NORTHFIELD, Ill., April 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of communities across the country have shown their hockey spirit and passion by nominating their local rinks for the esteemed title of "Kraft Hockeyville(TM) USA," and the chance to host an NHL Pre-Season Game in their local community. Launched in the United States for the first time on January 1, in partnership with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), National Hockey League (NHL®), NBC Sports Group and USA Hockey, Kraft's Canadian-born program captured the nation, reaching communities in all 50 states, with 1,324 rinks nominated and 18,388 unique story nominations. The top 10 communities will share $425,000 in arena upgrades from Kraft.

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The 10 communities, five from the West and five from the East, moving on to the first round of voting include:

West


    --  Big Dipper Ice Arena - Fairbanks, Alaska
    --  Decatur Civic Center - Decatur, Ill.
    --  St. Michael Albertville Arena - Albertville, Minn.
    --  Rushmore Hockey Thunderdome - Rapid City, S.D.
    --  Pickwick Ice - Burbank, Calif.

East


    --  Quincy Youth Arena - Quincy, Mass.
    --  Cambria County War Memorial Arena - Johnstown, Pa.
    --  Highgate Sports Arena - Highgate, Vt.
    --  Healthy Zone Rink - East Aurora, N.Y.
    --  Pullar Stadium - Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.

"We are overwhelmed by the number of nominations, along with the incredible community pride and hockey enthusiasm shown through the first year of Kraft Hockeyville(TM) USA," said Jane Hilk, Chief Marketing Officer and President, Kraft Beverages & Snack Nuts Division. "Nearly seventy percent of all rinks in the country were nominated. This is a clear testament to the unity hockey brings to communities across America, and we are excited for fans to rally around their favorite community and cast their votes."

Three rounds of public voting begin on April 14 and determine the first Kraft Hockeyville(TM) 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 Hockeyville(TM) 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.

For voting rules and complete program details, visit www.KraftHockeyville.com. Kraft Hockeyville(TM) USA can also be found at Facebook.com/KraftHockeyvilleUSA and on Twitter (@HockeyvilleUSA). You can join the conversation using #HockeyvilleUSA.

NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.

NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks, and HOCKEYVILLE is a trademark of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks (including HOCKEYVILLE) and NHL team logos and marks are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2015. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT KRAFT FOODS GROUP
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT) is one of North America's largest consumer packaged food and beverage companies, with annual revenues of more than $18 billion. The company's iconic brands include Kraft, Capri Sun, JELL-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters and Velveeta. Kraft's 22,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada have a passion for making the foods and beverages people love. Kraft is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 and the NASDAQ-100 indices. For more information about Kraft, visit www.kraftfoodsgroup.com and www.facebook.com/kraft. For delicious recipes, tips and information on Kraft products, visit www.kraftrecipes.com.

ABOUT THE NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters, vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports - the Stanley Cup®. Every year the NHL entertains more than 250 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 10 million fans on its social platforms; and more than 300 million fans online at NHL.com. In Canada, the 2014-15 season marks the beginning of a landmark 12-year broadcast and multimedia agreement with Rogers Communications, which includes national rights to NHL games on all platforms in all languages. In the U.S., the NHL is in the fourth season of its 10-year agreement with NBC and NBCSN, the 10(th) consecutive season both networks have served as national television partners. The NHL is committed to giving back to the community with programs including: Hockey is for Everyone(TM), which supports nonprofit youth hockey organizations across North America; Hockey Fights Cancer(TM), raising money for local and national cancer organizations; NHL Green(TM), which is committed to pursuing sustainable business practices; and a partnership with the You Can Play Project, which is committed to supporting the LGBT community and fighting homophobia in sports. The NHL received three 2014 Sports Business Awards: "Sports League of the Year," "Sports Executive of the Year" recognizing Commissioner Gary Bettman, and "Sports Event of the Year" for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. For more information, visit NHL.com.

ABOUT THE NHLPA
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 15 years, more than 70,000 deserving children in 32 countries have benefited from the players' donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $22-million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 10 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

ABOUT USA HOCKEY
USA Hockey Inc., founded on October 29, 1937, and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., provides the foundation for the sport of ice hockey in America; helps young people become leaders; and connects the game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport. More than one million strong, including players, coaches, officials and volunteers that span all 50 states, USA Hockey is the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States and has important partnerships with the National Hockey League, United States Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation. For more information, visit usahockey.com.



    Contacts: Caroline Krajewski  Lindsay Alston

              Kraft Foods         Edelman

              847-646-4538        312-240-2803

              news@kraftfoods.com lindsay.alston@edelman.com

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SOURCE Kraft Foods Group, Inc.