coming from out of town to use the facusitcities during the hockey season.

Because of the long legacy of the arena, Saige Payne, who grew up playing at the arena, reminisces about how seeing the community come together reminds her of playing hockey growing up.

When the polls closed at 5 p.m. EST, Crossfield wasn’t able to win the grand prize for Kraft Hockeyville 2025, as Saint-Boniface outvoted them in Quebec. However, Crossfield was able to secure $25,000 dollars towards upgrades to their arena as one of the top four finalists.

The small hockey town saw the whole community come together, and in a Facebook post from the Town’s official account, they thanked the community for rallying together.