ARNPRIOR   
 

Volunteer Firefighter, Andrew Hamilton has tirelessly maintained the McNab Public School rink for years. We thank Andrew for his time and efforts to make this rink an enjoyable space for our community. 

 

 

   BISHOPS MILLS   
 

Our ODR is located in the little village of Bishops Mills (in the Township of North Grenville), Ontario. The community have been flooding and maintaining this rink for many generations.  It is open to all. 

I live next door and can hear the slap shots well into the night. A great sound to fall asleep to. 

The boards are set up by the municipal staff in the fall. My husband, Mark lays the plastic, floods and maintains the rink along with other community members. Ken, heads over with his snow blower when the snow is too much to shovel. The Richens family are often seen clearing a path in the snow to the shack.  

The local Girl Guide troop is planning on spending the afternoon on it tomorrow. It is well loved and used every winter season. 

 

 

   BLACKSTOCK  
 

Souls Path - The recent stoppage didn’t stop power skating / hockey skills coach, Ashlea Jones from training her athletes. Located just outside Port Perry, Ontario is a new outdoor rink where regular hockey training skates took place. Ashlea’s skaters battled through snow storms and extreme cold to keep developing their skills. All to help motivate with the amazing backdrop.

 

 

   BLIND RIVER   
 

The Blind River ODR is a community obsession to say the least! Users pulling on skates for the first time mingle with those dusting a pair off after 20 years, as well as local athletes!


Going through the struggles of covid-19, us here in Blind River are blessed to have this full sized outdoor rink to continue to play hockey through the lockdown.

Outdoor rinks are where I fell in love with the game of hockey. Whether it was a pond, lake or a homemade rink; if I could find ice, I was playing hockey. With this spectacular rink being only a few minutes away from me, I have had the opportunity to enjoy it everyday with my teammates and relive those childhood memories that made me originally fall in love with the game. 


The odr means a lot to me and many of us because we are able to stay in game shape during lockdowns in these hard times! Nomination for Blind River ODR.


The ODR means to me so much it is a safe fun place and is my escape place where i don’t have to worry about anything else just get to play with the boys and have a great time. 


Blind River ODR

It was -20 when we went out tonight and these three still weren’t ready to leave after an hour.


Blind River ODR

My boys and some friends where you can find them most evenings since it opened for the season.

Plus at sunset, it is so beautiful there.

 

 

   BRAESIDE   
 

John A. Gillies Recreation Centre (JAG) ODR


This team got in a practice on the John A. Gillies Recreation Centre (JAG) ODR.

 

 

 

   BRANTFORD   
 

The Devon Down Park rink is a favorite meeting place for kids after school and college students in the evening. Its a joy to live across from the rink and see all the fun and activity!

 

 

   BROCKVILLE   
 

I would like to nominate Jeff Severson from Brockville Ontario who volunteers countless hours in the community including many many hours (along side a team of volunteers) put in to revitalize and run the Rotary Park ODR in Brockville.  They have volunteered and raised money to get a roof put on and he volunteers and runs the Brockville Winter classic every year which is a weekend event including an NHL alumni game playing against Brockville players who raise money for the community  to play. He and his team put in many volunteer hours every year to fundraise and support running this arena for the community. 

Even though I dont live in Brockville any more this means so much to me as Brockville is my hometown and to see the community come together and now have an ODR where people and teams can practice free of charge is pretty amazing. And to see all the smiling faces during the winter classic weekend warms my heart.

 

 

   BRINSTON   
 

Matilda Memorial Recreation Committee

We would like to invite EVERYONE to come skate on our favourite outdoor rink located in Brinston, ON! You can find this awesome rink tucked in Matilda Memorial Park, 11033 Gilmour Rd. The rink is maintained by local volunteers, of all ages, who lend equipment, scrape, shovel, blow snow & flood in frigid temperatures so everyone can enjoy some very Canadian pastimes.
We are so proud of our (big) little rink. 

Come to Brinston! So they say.
Come to Brinston! To skate and play.

Frosty nights and frozen nose
Making ice can freeze your toes

Come and skate our outdoor rink
It’s anything but rinky-dink!

 

 

  BURLINGTON  
  

Tansley Woods Rink

Growing up with an outdoor rink created incredible memories with my family that I still cherish.

