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Tumbler Ridge has been named one of two finalists in the annual Hockeyville contest, which now puts the small northern B.C. community one step closer to winning $250,000 for its local arena and a chance to host a pre-season NHL game.
The town is competing against Taber, Alta., for the grand prize in Kraft Hockeyville 2026.
The community of about 2,400 is still recovering after a mass shooting killed eight people in February. Five of those killed were 12- and 13-year-olds killed at the local Grade 7-12 high school.
One victim, 13-year-old Ezekiel Schofield, is memorialized on the Tumbler Ridge Raptors hockey team website as “goofy, fun and truly one of the kindest kids we ever had.”
Twelve-year-old Maya Gebala, described as having “a larger-than-life personality that fills a room,” was shot numerous times and remains in hospital with serious, long-term injuries.
In the days following the shooting, residents gathered at the community centre, which houses the town’s arena, pool, library and curling rink, to grieve and support one another.
That role helped inspire Theresa Nevills, a retired Royal Canadian Air Force aviation maintenance superintendent on Vancouver Island, to nominate Tumbler Ridge for the contest after noticing no one else had done so.
“That space is sacred to them,” Nevills said in an earlier interview with CBC News.
For many in Tumbler Ridge, the recognition is about more than hockey.
“When we are faced with tragedy, this is where we gather,” said Amy Heaton, a local hockey parent and coach, in a video released by Kraft Hockeyville. “It’s not just an arena, it’s who we are.”
Tumbler Ridge, which represented B.C., was selected as one of 13 communities, one from each province and territory, to receive $50,000 for arena upgrades as part of the contest’s 20th anniversary.
Now the town will go head-to-head for the grand prize with Taber, a southern Alberta town that lost the use of its aging hockey arena after an explosion. The runner-up will also receive $100,000 for rink upgrades and the winner will get $250,000.
“Canadians shared inspiring stories about how their local rinks foster connection, strength and community,” said Kelly Fleming, Chief Marketing Officer, Kraft Heinz Canada in a statement Saturday afternoon. “That spirit is reflected in this year’s finalists…where the arena is at the heart of it all.”
The winning community will be announced April 4.
As the 2026 edition of the Junior All-Native Basketball Tournament wraps up, young players will be heading back home. As the CBC’s Kier Junos reports, one player from Tumbler Ridge says the game will continue to be a source of hope.
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