Canadians have until March 21 to vote for their favourite hockey town

Toronto, ON – March 15, 2010 – The wait is over. After reviewing more than 12,500 submissions the Kraft Hockeyville 2010 judging panel has selected the Top 12 communities for this year’s competition. The criteria focused on community passion, spirit and love of the game of hockey.

The 12 advancing communities as announced tonight on CBC Television include:

REGION	COMMUNITY	ARENA
Atlantic	Tri-County	Tri-County Complex
Atlantic	Bishop Falls	Pat O'Reilly Memorial Stadium
Ontario	Alexandria	Billy Gebbie Arena
Ontario	Dundas	JL Grightmire Market Street Arena
Quebec	Chateauguay	Léo Crépin
Quebec	Stanstead	Stanstead College Arena
West	Cranbrook	Cranbrook RecPlex
West	Yellowknife	Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena
WC* - Atlantic	Lawrencetown	Lawrencetown Exhibition Youth Arena
WC - Ontario	Timmins	McIntyre Arena
WC - Quebec	Drummondville	Centre marcel Dionne
WC - West	Blackfalds	Blackfalds Multi-Plex

*WC = Wild Card

“Canadians proved that hockey is our game during the Olympics.  They’ve reinforced that message through Kraft Hockeyville submitting more than 12,500 spirited and enthusiastic submissions about hockey in their community,” said Dino Bianco, President, Kraft Canada. “Congratulations to the Top 12 communities. Now it’s important to focus your energy on securing votes for your community.”

VOTING FOR THE TOP 5
Canadians will determine which of the Top 12 will graduate to the Top 5 by voting for their favourite community via any of the following official voting mechanisms; online by visiting CBCSports.ca/hockeyville, via telephone by calling 1-866-533-8066 or by texting “vote” plus the community name to 111888. Votes submitted outside these three channels will not qualify. The implementation of any technological or individual simulations that manipulate the one voter per entry system will be deemed fraudulent.

Texting is capped at 25 texts per day per mobile number and there is a .15 cent per text charge plus any carriage fees in addition to standard text messaging rates; data charges may also apply. The Kraft Hockeyville partners strongly encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with the competition rules and regulations so they can adhere to voting guidelines posted on CBCSports.ca/hockeyville.

At their sole discretion, Sponsors have the right to disqualify any voting that they deem to be fraudulent, in violation of the Official Rules or that would otherwise undermine the integrity of the Competition.

KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE SCHEDULE
On Saturday, March 20, 2010 there will be a recap of the Top 12 on CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA. Voting will close on March 21, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Once the votes have been tallied, the Top 5 communities will be announced on CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA on March 27, 2010, at which point Canadians go back to the polls to determine which of the Top 5 will be crowned Kraft Hockeyville 2010.

On Saturday, April 3, 2010 the Kraft Hockeyville team and CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA crew will visit and broadcast live from each of the Top 5 communities. The Kraft Hockeyville 2010 winner will be announced live that evening on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA. The winning community will host a 2010/11 NHL^® pre-season game and win $100,000 in arena upgrades courtesy of Kraft Canada. Four runner-up communities will receive $25,000 each for arena upgrades from Kraft Canada.

The Kraft Hockeyville team will keep fans up-to-date throughout the competition. To view videos and receive insider updates, fans should join the Kraft Hockeyville Facebook Fan page, check out coverage on NHL.com and follow @hockeyville on Twitter.

Kraft Hockeyville 2010 partners include Kraft Canada, CBC, The National Hockey League (NHL)^®, and The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA).

NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.  All Rights Reserved.

©NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA and are used under license.

KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2010: BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 20
Re-cap Top 12 communities on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA and final call to vote for your favourite community to make the Top 5.
        
Saturday, March 27
CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA: Top 5 communities revealed

Saturday, April 3
CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA: Kraft Hockeyville 2010 winner revealed

Contact:

Alanna Banks  
Direct: 416-342-1801
alanna.banks@mediaprofile.com

##

About CBC
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

About the NHL 
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, ESPN America, ASN and NHL Network™) and radio (NHL Radio™, Sirius XM Radio and XM Canada). Through the NHL Foundation, the League’s charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer™ and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

About the NHLPA
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 10 years, more than 40,000 deserving children in 22 countries have benefited from the players' donations of hockey equipment. Goals & Dreams has donated more than $18-million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com. 
 
About Kraft Foods
The combination of Kraft Foods and Cadbury creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals.  With annual revenues of approximately $50 billion, the combined company is the world’s second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in more than 160 countries.  The combined company's portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats.  Another 70+ brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million.  Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index. In Canada, company brands include Kraft Dinner macaroni and cheese, Christie cookies and crackers, Kool-Aid and Del Monte beverages, Caramilk chocolate, Maynards candy, and Stride and Dentyne gum.