Local organizers working to ensure West Lorne area kids’ front and centre for NHL pre-season game in St. Thomas

The big prize from the Kraft Hockeyville competition is the $250,000 for upgrades to the West Elgin Arena in West Lorne, Ont. but it's the game that creates the buzz.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres are set to play a pre-season tilt on Sept. 27.

"I think there's going to be a lot of very happy Toronto Maple Leaf fans knowing that the game is going to be so close to our community,” said campaign co-chair Jessica Small. She acknowledged there are a considerable number of Buffalo fans in the region as well.

The game can't be played in West Lorne though, instead it will be played in the Joe Thornton Community Centre (JTCC) in St. Thomas, Ont.

Small admitted some people have expressed disappointment over that, but there were requirements the 377-seat West Lorne facility couldn’t meet.

"Requirements would be capacity, equipment availability, [and] facility size,” explained Small.

West Lorne, Ont. area residents celebrate winning the Kraft Hockeyville prize on April 1, 2023. (File)

Small noted that, according to Hockeyville representatives, the majority of the time the Hockeyville NHL game is held in a neighbouring centre. In fact, the last time a winning community actually hosted the game was in 2018, the year Lucan, Ont. won.

Still, she said everything will be done to make sure West Lorne community members will be front-and-centre for the big game, and for the week of events leading up to the game.

"Our number one goal is to get our community members in attendance with a priority on the kids because that's what this is about,” said Small.

"Hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs, that's pretty much all you need right there," said Andy Lerikos, owner of Legends Tavern.

The sports bar sits just a few blocks from the Joe Thornton Community Centre. He's said holding it at the Joe Thornton Community Centre will mean more people get to see their NHL heroes.

"Especially the young kids, right,” Lerikos said. “They don't get an opportunity so see an NHL hockey player come to their town and actually be in the arena that they practice and play in all the time. It's pretty special."

West Lorne, Ont. has won Kraft Hockeyville contest. The contest comes with $250,000 in arena upgrades, $10,000 in equipment and the ability to host an NHL Preseason game. (Joel Merritt/CTV News London)

In a statement to CTV News London, Jeff Bray, director, parks, recreation and facilities for the City of St. Thomas said "looking to neighbouring venues to maximize the winning community’s Kraft Hockeyville experience has been a common solution over the years" and St. Thomas looks forward to supporting West Lorne to provide the "best atmosphere" possible.

"With the larger facility and capacity at the JTCC, thousands more community members can experience the game and ancillary events," said Bray. "We are excited to find out more details as planning continues.”

To give some idea of how high anticipation is, the City of St. Thomas has already had to post notices on its website and on social media saying they're not involved in selling tickets, directing people to the Hockeyville Facebook page.

Small said the work of ironing out details around event planning and ticket distribution has only just begun.