Now as a parent, I am grateful that our Tansley Park community has The Rink Dads! The Rink Dads, as they are affectionately known are a small, but mighty team. 

Over the past two years, they have donated countless hours working on the rink to made the ice perfect for children and families to skate safely and make memories.

It is truly heartwarming to see children of all ages playing hockey, learning how to skate and just hanging out with friends. My 10 year old son says " I went to the rink everyday and met a lot of new friends and got a lot more hockey skills". A true Canadian winter experience. 

  

 

   CORDOVA MINES   
 

I would love to nominate the Cordova Mines Community Rink! We are a small town in Ontario, about an hour east of Peterborough. Every year, a small group of guys from Station 2 Havelock Belmont Methuen Fire Department, come together on cold nights to flood the community rink. The fire chief, Ray, even purchased a used Zamboni! 

Ray, Matt, Dave, and Kelvin, are four dedicated men that love to see our small town come together and play! Without them the kids and kids at heart wouldn’t have a place to play hockey, to learn how to skate, or to pull their little brothers around in a sled. 


I’m from a small town called Cordova we are located in between havelock and marmora Ontario! We are a big family and everyone is always together! Wether is that the rink in a garage or just outside! I NOMINATE the Cordova ODR


With all of the endless nights that go into our rink by some amazing volunteers to keeping it cleaned up after every snowfall. I feel that this little hamlet is well deserving of some financial relief that could go to good use in the up keep so that everyone can enjoy for more years to come.


I would like to nominate The Cordova Mines outdoor rink and its volunteers. I am in my 60s and I grew up in Cordova Mines. The rink was always a safe place to skate during the winter and play ball, tag, ball hockey, during the summer. Over the years there has been so many people learn to and enjoy skating at this rink. The community has pulled together time and time again to make sure that the walls stayed up safely. The kids could play without being in the street. As a child, I thought it was ginormous lol. The Cordova Mines Outdoor Rink in Cordova Mines Ontario, the town with a heart of Gold, An closed gold mine community should win everything there is to win. The community has thrived over the years and outdoor rinks are much more healthy to play on, as they are outdoors and with this coronavirus still running rampid, the kids are safe in this rink


 I would like to nominate the Cordova ODR for this contest. Located in Cordova mines just outside of Havelock Ontario. Volunteers that help make this rink what it is are, Ray Haines, Kalven Pressick, Matt Haines, Dave Maloney. 

This outdoor rink is the heart of our little community where families from all over come together to enjoy skating, hockey, ball hockey in the summer and we have even seen some skateboarding in the summer as well. This space is well deserving of this money to go towards upgrades to keep this rink enjoyable for many years to come. 


Submission for Cordova Mines outdoor rink. It is super high quality and run totally by volunteers. Would love to see them recognized and shown formal appreciation!

 

 

   DELAWARE   
  I would like to Nominate the Delaware Lions Club for your Community ice rink contest. 

This community service has been provided for several years by the local Lions club. 

The rink is about 46 feet by 96 ft and at night the ball field light are turned on till around 8-9pm. It's open to everyone from morning to night.

There is no hockey, sticks, puck or nets allowed on the ice before noon every day. This is so the youngest learning to skate can have at it. After noon, that is when hockey is free to have at it. There is a lot of hockey happening most days and nights (well into the night after the light are off too). There are a group of dedicated Lions and other community people that maintain the rink every day. 

We would like to say a special thank you to Mother Nature for giving us a cold winter with limited snow.

 

 

   DEEP RIVER   
 

In less than a week members of the Deep River Community pulled together an Outdoor hockey tournament including building the rink. They are fundraising to try and get permanent boards for the rink. 

It was an unbelievable effort by a small group of volunteers to keep Hockey going amongst the COVID chaos and if the rink does get boards it’ll be a beautiful addition to the town for years to come. 

Here is a video from the weekend - Watch here.

 

 

   GUELPH   
 

I would like to nominate Cross Creek Park in Guelph Ontario run by Tim Masters. Every year Tim creates the outdoor rink for the neighborhood kids. My daughter loves the rink every year as do all the others kids in the neighborhood.


