On Friday, April 13, the members of the village of Clinton rallied with the Hamilton College community to flood the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville USA voting, hoping to earn a set of spectacular rewards for the village. Competing against Brandon Valley, SD, Middlebury, VT, and Shreveport, LA, Clinton triumphed to take home the grand prize of $150,000 in rink upgrades for the Clinton Arena and the privilege to host an NHL pre-season game next fall.
The Hockeyville sweepstakes have been an NHL staple since 2006, with the first nine years only featuring cities in Canada. In 2015, the competition was expanded to include two seperate votes, Hockeyville Canada and Hockeyville USA. The inaugural Hockeyville USA vote selected Johnstown, PA, where the Pittsburgh Penguins toppled the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of a packed Cambria County War Memorial Arena. In 2017, Pennsylvania emerged victorious in Hockeyville USA voting again, when Belle Vernon, PA received the highest vote total. This year, however, it was Clinton’s turn for glory.
Clinton Arena is a staple of the local community, and has been a gracious host to Hamilton College hockey games for years. This historic rink was originally built in 1949, before a fire forced a rebuild in 1953. After the rebuild, the Clinton Arena became home to the Eastern Hockey League’s Clinton Comets for nearly two decades. The Clinton Comets enjoyed years of immense success in the Eastern Hockey League, winning five titles.
“Each year, Kraft Hockeyville USA puts a spotlight on the importance of local ice rinks to communities all across the country,” NHL Chief Brand Officer and Executive Vice President Brian Jennings said in a press release posted on NHL.com. “The overwhelming response from cities nationwide is proof positive of the local commitment to ice rinks and the youth hockey players, coaches, parents and volunteers that call it home.”
Michelle St. Jacques, head of brand marketing and R&D, added, “Clinton brought to life the essence of this program — both on and off the rink — and showed inspiring passion to rally their community. We’re excited to celebrate this win with them later this year.”
The press release from the NHL also explained that “the prize money from Kraft Hockeyville USA will go toward improvements to a number of features, including the arena’s roof, locker room and seating.” Given that the Arena still possesses many of the original fixtures from construction from over 50 years ago, the $150,000 in renovations will be exceptionally helpful in maintaining the rink’s ability to stay operational for many years to come.
The effort by the Clinton community was a true testament to the passion for the sport possessed by both the local Clintonians and the Hamilton College community. Publications urging members of the community to vote were evident nearly everywhere throughout the village, and social media posts from Clinton residents were frequent. Joining the “Get out the Vote” campaign was Hamilton’s most famous hockey alumnus, Guy Hebert ’89, who spent the day tweeting out his support for Clinton’s cause. On campus, the hockey teams were active in persuading fellow students to vote, with a table set up at Soper Commons Dining Hall to urge full participation from the Hill. Hamilton Athletic Director Jon Hind also sent out an all-campus e-mail providing details of the vote, the impact it would have on the local community, and the instructions for how to vote. On Friday, a “Rock the Vote” party was hosted at Clinton Arena where residents spent the day voting as many times as possible in hopes of swaying the results.
The community’s exceptional efforts paid off on Saturday, April 14, when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the Hockeyville USA winner during the first period intermission of the Colorado Avalanche-Nashville Predators first round playoff game. The watch party at Clinton Arena erupted with cheers. The announcement marked the culmination of 100 years of hockey in the local community, solidifying passion for the sport of hockey as a defining characteristic of the village of Clinton.
Back in February, Clinton and Hamilton joined forces to celebrate the 100th anniversary of when Albert Prettyman, the former Hamilton College Athletic Director, first introduced hockey to the area in February 1918. Hebert was a featured speaker and recipient of a Doctor of Humane letters degree at the 100-year anniversary event. He took the stage alongside the 1998 Hamilton men’s hockey team that led the Continentals to an ECAC championship. The following day, the Continentals posted a shutout 2–0 victory over the Tufts Jumbos at Clinton Arena.
While the specific dates and teams participating in the NHL pre-season game at a venue to be determined (either the Clinton Arena or Utica Memorial Auditorium) have yet to be announced, the event will clearly be one of the most exciting happenings in recent history of the village. Clinton hockey enthusiasts will turn out in huge number for the game, and will certainly enjoy the renovations to such an important staple of the village.
The NHL’s statement concluded with a comment from Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director, who said, “We know this year’s Kraft Hockeyville USA winner, Clinton Arena in Clinton, New York will be another great host. The players who hit the ice next September are looking forward to the celebration with the passionate fans of Clinton.”
