VERNON, British Columbia -- Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle felt like a kid again on Sunday.

A participant at the Kraft Hockeyville 2016 festivities, Eberle responded with a performance that bodes well for the future of the Oilers' new top line with center Connor McDavid and left wing Milan Lucic.

VERNON, British Columbia -- The last time Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic played a game in Vernon, he remembers being "wowed" by the chance to play at Kal Tire Place.

Twelve years later, the roles have been reversed. Lucic is back with the Oilers for a preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings as part of Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada, and it's the people from Vernon that seem to be awestruck by the chance to watch Lucic and his teammates in action.

LUMBY, British Columbia -- Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb could relate to the kids in Lumby, the small town in the interior of British Columbia that won Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada.

McNabb, 25, is from Davidson, Saskatchewan, a small farming community of a little more than 1,000 people. So when McNabb joined Kings teammate Tanner Pearson on Saturday to talk and take questions from kids and parents in Lumby, a town of 1,731, his answers carried more weight because he made the NHL after starting out in such a small town.

"It's pretty cool to see how the town gets up for an event like this because I grew up in a town with 1,000 people and the community was basically just sports, so you grow up in the rink," said McNabb, who played in Davidson until pee wee before moving to a boarding school to play.

LUMBY, British Columbia -- When Tom Kowal left his hometown of Vernon, British Columbia at age 18 to pursue his dream of being an NHL referee, he never thought the League would bring him back to work a game. 

Almost 30 years later, Kowal is back in Vernon as part Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada, and excited to referee a preseason game between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings at Kal Tire Place on Sunday (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN).

LUMBY, British Columbia -- When the Stanley Cup arrived here Saturday, it wasn't hard to see how the small logging town won Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada.

As Keeper of the Cup Mike Bolt escorted the trophy to a community celebration with two members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police by his side, the line of people waiting to see the Cup ran 5-6 across, all the way around three edges of a large field adjacent to Pat Duke Memorial Arena, and out into the parking lot.

Considering Lumby has 1,731 residents, it was impressive to see more than 2,000 people waiting for a chance to take a picture with the Stanley Cup. That didn't include hundreds of children inside the arena taking part in on-ice clinics being led by NHL alumni including Eric Godard, Dean McAmmond, David Oliver, Fernando Pisani, Jerred Smithson and Aaron Volpatti.

"I expected a huge crowd, that's why we got here this early," said James Saxton, who showed up 90 minutes before the Cup arrived with his son Jack and was first in line.

LUMBY, British Columbia -- The NHL is bringing the Stanley Cup, the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings here for Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada this weekend, but the positive impact of winning the event already has been felt in this small town, about a five-hour drive northeast of Vancouver.

Registrations to play in the Lumby Minor Hockey Association increased significantly this season, jumping from 70 players to more than 100, and forcing organizers in a town of 1,731 to cut off signups for the first time association president Kevin Porteous can remember. 

VANCOUVER -- Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland wasn't surprised by all the buzz surrounding Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada when he went home this summer.

Holland was born and raised in Vernon, British Columbia, where the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will play a preseason game at Kal Tire Place on Sunday as part of the celebrations, and spent a lot of time as a kid in nearby Lumby, the small town that won Kraft Hockeyville. He is well-versed in the area's hockey history and knows the passion that comes with it.

VANCOUVER -- Rhonda Catt is trying to hold it together, offering unnecessary apologies as her voice cracks and she fights back tears talking about Kraft Hockeyville 2016 in Canada bringing the NHL to her hometown of Lumby, British Columbia this weekend.

For Catt, the event is more than just a celebration of hockey's grass roots and the way it brought together this small town in the British Columbia Interior. It is a celebration of the life for her husband, Peter, whose sudden death in November first shook, then rallied a community of 1,731 people, inspiring the drive that led to Lumby winning Kraft Hockeyville.

"For me it just keeps Peter alive," Rhonda said. "I want to be able to talk about him and I want to be reminded of him and remind others of him. I don't want him to be forgotten.

"He was a good man, he was great with kids and he loved the sport and because there was so much positive energy trying to drive this Hockeyville win on behalf of him, it makes me feel good because I know other people want to remember him like that too."

Rhonda Catt wants to ensure that her late husband is remembered long after Kraft Hockeyville 2016 leaves Lumby, British Columbia, by helping others avoid the grief she experienced.

Peter Catt had a fatal heart attack on Nov. 3 at the age of 46. The death of the beloved husband, father and youth hockey coach inspired Lumby to enter to be the host for Kraft Hockeyville 2016, which is this weekend. The main event is a preseason game between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers on Sunday (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN).

The votes have been tallied, and Lumby, British Columbia, has been named the Kraft Hockeyville in Canada-winning community.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Saturday, live on Sportsnet.

Lumby will host a preseason game between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 2, and will receive $100,000 to use for arena upgrades at Pat Duke Memorial Arena.