The Cross Creek Rink is an amazing place to skate every year. The children love the ice and it’s so smooth. The man that organizes this rink dedicates a lot of time to ensure the ice is maintained all year. We love that there is a hill next to this rink that we can go tobogganing on after skating. This is a great community to live in and we appreciate the hard work put into this great rink.

 

 

 

   HEARST   
 

Our outside rink in Hearst Ontario is mostly all run by volunteers (Club des enfants du quartier).  They are a lot of volunteers included in this project led by Joël Morin, Miguel Morin, Mario Villeneuve and Louis Filion.

The “Club des enfants” outside rink project is a great example of how everyone can have a positive impact on their community.  We are really proud to call our small northern Ontario (mostly French) community HOME.

 

 

   IROQUOIS   
 

ODR in Iroquois ON. Created and maintained by Matthew Fahrngruber and crew.

 

 

   KINBURN   
 

We have recently moved to Kinburn, ON. In trying to become part of the community, my husband, Patrick Burman, called the local community centre to volunteer for the ODR. A few hours here & there to help out. He was told that it wasn’t a volunteer position, but a paid one & that they desperately needed someone because they haven’t had a slab in two years. So, although my husband works full time overnights for the City of Ottawa…he agreed to take on the commitment of the ODR.

My husband’s grandfather, Hank Burman, spent all his time tending to local outdoor rinks & coaching local hockey in North Bay. His father, Len Burman, played hockey all the way through university in North Bay & Toronto. Patrick, my husband, drove Zamboni for the city of Ottawa & for OSEG. Ice is in his blood. He loves it, but what he loves more is helping others. The idea of the community not having a slab for two years really hit home.

The Kinburn Community Association could really use a boost for next year’s ice! 

 

 

   KIRKLAND LAKE   
 

I am nominating the Civic Park ODR, located in Kirkland Lake, ON! This outdoor amenity has been the heart of our community for over 5 years now. I use the ODR in both winter and summer with my family and for programming events because it is a masterpiece! I drive by it several times of the day and it is rarely not being used… even when it is -40 (feels like -50). People in Kirkland Lake LOVE their hockey and they love being active outdoors. This ODR has been a constant for people throughout all of COVID, thank goodness. People knew that this facility was going to be open (though some restrictions had to be in place) so this was the only way friends would be able to play together, parents to meet up for a visit, and families to gather. 

 

 

   LASALLE   
 

Skotinos Arena (Darko Veselinovic)

When these girls had their season put on hold for a few weeks, Darko stepped up and offered them the opportunity to still be a team and do what they loved to do, get on the ice and play hockey!

Darko takes pride in his ODR right down to the many details you have to see to believe. Every visit to Skotinos Arena you will find something new! But what’s most important is Darko’s pure joy and excitement when he sees these kids having the time of their lives and making some great Canadian memories along the way.

You will undoubtedly hear him say “This is Canada, this is hockey”

Thank you Darko and Skotinos Arena! 

 

 

   LAURENTIAN HILLS   
 

This nomination is for the Point Alexander ODR located in Laurentian Hills, On. This rink is solely maintained by Dave Fischer and his family. They work tirelessly to keep the rink upkept and useable for all the kids of the surrounding area. They are volunteers, but their dedication is unmatched. 

 

 

   LEAMINGTON   
 

This rink is located in Leamington Ontario. This is the 9th year straight. Many improvements over the years. 90X50.  My buddy Derek is the owner of this rink. And shares the rink time with many people looking for a game. I help him each year doing what I can.  I’m working on a new way to flood the ice. Currently we use the rink rake type dealo. Does a good job. But the rink deserves better.  Can’t release the new idea till next season. 

Many hours working on this rink every year. Countless scraping. Shoveling snow.  Flooding. Always striving for the best ice.

Keep it awesome out there.  Been seeing a ton of great rinks across Canada.

 

 

   MERRICKVILLE-WOLFORD   
 

I am so excited to nominate our little villages ODR.  The village of Merrickville-Wolford's municipality has been maintaining our ODR this year. Last year it was a collective effort of a few volunteer residents.  In years past its been the job of a hired rink attendant.  Each year regardless of who takes on the task, the rink has been open and enjoyed by many residents.  And this past few years we are so fortunate to have the rink.  We have very little outdoor winter activities, so the rink is the heart and soul of this village in the winter.

