The cold spell is keeping a lot of kids off the outdoor rinks in Western cities, including Whitehorse and Calgary. (Kevin Light/CBC Sports)

The outdoor rinks in Whitehorse are usually packed with hockey players this time of year, but these days, you'd be hard pressed to find a game of pick-up hockey.

"Only the die-hards are braving the cold," says John Grant, president of Whitehorse Minor Hockey.

Since temperatures plummeted to a lower than usual –35 C and colder, not including wind chill, shinny hasn't been a popular recreation choice.

"I've seen a few kids out there, but only a small number," Grant said. "There really haven't been a lot of people out there this year, certainly not the numbers you'd expect and not the numbers we usually get.

"With the temperatures like they are, you're good for 10 or 15 minutes if you're bundled, and that's it."

Same goes for Calgary.

Dale Paulsen owns Top Guns 3-on-3 Pond Hockey in the Alberta city and says the weather has "pretty much killed" the outdoor game.

"When it's –35, it's hard to go out," he says. "On the nights when it's –35, –40, the lights are on, but there's no kids on the ice."

After a four-week cold spell, it's starting to warm up in Calgary, and Paulsen expects the rinks will be busy later this week.

"When it warms up, there's a ton of kids out there because they try to make up for the lost time."

Frigid temperatures the norm for Fort McMurray hockey players

Farther up north in Fort McMurray, though, the cold weather is nothing new, says president of the city's minor hockey association, François Gagnon.

"I've seen a lot of kids still out there and playing on the outdoor rinks even in the –30 temperatures," he says. "Being so far up north, –40 is kind of usual. If you dress warmly enough and you're active, it's not a major concern."

Red Deer Pond Hockey in Alberta got off lucky with the weather because the cold spell hit during the league's holiday break. It's set to have an outdoor tournament this weekend, and the forecast is looking much better – almost too good, in fact.

"We're looking at a high of plus 2, which is almost too warm," says league chairman, Mark Baron. "Minus 5 would be perfect."

He's not complaining, though.

"It was –30 last week, so the timing for our tournament is great."

It wasn't so good for hockey players in Whitehorse, though. Grant heads up the city's minor hockey association and coaches an atom team, which had scheduled a tournament in Anchorage, Alaska, over the New Year. They never made it.

"It was –55, –65 … out there, so we ended up cancelling the tournament. We couldn't go," Grant says. "We couldn't in good conscience jeopardize the kids like that. It was way too cold."

The forecast is looking better heading into the weekend in Whitehorse.

"We're looking forward to some 25 below, because that will feel positively balmy," he said, laughing.