Kraft Hockeyville Extends Community Impact with Biggest Prize Pool Yet to Celebrate 20th Anniversary

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 5, 2026--

Kraft Heinz, in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL ® ) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), announced that nominations for the 20th anniversary year of Kraft Hockeyville are now open. Canadians can nominate their communities at KraftHockeyville.ca by answering just three questions until March 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260105910772/en/

Over the past two decades, Kraft Hockeyville has proven that hockey is more than a game–it’s the heart of Canadian communities, where local arenas serve as vital gathering places. Since 2006, the program has awarded $5.4 million to support 105 communities, and this year Kraft Hockeyville is honouring its 20-year legacy with its biggest program yet.

The milestone anniversary offers an expanded format that nearly triples the total prize pool from past Kraft Hockeyville competitions, ensuring even more communities across Canada can benefit from essential arena improvements. For the first time, the program will add a new phase in the contest format to recognize one Provincial & Territorial Winner from each of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories. This program expansion highlights Kraft Heinz’s commitment to supporting passionate hockey towns in every region of the country. This year’s new prize structure includes:

To spotlight the 2026 program and bring it to life, Kraft Hockeyville has teamed up with two ambassadors. Marc-André Fleury, recently retired NHL alumnus, brings his consistent, humble leadership shaped over a 21-year career. Joining him is NHL alumnus and top hockey media personality Paul Bissonnette, celebrated for his grit on the ice and bold, unmatched commentary off it. Together, Marc-André and Paul embody the spirit of Kraft Hockeyville with their heart, humour, and deep love for the game.

“Hockey isn’t just a game in Canada, it’s part of the community,” said Bissonnette. “Kraft Hockeyville gets that. For 20 years, it's energized local rinks and gotten people fired up. I remember playing in the Kraft Hockeyville NHL Pre-Season game in Vernon, B.C., back in 2016, and the local community was absolutely buzzing. That’s what hockey is all about."

Winning funds from Kraft Hockeyville ensure local arenas can keep their doors open, helping protect the future of hockey in communities where the rink is an essential gathering place. Over the past two decades, Kraft Hockeyville has helped unite communities around a shared love of hockey in countless ways. Over the years:

“Kraft Heinz has been part of the fabric of Canada for more than a century, and for the last twenty years, Kraft Hockeyville has been about spotlighting the way that hockey binds Canadians together. As we reflect on celebrating twenty years of Kraft Hockeyville, we’re proud to honour the communities that have shaped the program’s legacy,” said Simon Laroche, President, Kraft Heinz Canada. “This year’s new format lets us celebrate the enthusiasm and resilience of hockey towns in every province and territory. With more funding than ever awarded to a greater number of local communities, we’re thrilled to support even more rinks this year and keep fostering a deep love for the game.”

Community nominations close March 1, 2026, followed by judging. The 13 Provincial & Territorial Winners will be announced March 14, 2026, with the Kraft Hockeyville 2026 champion announced April 4, 2026. To nominate your community, learn more about the new program format or access full contest rules, visit KraftHockeyville.ca.

About Kraft Heinz Canada

Kraft Heinz Canada's heritage can be traced back over a century to when James Lewis Kraft of Stevensville, Ontario began selling cheese from a horse-drawn wagon in 1903. Heinz Canada was established in 1909 in Leamington, Ontario where its first products were pickles sourced from local growers. Following the 2015 merger between Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company, Kraft Heinz Canada became a subsidiary of the newly formed Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC). Now the country's second largest food and beverage company, iconic Kraft Heinz Canada products like Kraft Peanut Butter, Heinz Ketchup, KD, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Renées Dressing, Jell-O, Classico, Kool-Aid and Maxwell House are found in over 97 per cent of Canadian households.

Kraft Heinz Canada is driving transformation inspired by Kraft Heinz's global purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious, by creating memorable community moments through local initiatives such as Kraft Heinz Project Play and, of course, the impactful program we're celebrating here, Kraft Hockeyville, while also supporting food banks across Canada through Kraft Heinz Groceries for Good program. Learn more about our journey by visiting kraftheinz.com or following us on LinkedIn.

NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. © 2025 NHL. All Rights Reserved.

NHLPA and the NHLPA logo are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League Players’ Association. © NHLPA. All Rights Reserved.

Kraft Hockeyville 2026

Kraft Hockeyville 2026

MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 6, 2026--

Immervision, the global leader in wide-angle vision, image-processing algorithms, and end-to-end camera simulation, announced its contribution to the newly launched Lenovo ThinkPad X1s and X9-15p introduced at Lenovo Tech World & CES 2026.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106757954/en/

Engineered for modern hybrid collaboration, the new 10MP camera available on these devices features a custom Immervision 110° FoV miniature wide-angle optical design paired with Immervision’s real-time image-processing algorithms integrated into Intel’s newest chipset. This hardware–software combination unlocks the full 110° field of view preserving natural facial proportions across the entire screen and maintains clarity even in challenging or low-light conditions - all within the extremely compact form factor required by Lenovo’s ultra-thin flagship.

“Delivering exceptional video-conferencing quality is core to the ThinkPad experience,” said Tom Butler, Vice President, Commercial Portfolio & Product Management, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. “Immervision’s optical innovation and image-processing capabilities play an essential role in enabling the wider, more natural perspective featured on these premium devices.”

The collaboration demonstrates how deep integration between optics, silicon, and software can elevate user experience without compromising performance, power consumption, or industrial design.

“Creating a high-megapixel, 110-degree wide-angle camera in such a small form factor is a remarkable joint engineering achievement between Lenovo, Intel, and Immervision,” said Jean-François Rousseau, Immervision CEO.

Alessandro Gasparini, EVP & CCO at Immervision added: “Together, we have delivered a camera system that captures a crystal-clear, professional image in any lighting condition while ensuring everyone or a single person, wherever they are in the frame, look their best. This integration sets the foundation for the next generation of videoconferencing and collaboration features that will make remote meetings feel much closer to in-person interactions.”

These new Lenovo devices will be available starting in Q1 2026. For more information, visit www.immervision.com and www.lenovo.com.

About Immervision

Immervision specializes in the design of wide-angle camera systems, combining advanced optics, image-processing algorithms, and camera simulation to enable high-performance imaging solutions. It helps OEMs engineer camera systems that see more of the scene while preserving natural geometry and superior image quality across the whole field of view. Immervision technologies are used worldwide in consumer electronics, enterprise computing, robotics, automotive, and defense applications.

Compared to traditional laptop cameras, Immervision’s wide-angle vision technology captures more of the scene while preserving natural facial proportions for every participant on Lenovo new ThinkPad X1 and X9.