Having been one of the volunteers last year, I can tell you without hesitation, we could really use some money to help with equipment upgrades.  Proper hoses and fittings would make the "flooder's" job much easier.  We are a small municipality and funds are tough to come by without generous offers such as this to apply for some assistance.  

We could use the funds to replace goal netting, shovels and flooding equipment.

Best of luck to all that get involved and thank you so much for the opportunity to nominate our Village of Merrickville-Wolfords Outdoor rink.


The village of Merrickville-Wolford has 1 outdoor rink located within Merrickville proper and 1 rink located in Easton’s corners that is inside a Quonset hut.

The rink within Merrickville is used the most seeing over 30 skaters and hockey players on the surface at a time enjoying the great Canadian outdoors. We have had the rink maintained by both volunteers and Municipal staff over the years and it is a very important asset the Municipality. The rink provides hours of enjoyment for our youth to be able to play hockey and just be able to get outside and be a kid.

This contrast would help the Municipality to be able to pay for new boards to replace some of the aging ones that are in place now. We normally have to replace some board every year and this year will be no exception with some having holes in them from speedy pucks bouncing of them.

I would like to say thank you very much for the opportunity to allow us to be a part of this exciting contest to possible help provide new rink boards so we can keep the game going.

 

 

   MISSISSAUGA   
 

Mississauga Jets

U11 Mississauga jets playing at Mississauga Golf & Country club tennis courts.  

Way to keep the game we love going!


Backyard rink used for a little team shiney.  This day it was -21….. parents where freezing, kids where hot!


U11 jets playing on the port credit river.  9 am on a Sunday morning -18….

 

 

   MONKLAND   
 

We have pulled ourselves up by the boot straps in the past few years and made our community come alive again. This year we succeeded in building a 40 x 100 ft. hockey rink with all donated materials and volunteer labour.  

 

 

   MOUNT BRYDGES   
 

Our small rural neighbourhood is exemplary of a community. In the winter months we all come together to clear and maintain the pond. Each person brings their own talents and resources and we all work together to make this space fun for everyone. I am nominating the rural pond of the South Caradoc Community, its primary caretakers, Ashley and Chris Zietsma and Marines Bakker for spending countless hours navigating the weather that is thrown our way to keep the ice as clean and smooth as possible. If we were to receive these funds, much needed ice grooming equipment would be purchased along with some lighting for us to keep up the tradition and intergenerational fun for years to come!

 

 

   NEWMARKET   
 

I am submitting for Lions Park Community Hockey Rink in Newmarket, Ontario. Chris Howie who has been working on that rink last 8 years with his son Conor. I feel blessed having him doing all that work day and night for our community so my son Matthew could play hockey during lockdown. He also ask people bring food donations for local food bank in return and that teaches kids great lesson. I am so thankful we have that outdoor rink in our community.


I started the Newmarket Lions Park Community Hockey Rink 8 winters ago to give back to my Community and give children of all backgrounds access to a great rink.

I run the rink by age group so that young children can skate with their friends and children their age without feeling intimidated by older kids or adults flying around taking hard shots.

I did not have access to hockey growing up; our Family was below the poverty line several years so hockey was out of the question...which is why I use the rink as a Community platform to raise donations for the Newmarket Food Pantry and for Belinda's Place Women's Shelter.

If selected I would use the funds to purchase more pucks (over 200 so far are in the snowbanks around the ice), skating trainers for beginners, extra skates/helmets/gloves for kids that want to learn how to skate and play, more shovels, tarp tape, shooting targets for the nets for when we do not have goalies, dekers to help with puck handling...and some hot chocolate for the kids who have been skating on very cold days!


Newmarket Lions Park Community Hockey Rink 
This community rink is enabled by the Town of Newmarket and is maintained strictly by volunteers. The rink is structured and flooded on top of three tennis courts which makes it is about ¾ the size of an NHL rink. The logistics, management and elbow grease are performed by volunteers under the leadership of a very dedicated head volunteer, Mr. Chris Howie. His dedication to this rink is driven by his personal experience as a kid when he was not always able to afford to play hockey, therefore the main purpose of this community rink is for kids to play and learn hockey for FREE.

