By David F. Rooney
Dennis Berarducci has been nominated for Kraft’s Hockey Goes On Contest which is offering to endow minor hockey associations with $1,000,000.
As of Monday afternoon, Dennis’ nomination was one of 513 nominations received by contest organizers. According to the contest rules the Top 100 finalists that have the most compelling story or submission will be announced on the contest website on March 16 and will move on to the voting phase. Starting at 6 am (PT) on March 23 and 24 people will vote for their favourite nominee.
“The top 5 Grand Prize-winning nominees will be announced April 3,” the rules say. “Each Grand Prize winning nominee will win $100,000 for their selected Minor Hockey Association. A total of 20 Second Prize-winning nominees will also win $20,000 to be awarded to their selected Minor Hockey Association. Imagine how much hockey equipment, ice time, tournaments and upgrades your Minor Hockey Association can get with that!”
Renee Howe and I nominated Dennis because of his decades of service to minor hockey in Revelstoke. Here’s what we said about him:
When it comes to hockey in Revelstoke no one has had more real impact over the years than Dennis Berarducci.
One step into the Revelstoke Forum and you cannot help but be impressed by the visible signs of his efforts to promote the sport for people of all ages. The Forum is home to the History of Hockey displays and even the seating you use to watch the games are due entirely to his efforts.
Excluding his childhood spent playing on natural ice, Dennis’ formal association with minor hockey began in 1975 when he became a coach for the new Minor Hockey Association. He was also a goal judge for the Revelstoke Selkirks in the 1970s and, from 1986 until 1991, the Revelstoke Merchants senior men’s hockey teams. He also helped publicize the Revelstoke Rockets Junior A Team in the early 1980s and 21 years ago began announcing and scorekeeping for the Revelstoke Grizzlies Junior B team. Dennis is also the announcer and scorekeeper for Minor Hockey. And somehow he found the time to create the History of Hockey Displays. What’s more between 2004 and 2006 he raised about $13,000 to purchase individual seats to replace the cold, hard benches at the Forum. He was also instrumental in having a visitors’ entrance to the ice surface installed at the beginning of the 2006-07 hockey season.
Dennis’ accomplishments are well known in Revelstoke and British Columbia. In 2006 he was awarded the Heather Ward Memorial Trophy for his dedicated volunteerism in our community. And, in 2009, Dennis was awarded a Life Member’s Award by BC Hockey.
A modest, soft-spoken individual with a lively sense of humour, Dennis believes communities thrive when ordinary people roll up their sleeves and get to work. And Dennis is a pretty ordinary guy. For years he made his living as the Hot Dog Man at Grizzly Plaza and he continues to volunteer his time and talents with minor Hockey and the local vintage car club.
37 years of hard work on behalf of Minor Hockey makes Dennis Berarducci a hero of minor hockey.
We could have said more but were constrained by the 2,000-character limit on submissions.
Renee and I hope you’ll agree with our choice of nominee and will vote for Dennis on March 23 and 24.
