Organizers of this year’s Summerland entry in Kraft Canada’s Hockeyville competition plan to submit an entry again in early 2016.
“We’re going to be more organized for next year,” said David Gregory, a hockey enthusiast and local historian who worked on this year’s entry.
He said a committee will be formed to create a Summerland entry for next year.
Gregory and hockey fan Jason Smith worked together on this year’s entry. It focussed on Summerland’s long hockey history. Two Summerland pioneers, Henry Joseph and Edward Clouston, played in the first official hockey game in Canada, in 1875 in Montreal.
Joseph later became a trustee of the Allen Cup while Clouston was a trustee of the Stanley Cup.
This year, Summerland’s hockey tradition continued as the Summerland Steam reached the division finals in Junior B action.
The Hockeyville competition provides funding and exposure for the winning communities.
From the entries received, five communities in the west and five in the east are selected as finalists.
Those on the short list will each receive at least $25,000 in arena upgrades, while the first and second place communities will receive $100,000 in arena upgrades.