Everyone needs to pitch in, shovelling the ice surface is required after each use by the kids that use it. Food donations are encouraged to support the local food pantry. These responsibilities build a better sense of community, a sense of pride of ownership.

 As the weather often changes, daily updates are always updated to ensure a good experience for everyone, on Facebook @NewmarketLionsParkCommunityHockeyRink, and on Instagram @lions_park_communityhockeyrink  

 

 

   NORTH AUGUSTA   
 

I would like to nominate the North Augusta ODR.

Our rink is located in the heart of North Augusta, where so many come to enjoy.

Our community is so fortunate to have so many great volunteers that help make this happen. 

 

 

   OTTAWA AREA   
 

I would like to nominate our Black Raven Rink in Barrhaven to this contest. We have awesome community helpers from local snowblowing companies to shovelers that help keep our rinks running. 


I represent the Weybridge ODR Crew in the Westend of Barrhaven (Ottawa) and we are nominating Jamie Leppard, our Team Captain. 


Nominating our ODR for this contest. Our rink is located in Kanata and built it for our growing Arcadia community. It gets so much use every day from people of all ages. There's nothing better than watching a kid grow to be a better skater and hockey player. 

Rink staff includes myself Joshua, Corey, Tim, Tim and Nick


Young's Pond, Kanata

To the Young’s Pond Association that takes care of this little gem in the middle of the suburbs. Great place for a skate or hockey game! 


My family and some neighbours, have been maintaining the ODR in Lakeview Park (Nepean) for the past 32 years and have had many highlight moments.  It has been recognized by local media, city staff and other ODR operators as one of the best maintained ODR’s in the city of Ottawa’s 270+ ODR program.  Lakeview Park is a bit of a hidden gem in the west end of the city and the rink is barely visible from the street.  In spite of that, the rink’s reputation has reached greater Ottawa/Gatineau, having visitors from across the region, including former and future NHLer’s.  Locally, this ODR supports various minor hockey teams by issuing exclusive use permits to promote team building.  It also brings our community residents together, by organizing outdoor hockey tournaments and outdoor curling bonspiels in support of local charities.


The Gardenway outdoor rink is located in Orleans, ON just behind the Elementary School Jeanne Sauvé. This public outdoor rink is entirely maintained by a small group of proud and dedicated volunteers who spent countless hours working at the rink every evening ensuring a superb ice quality. The main rink operator, also a volunteer, spends considerable time during the day clearing the snow from the ice, mostly by himself (Sylvain Paquin) as others are at work. He also coordinate all efforts for a smooth rink operation and maintenance.

This rink is extensively used by the Jeanne Sauvé school for their physical education program and also by the surrounding communities coming all over to enjoy a great location to spend good family time or to play hockey, ringette among friends. It keeps teens and young adults busy during the winter and especially during the hard time with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Orleans community is extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated team looking after this outdoor rink. Without them, it would be hardly possible! I therefore nominate the Gardenway Outdoor Rink and its volunteers team - Martin L, Francois L, Daniel R, Daniel T, Scott C, Kevin J, Stéphane L, Raoul T, and Danica P. 


Monsieur Sylvain and the Gardenway skating rink

Back home from Europe in 2018, Sylvain Paquin, just retired from Canadian Armed Forces, remembered the abandoned rink near his home in Orleans. After taking several steps, M. Sylvain became the Gardenway rink's volunteer operator under the Cardinal Creek Community Association. He then rolled up his sleeves and after numerous hours brought the rink back to life.

While everyone is asleep, M. Sylvain and his team of ten volunteers work tirelessly to keep this rink up and running. The kids from Jeanne-Sauvé elementary school and people of all ages from the community are so thankful for M. Sylvain and his team and their love in action!


Thanks so much for supporting outdoor rinks during this difficult period. I wish to submit Brantwood Park Rink in Old Ottawa East. With local kids having limited options to stay busy and active, it's more important than ever to offer them a place to play hockey and stay connected to friends and their community. Seeing the rink so busy throughout the week, day and night, makes the effort of maintaining it so enjoyable and rewarding. We have a dedicated group of over 20 volunteers helping clear and flood the rink everyday. 


