Living on an elevated cul da sac on the south side of the city, these neighbours found themselves with one of the only flat areas that would be suitable to build a rink for their kids. With all of their neighbours helping, the rink was built entirely with donated and already-owned materials in less than two days.
Chris grew up playing hockey in Kitchener and now coaches one of his sons, Caleb, age 7, on the U8 Boys HL Blues. While Kelly’s own hockey career did not extend past high school, she certainly enjoys being a hockey mom to Caleb, Alice, age 9, and Eric, age 6. Alice plays for the Lady Rangers U11 LL Blue and Eric plays for the U7 Boys HL Nordiques.
Dan, also having grown up playing hockey in Kitchener, now coaches his twin boys Dominik and Anthony, age 7, with Chris on the U8 Boys HL Blues. Growing up, Barbara watched her brothers play hockey, and now she enjoys watching her boys play. Their youngest son, Markus, age 4, is a future KMHA Timbit in the making.
For this neighbourhood on top of the hill, the rink is an opportunity for these families to have some socially-distanced fun and for the kids to sharpen their skills, as well as their skates. Kelly says, “for the neighbours, it allows us to look out of our front window and see an ice rink that represents joy, hope and happiness. Having the arena brings back a sense of community.” With so many restrictions still in place due to Covid-19, anything that brings a sense of community back into our neighbourhoods is a welcomed change of pace.
