Michael Townsend
of Sable River, N.S.

The charm of this rink is that it's made from scrap materials and it's given hours of enjoyment to the neigborhood kids.

As the name implies, Little Harbour is a tiny fishing village on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Fishermen here make their livelihood catching lobster. Realizing that I couldn't afford to buy materials for my rink, it occurred to me that old lobster crates are sturdy, and they stand up by themselves; perfect boards for a hockey rink.

I gathered up 58 crates and when they were used up, some old boards from my barn finished the last side, with a total 55' x 35' surface area. A 60' x 40' rink liner from Home Depot was rolled out and stapled to the sides, and I then let the rain fill it up. I towed an old trailer into position to work double duty as a changing room and penalty box, and then Little Harbour Place was born.

I flood my rink by dragging a snow shovel and hot water hose with a towel on the blade. Two 500 watt worklights keep us playing hockey through the long winter nights.

The joy for me is to bring these kids to the game of hockey by bringing the hockey rink to them. This is where it all starts, and it's not really about making NHL players out of your kids, because hockey runs deeper than that. It's about a sense of community that can only be found on an outdoor rink.


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