I'm the Rink Manager of the Trend-Arlington Outdoor Rink, as well as a director of the Trend-Arlington Community Association. We're a small community in the west part of Ottawa. I'd like to nominate our rink for the "Keep the Game We Love Going Outdoor Rink Contest". More specifically, I'd love to nominate our Rink Operator, Dave Cajka

Each and every year, I read about different communities across Ottawa who are desperate to get volunteers for their rink. Often times they can't open the rink due to the challenge in getting people to run it. Fortunately, this is never the case here in Trend Arlington, and it's largely due to Dave Cajka who has single-handedly recruited, trained, supervised and motivated a group of over two dozen local volunteer Dads, who show up each and every night at 9pm sharp to scrape, shovel, and flood our beloved rink. 

Dave has been our Rink Manager for at least the past 10 years. He even grew up skating on this rink! It's really his passion project. On many occasions when I drive by I see him out on the rink alone, patching up holes or cracks in the ice. Because of Dave's and his team's dedication, our rink is open earlier and longer than most, and it gets used all the time. We even have the local public school who use our rink (not during COVID unfortunately), and so there are frequently hundreds of kids who use the rink every day during school's winter months. And ever since COVID put a huge limit on recreational activities, our rink has become even more important, as it's one of the only options for kids and families to get out and enjoy some physical activity. 

In fact, our rink is so well-used that the City of Ottawa has recently committed to building an outdoor wooden pavilion which will be located in front of our rink. This facility will be ready by Winter 2023, and it will make our rink an even greater destination for our community. 

If we win the $1,000 prize, it will go to augmenting the number of paid supervision we have at our rink for the 2022/23 season, where we pay a group of local teenagers to supervise the rink. And if we win, will be sure to credit Dave Cajka for being the reason we won the award, since he deserves the recognition.

 


I’d like to nominate Rob Welch, Briargreen’s ODR. Rob and his team of volunteers work tirelessly to provide a rink for the kids and adults in our neighborhood!  Morning, noon, and evenings – regardless of weather – they are flooding, shoveling,  checking in, so that we can all enjoy our winter wonderland in Briargreen.  This year Rob even gathered up Christmas trees to decorate – as you can see from the photos.  The entire neighborhood is grateful to Rob and his volunteers. A true community hero!  


I would like to nominate our River Run Rink to this contest. We have awesome community helpers from local snowblowing companies to shovelers that help keep our rinks running. 


I represent the Gloucester Centre Minor Hockey Association. The photo is a publicly accessible outdoor rink at Combermere Park in Ottawa that our association is responsible for. The ODR has a boarded rink for shinny and a pond for skating. All the work we do is to make this an incredible place for the community. We have so many ideas to improve it for the future including better lighting, more benches, new equipment, and a future plan to set up an accessible locker with sticks and pucks so young kids can try hockey. Any help will be put towards our ODR. 


I help run the Diamond Jubilee rink in Findlay Creek, Ottawa.   This rink has been maintained by group of dedicated volunteers since 2012.  In the photo is Mr. Robert Arnold who spent many a cold winter morning or evening help to keep this rink in tip top shape for all to enjoy.  He moved in 2018 to Oakville, Ontario and was honored with a plaque from Mayor Jim Watson for his dedication days before he moved.  He had no children of his own in the area but he was out there anyways doing what he did for the families of Findlay Creek Community.  With the help of my volunteers, I have tried to honor him by having the best possible ice surface for all to enjoy.  With the current pandemic we have expanded the surface to allow both the hockey players and casual skaters to enjoy the surface as much as possible.  Many a cold night or early morning is spent scraping the ice, clearing the snow and flooding the surface and our hard work is paid off every time we pass by and see the skaters out their enjoying the fresh air for a leisurely skate or quick game of pick up hockey!

Cheers to all the volunteers that make all these community rinks a think of beauty!


I’d like to nominate Jordan Fequet (Pike Rink, Hunt Club Park) for the ODR contest. 

