UPDATED BLAINE LAKE —Organizers weigh in on the conclusion of Blaine Lake’s Hockeyville run.
The town’s CAO, Jim Puffalt, tells SaskToday, “We had a tremendous celebration in Blaine Lake March 21, with over 400 people for supper. It truly showed our community spirit and what the skating rink means to Blaine Lake and area.”
While acknowledging their understandable disappointment, Puffalt says they offer congratulations to the two finalists, Taber and Tumbler Rider.
“We believe this will provide seed money and is just the start of what we can do. Our plan is to continue discussions with community groups about what how we can create a plan to completely refurbish the skating rink. We can’t thank everyone enough who told their stories and worked together to win Saskatchewan. “
The Blaine Lake Community Association issued a gratitude social media post following the March 21 announcement which noted their association acknowledges that the most amazing thing has been watching the way that the Hockeyville experience brought so many people, organizations, and community members to rallying for their rink.
“It has reminded us that the work we have put into the rink over the past many years and the work we will continue to do is so much more than just maintenance and upkeep, it's keeping a critical community gathering space alive for generations to come.”
The community will move forward into another big rink renovation, but as the community association says, this time with many more partners.
“Over the past five years, the BLCA has invested over $85,000 and more than 300 volunteer hours into rink renovations alone, including new flooring and countertops in the kitchen, a complete lobby renovation that included new flooring, the demolition of a few closets and interior walls to expand the space in the lobby, the construction of a dedicated bar space, painting the lobby and dressing room hallways, and added insulation to reduce heat loss from the lobby into the ice area, as well as continuing to maintain and repair the aging boards, we've also supported the purchase of a new-to-us Zamboni and built a new home-team players bench with led by the "skating rink reno team" and the Blaine Lake Raiders.”
BLAINE LAKE —The energy in Blaine Lake on March 21 was unmistakable. Crowds gathered, comfort food filled plates, laughter echoed through shared stories, and a sense of anticipation hung in the air. For a moment, it felt like anything was possible.
But when the announcement finally came, Saskatchewan was once again absent from the list of finalists in the Kraft Hockeyville competition.
While the news may have brought a wave of disappointment, it did little to dampen the spirit of a community that had already found something worth celebrating.
Marking its 20th anniversary, the nationwide competition named Taber, Alta. and Tumbler Ridge, B.C. as its two finalists. Taber continues to recover from a devastating arena explosion that forced its facility to close, while Tumbler Ridge has been grappling with the aftermath of a tragic school shooting earlier this year.
Back home, many Saskatchewan residents — including those from Blaine Lake — responded with grace and perspective. Comments on the Kraft Hockeyville social media pages reflected both disappointment and empathy, with locals acknowledging that while they had hoped for a Saskatchewan win, the chosen finalists are communities facing significant challenges and are deserving of support.
Despite falling short of the final round and the $250,000 grand prize, Blaine Lake’s Hockeyville journey has already delivered meaningful results. The community secured a provincial win, bringing with it $50,000 for arena upgrades and an additional $10,000 for new hockey equipment.
More importantly, residents say, it brought people together.
From spirited rallies to volunteer efforts, the campaign ignited a sense of unity and pride. Locals expressed deep appreciation for everyone who contributed — whether by organizing events, sharing stories, or simply showing up.
“It wasn’t just about winning,” one resident shared. “It was about what we built along the way.”
