An ice thing about winter: The lure of backyard rinks in Newfoundland and Labrador
ST. JOHN’S, NL – Whether your family thinks your young ice hockey enthusiast is the next Wayne Gretzky, or you just want to enjoy winter without leaving your backyard, outdoor ice rinks are gaining both creativity and popularity.
Deer Lake’s Christopher Freak and his wife Amanda have been indulging in this hobby for 15 years to get through the long winters, but it’s been three straight years for their rink as they now have two children, one of whom is in small hockey.
Freak has never played hockey in his life and doesn’t skate much, but enjoys building the rink for Joel, 6, and Elliott, 3, and any other friends and family who would like to use it. They’ve even purchased extra ice skating and hockey gear.
“I would encourage anyone thinking about building an outdoor ice rink to do it. It might seem intimidating and complicated and a lot of work, but it really isn’t that hard,” Freak said. “Ask questions, don’t give up, and take what Mother Nature throws at you. Worth it.”
It has become a passion for the whole family.
After the kids go to bed, Freak often works to clear the ice or flood it if necessary.
“Sometimes I’m out there laughing at myself with a broom in hand sweeping the rink and I can’t remember the last time I picked up a broom around the house,” he said.
The first time the couple built an ice rink was at his parents’ house and they stomped down the snow with snowshoes.
“We’ve evolved every year,” he says, explaining the move to plywood panels on the sides, plastic sheeting or liners, and new equipment like nets.
The liners are replaced every year and cost $250 this year.
But that’s a small price to pay for a huge treat.
In years past, Freake would come home from work to find neighborhood kids two or four blocks away cleaning up the rink and throwing a hockey game.
When he’s working outside, people honk their horns as they drive past, or stop for a chat if they’re walking.
For someone to get into the hobby, they don’t have to start big.
“I see people with very small ice rinks and the kids run with smiles on their faces. I see people with elaborate ice rinks and these kids are having fun too,” he said.
For his son, who is active in small hockey, it’s a chance to get extra ice time to work on his skills or just shoot a few pucks in the evening.
That’s especially appealing wherever community rinks are being crunched for ice age, Freake said.
Or a backyard ice rink could be as simple as enjoying family time with the Christmas lights hanging and the fire pit.
“Someone will come by with hot chocolate. It’s an experience that I believe never gets old,” he said.
The time span for the seasonal ice rinks depends on where you are in the province as there are different climate zones.
Freak hopes this year’s ice rink will be ready by Christmas.
“I’m waiting for a cold snap,” he said.
If you build it, children will come
Russ Austin, a Pentecostal preacher in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, is on his fifth winter with a backyard ice rink.
“My kids really wanted an outdoor space to learn to skate and play hockey with friends,” he said.
Reuben is now 14 and Sam is 13. Austin’s wife Jennifer also skates and even the family dog roams the rink. His description of Christmas Eves in the backyard sounds like a scene from a Hallmark movie.
The family has a fire pit and lights around the rink, and a typical outing might include moose burgers and some music.
The rink takes up the entire backyard and is about half the size of a standard arena rink.
Austin’s strategy is to trample down the snow to create the base, and he fills 25 45-gallon barrels and tips them 15 to 30 times. He picked up the drums at the local dump.
The ice surface takes about two to three weeks to build, and it’s important to take your time, he said.
The rink attracts a lot of use in the neighborhood.
“Sometimes kids show up and I don’t even know who they are,” Austin said.
His youngest joined hockey last year and training in the backyard is helping his skills.
Austin said he was inspired by his experience growing up in Lewisporte, where a neighbor had an ice rink in their backyard. He even tracked him down on Facebook and shared his own creation.
Help is out there – just ask
Adam Walsh of Chapel’s Cove played hockey his whole life and grew up skating on a pond.
He decided he wanted to build an ice rink for his son Lincoln, 3, when the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit and all activities were halted.
Now he’s at a more elaborate ice rink with a poured concrete floor that’s set to be repurposed for a garage in the future.
He and his wife Megan have friends and family who come over at night to enjoy the skate and fire.
His advice to rink newbies: “Start small because it’s a lot of work, especially in Newfoundland. Please investigate.
“Invest in a good liner.”
One thing he learned during the process is that what he thought was a level lawn wasn’t actually one.
“On the first rink, there was 18 inches of water in one corner and three in the other,” he said. “If you look at the lawn, it looks perfectly flat.”
Walsh coaches hockey and said having a backyard ice rink is a definite benefit for kids looking to improve their skills.
Many nights he worked at the ice rink until two or three in the morning so that his son could skate on it when he got up.
“Start small and don’t give up,” he said. “But in the end it’s worth it.”
In 2007 he tried to build an ice rink for his nephew but it didn’t work out.
Are you thinking about building your own outdoor ice rink for the first time, or do you have experience but still need advice to just share ideas?
As for everything else, there is a Facebook group for this: NL Outdoor Rinks!
Freak said it’s a great resource because different areas of the province have different climates and people share tips and ideas as well as their personal experiences.
Austin said it’s ideal as there’s always a problem someone will encounter, whether it’s how to level the floor, or how to light the area, or what’s the best way to flood the rink.
“Somebody sure has an answer,” he said.