The ODR is a nostalgic thing for me, growing up I spent so many hours skating! It has been amazing and heartwarming to see the amount of skaters using the Pike rink. My son has gone from not liking to skate, to loving it!  So many skills perfected this year thanks to the amazing ice quality (feels like an indoor rink!). Every single evening there is a hockey game being played, many regulars, many thank-you’s from people in the neighbourhood (see cute note in chaulk!).  The side rink is well used and easy access with the skate through path from trailer to/from each rink.

Jordan is there each day to ensure the ice is in good shape, with his Coco Paving truck, recognized by all. He has been open since Christmas and has not had a night without skaters. Even in -30 degree weather, it’s being used and loved.


I am nominating Tanglewood Park Community Rink (Ottawa) and Matt Budd-Kenny for the contest. Matt has been our Rink supervisor for many years now and he does a great job of maintaining the rink.

"The community ODR is the most important part of the community for myself. It's where I learned to play hockey as a kid, obtained one of my first jobs, and also learned valuable life skills as I grew up there. January and February have always been my favorite months, simply because of the ODR and how it brings our community together. I've tried to pass on this overwhelmingly positive experience to the next generation of kids in our community, including some of the Syrian refugees who I've helped learn to skate or play hockey. We're expecting twin girls soon, and I'm so excited at the idea that they will learn to skate/play hockey at the exact same rink I did as a kid, and hope to share my passion for the ODR with them as they grow up in our community."


Icelynd Skating Trails, Stittsville

We have a gentleman Steve Norton that has graciously volunteered his time and efforts with our new venture. He is a hockey coach for myers AAA and all around great person. We have now trained him to run the Zamboni amongst all of his other talents. He just loves to be part of the everyday operations and has become part of our Icelynd family. 


I would like to nominate Andrew Moss for his dedication to our rink, Mary Durling Outdoor Rink (Stittsville).

In the major snowfall of mid January, Andrew rounded up six guys with their snowblowers and managed to clear all the snow, on both rinks, overnight.

He is an upstanding person who is dedicated to our community and the youth and families who use our rink. He understands that during these tough times it is even more important that we all provide our communities with the physical outlet they require.


Stittsville Village Square rink (Scott Phelan)

Scott and volunteers work tirelessly on this rink for the community to use. With that money we could get some new items to help with the maintenance. We have 4 kids 8 and under and we love using it!!! 

 

 

   PETERBOROUGH   
 

Outdoor rinks regardless of locale, are always a wonderful and appreciated part of a community!

I am pleased to nominate the King Edward Park community outdoor rink, Peterborough, Ontario. This mid-town City park has featured an outdoor rink...volunteer based and maintained for some 30 years!!

The rink features boards (wood donated from local sources), outdoor lights - both City and temporary installations by volunteers, nets, skating assistive devices and shovels for snow removal.

The City of Peterborough provides access to water and initial preparation..but beyond that, the rink is maintained by volunteers. The Burke family have recently taken over this responsibility..and carryout their volunteer tasks with no fanfare and recognition.

My family ..three generations and several Rotary Club International Exchange Students have made use of this local outdoor rink. I have witnessed countless families, youth and children use this facility to enjoy skating and the great game of hockey..again only possible because community volunteers...the true unsung heroes make this possible. I have witnessed persons leaving hockey sticks, pucks hockey nets and shovels..without any prompting..simply to ensure the community could enjoy the rink. This informal tradition carries on to this day!

This community rink is only possible by virtue of volunteers and is truly indicative of our great game and community.

 

 

   POINT CLARK   
 

The Township of Huron-Kinloss would like to nominate a group of volunteers, Leah Van Dyke & Friends, from Point Clark, Ontario for the amazing work they have done to resurrect the Point Clark Outdoor Community Rink this year! The group works with the Township to ensure the ice is safe, well lit, and fun for everyone to enjoy! As you can see from the photo, the outdoor rink is in a spot that shows off one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world over Lake Huron.

 

 

   QUADEVILLE   
 

I would like to nominate our community ODR in Quadeville Ontario. The rink is owned and operated by the Quadeville athletic association. Quadeville is located in Brudenell, Lyndoch & Raglan Township inside Renfrew County. The past two years dealing with COVID restrictions has been hard on the association in the fact they have had little to no fundraising activities to generate revenue to keep the facilities operational. If chosen to receive a prize the association would be able to conduct needed repairs to keep the rink safe and operational into the future.

