posted on January 24, 2008

Toronto Out Door Rinks, in Eye Weekly

A Pair of Skates, A Stick and A Dream

By: Kevin Kennedy
Published: January 23, 2008
Source: Eye Weekly

As a youngster I remember opening the sliding door at the back of my house to listen for action at the outdoor ice pad next to Pleasantview Arena: the definitive sound of puck meeting stick, the relentless stick taps that call for passes, the highly offensive chirping between players or the sound of a snow-spraying stop. Once “rink noise” was confirmed, I’d throw on my custom Leaf jersey and be on my way. It was on that outdoor rink that I succumbed to the grip of the game.

And it wasn’t just me. Wayne Gretzky famously developed into the Great One on a backyard rink during the Brantford winters of his childhood. Roch Carrier’s The Hockey Sweater, which The Globe and Mail called “the best Canadian short story ever written,” sums it up nicely: “our real life was on the skating rink.” A part of our nation’s soul, apparently, may be found frozen outdoors on ice patches. Read more >>

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Content last modified on February 11, 2008, at 05:43 PM EST