Work just beginning for O'Leary, P.E.I. after Kraft Hockeyville win

Now that the votes have been tallied and O'Leary, P.E.I., is crowned the new Kraft Hockeyville champion, the process involved in facilitating arena upgrades and putting on the event get underway this week.

Event experts

Linda Ferrandini, senior marketing manager with Kraft Hockeyville and Kraft Heinz, said the company works with SDI Marketing to make sure the event goes smoothly.

"They're our event experts,"she said Sunday.

O'Leary and Ituna, Sask. were the remaining two finalists in the competition. When O'Leary was announced as the winner Saturday night onCBC and Sportsnet, itsarena packed with community members eruptedinto cheers.

• O'Leary, P.E.I. named Kraft Hockeyville champions

Ferrandinisaid SDI representatives have been in contact with O'Leary's Hockeyville Committee since the community was named a finalist.

She added that representatives from the event agency are scheduled to be on P.E.I. to meet with the community about the process moving forward.

Arena upgrades

SDI is also involved in facilitating the transfer ofthe $100,000 prize for arena upgrades to management at the O'Leary Community Sports Centre. Arena management is responsible for using the money to make the improvements, she said.

Asked what happens if thecommunity doesn't use the entire $100,000, Ferrandini said that hasn't been an issue before.

"Most, if not all, of the communities have been able to absorb that $100,000 if not needed more to do a lot of the work that's required," she said.

"As we know, arena upgrades tend to be very costly. Should that be the case, the prize is the prize and, hopefully, the arena can use it toward upgrades as they go through."

Sept. 25 pre-season NHL game

In terms of hosting the NHL pre-season gameSept. 25 between the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils, the community will get lots of help.

SDI, as well as the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, will be involvedin decisions such as determiningwhat resources are available and what is needed. Security and accommodations will have to be worked out.

But ultimately, Ferrandini noted the event belongs to the community.

"It's for the community to own,"she said. "It's their event. We just want to be here to help. So, take a bit of the work off their plate and make it fun along the way if we can."

Della Sweet,a member of the bid committee and former arena manager, is expected to be part of the meeting with the representatives this week.

She previously said the arena needsa lot of repairs and the canteen and washrooms need major renovations. As well, she said the entrance to the arena needs to become more accessible for people with mobility issues. Other work could involve opening up the lobby to make the area more family oriented.

On Sunday, she said she doesn't know what her role will be as the process moves ahead.

A surreal experience

Even so, Sweet was revelling inthe experience on Sunday after a late night of celebrations. She was part of the community's 2006 bid which saw O'Leary reach thetop 10 in the inaugural Kraft Hockeyville contest, but fail to win the prize.

• Town hoping for better luck in Kraft Hockeyville contest

Sweet said she is proud of the committee for its work and proud of the community for voting and supporting the bid.

It was a surreal experience to hearO'Leary had won, Sweet said

"It was like watching a movie,"she said. "It felt like I was just watching everybody else watching their excitement. It overwhelmed me."

But not only was Sweet involved in the celebrations, she was also interviewed on national TV.

"To be on national TV, it never struck me until I watched it later on at night that I was actually on Sportsnet. It was a pretty neat experience."

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