 

 

   ROCKWOOD   
 

I would like to nominate one of our outstanding outdoor community ice rinks, Valentino Park. The crew at Valentino are 100% volunteers and range from kids to grandparents and everyone in between. This rink came to be last Winter when COVID was very much a thing and one of the local families purchased hockey boards and DONATED them to the ODR! It was truly an amazing thing that really got the community excited about this rink.

The team that runs this rink runs like a well-oiled machine! They have a flooding schedule, maintenance schedule, and a WhatsApp texting group so everyone is always in the know!

This rink has brought so much joy to so many kids and families in our community that I truly feel it deserves to be recognized. If they won, they said they would put their winnings towards getting lights put in so kids can play longer at night! 

 

 

   SAULT STE MARIE   
 

The Mill Skating Rink is an artificial outdoor ice complex on the old St Mary’s paper mill property by the SAULT lock beside the rapids on the St Mary’s River.

 

 

   SMITH FALLS   
 

My lake ODR on Bass Lake. With my men’s CARHA hockey sidelined with covid, my beer league boys plan on Friday games. 

We got jerseys made and are making the most of the shut down. 

 

 

   SOMBRA   
 

Our new 60’x120’ outdoor rink in Sombra Ontario is used by all ages and skill levels each winter. It was a huge undertaking for our community and our small group of volunteers work very hard to keep the ice well maintained. 

 

 

   SPENCERVILLE   
 

I would like to nominate my Dad, Brian Purcell, a volunteer responsible for the Spencerville and District Optimist Club outdoor rink.

Since the inception of the outdoor rink in Spencerville, Brian has been committed to making a quality and fun winter activity for the people of Spencerville.

The Spencerville and District Optimist Club is a service club dedicated to serving youth in their community. Brian is one of the volunteers with the club; the outdoor rink being only one of the projects he gives his time to.

Brian is a life long resident of Spencerville, athlete and coach and, like his father, an avid volunteer. The outdoor rink is obviously one of his favourite projects as he has spent countless hours over the years perfecting the rink. These are not easy hours, often into the wee hours of the night in frigid temperatures. This is all to encourage play and community among our small village.

My Dad is very passionate about getting kids active and inspiring all to love any game. He has coached hockey (currently running the initiation Timbits program), baseball and football. Nothing makes him happier than seeing kids and families out enjoying the outdoor rink at the ball diamond.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spencerville and District Optimist Club has not been able to fundraise as much in other years. This with the rising cost of materials, it is challenging to keep up with necessary maintenance of the aging boards of the rink. However, as Brian has rightly pointed out, the rink is a non-negotiable for our community.

I am so proud of all my Dad does for our community, the outdoor rink is just one of the ways he makes our community better. 


Spencerville and District Optimist Club outdoor rink

 

 

   ST CATHARINES   
 

Walker’s Creek Community Rink is located in the north end of St. Catharines, ON. We absolutely love our community spirit and that is what has made this ODR thrive. This is our first year having an ODR in the park which is operated by a volunteer based group. The rink that is fuelled by our neighbours has brought a new sense of life to the park, it is amazing to have this rink in our park for everyone to enjoy. It has been a huge success and definitely has brought so many people outdoors.

If we were fortunate enough to to win any of the prizes offered we would be using the winnings to go towards a second rink in the park. We have had such a huge success we have outgrown one rink and are in need of expanding to have a second ODR. This would be such a huge help to our volunteer group to continue to provide our neighbourhood with this amazing ODR.

 

 

   STONEY LAKE   
 

We rented a cottage because our son loves sledge hockey. He was so excited for the opportunity to get back on the ice after sports went on hold due to covid.  This was our first-ever attempt at creating a rink. We shovelled through 12” of powder and 3” of slush to make this ORD, which was at Stoney Lake in ON.  While we were shovelling, there was a 2” layer of water at our feet, which we were hoping would freeze up overnight.  Myself, wife and 9yo daughter spent 2-3 hours in -20C digging out that rink. (I think my daughter actually did the most work!) Since it was so cold, we were lucky that the ice froze nice and smooth overnight, so we could play the rest of the weekend!  We also shoveled a little path the next day to add a bit more fun for the kids.

 

 

 

 

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