UPDATE: Pullar Stadium in Sault Ste. Marie advances to Final Four in Kraft Hockeyville contest
UPDATE (Saturday, April 18): During the first intermission of Game 2 between the Red Wings and Lightning, NBC announced the four finalists for the first-ever Kraft Hockeyville USA contest, with Pullar Stadium making the list. We will have more information as it is presented, but we do know that Round 2 voting will go from 12 a.m. ET on April 21 through 11:59 p.m. ET on April 22, with the final two arenas announced on April 25. Pullar Stadium is now guaranteed at least $40,000 in facility upgrades.
Original article (Monday, April 13)
By @MichaelCaples –
On Saturday, Kraft Hockeyville announced the ten finalists for its first U.S. rink competition, and one of them is a historic arena in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Pullar Stadium, one of the first buildings to ever house artificial ice, is now in the running to win the Kraft Hockeyville contest, which would bring $150,000 towards facility upgrades and two NHL teams to Sault Ste. Marie for a NHL preseason contest.
Fifty-five entrees were cast for Pullar Stadium during the first round of voting on Hockeyville’s official website, and the Sault Ste. Marie landmark was selected by a committee.
Fans can vote for Pullar Stadium by texting ‘Pullar’ to 35350 or call toll-free 1-855-255-5975. Voting begins tomorrow, so make sure you support our Michigan rink. You can vote up to 50 times a day with each method.
MORE: MAG: LSSU honors local player with Pullar dedication | Kraft Hockeyville nomination process closes – which MI rinks did best?
Here is how one winner will be decided from the ten finalists:
Three rounds of public voting begin on April 14 and determine the first Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA:
- Round 1: 12 a.m. ET on April 14, through 11:59 p.m. ET on April 16 – Top four communities announced April 18 and chosen to move on to the next round; remaining six each receive $20,000 toward arena upgrades
- Round 2: 12 a.m. ET on April 21 through 11:59 p.m. ET on April 22 – Top two communities announced April 25; remaining two each receive $40,000 toward arena upgrades
- Round 3: 12 a.m. ET on April 27 through 11:59 p.m. ET on April 29 – One community becomes the first-ever “Kraft HockeyvilleTM USA”; runner-up receives $75,000 toward arena upgrades
The grand prize winner will be announced on NBC on May 2 and receive the grand prize opportunity to host an NHL® Pre-Season game televised on NBCSN and $150,000 in arena upgrades from Kraft.
Constructed in 1939, Pullar Stadium once served as the home of the Lake Superior State Lakers and as the Red Wings’ training camp facility; it now hosts Sault Area High School Blue Devils varsity hockey, the NAHL’s Soo Eagles, the Hiawatha Skating Club and the Sault Michigan Hockey Association.
“The community showed tremendous support and spirit during the submission phase. But our work has only begun and we need your continued help and votes to keep the Pullar in the contest,” said Linda Hoath, executive director of the Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau, on a SaultSteMarie.com blog post.
“In addition to daily voting, we encourage everyone to share this information with friends and family all over Michigan and the United States. We are certain that generations of hockey players who have moved away from the area will still want to support the Pullar and, by extension, Sault Ste. Marie,” Hoath added.
While there were many entrees for Pullar Stadium, the winning one was from Ron Maleport, who did an excellent job of summing up the arena’s importance to the community. Here’s what he had to say:
Pullar Stadium in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan was constructed in 1939 and is one of the oldest artificial ice rinks in the U.S. still in operation. The Pullar has always been known for having excellent hard and fast ice. 2014 was the 75th Anniversary of the rink and the community of Sault Ste. Marie has begun a Building Renovation Project to preserve what I call, the “Pullar Feeling” for decades to come. The “Pullar Feeling” to me is that when I walk into the ice rink it feels as familiar as home. Over the years, the Pullar Stadium has always been the community hub for hockey, figure skating, dances, public skating, fishing tournament banquets, the place to see the Circus when it came to town, and much more. It is currently the home ice for the Sault Area High School Blue Devils Hockey Team and the Soo Eagles Jr. “A” Hockey Team. In the past, it has been the home ice of Lake Superior State University’s (Division 1) Laker Hockey Team, the Soo Indians Jr. “B” Hockey Team, and the Detroit Red Wings training camp ice from 1948-1958. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan is the original “Hockey Town USA”. I remember the Pullar Stadium being adorned with “Hockey Town USA” banners in the 1960’s. Many a hockey player or figure skater has spent their formative years learning on the ice of the Pullar Stadium. I, myself, starting playing hockey at the Pullar in the 1960’s and continue to play in a Men’s Hockey League there to this day. I got to meet Gordie Howe and get his autograph sometime in the 1960’s when the Red Wings came to the Sault (pronounced “Soo”) Pullar Stadium. I have many fond memories watching my son practice and play hockey along with my daughter learning to figure skate at the Pullar. The rink is a great asset to our community and families. It holds great memories for so many community members who watched their children/grandchildren skate for the first time, score their first goal, or adorn a special costume and take to the ice for the Annual Hiawatha Skating Club Figure Skating Revue. The Pullar Stadium has made many people proud of their accomplishments or the accomplishments of their loved ones. The Pullar Stadium has always been a place for people to gather and enjoy a good hockey game. These are the reasons why the Pullar Stadium is loved by the community and community members are giving to preserve that “Pullar Feeling” for a stadium rich in community history. What better ice stadium to have a preseason NHL game in other than the Pullar Stadium?