This hockey rink is going completely viral

NEW FUNDRAISER: www.gofundme.com/f/u3pj7-lang...
A hockey rink in the Village of Lang Saskatchewan is going completely viral. We'll talk about the Lang Rink and more on today's hockey video!

[@EckHockey]

NEW FUNDRAISER IS UP: www.gofundme.com/f/u3pj7-lang-rink-fundraiser?qid=811d295dc612c36fa9fdeedcdbdd262c They were actually in serious need already, and pushed the fundraiser up in order to get the attention this video (and the tweets) is sending their way!

[@kurtis__james]

You should update the link in the video description as well. Thanks for bringing attention to a good cause.

[@daveburrow25]

Go Go Go!!!

[@snoitseuqpi1119]

I'm in.

[@jakhamar55]

Played hockey in southern Alberta as a kid. Loved our old rink. It smelled like coffee and popcorn and hot dogs when you walked in. The old rink in Stavely was so cold it took the whole 1st period to get your feet warm. Some of the guys would put pepper in their skates to warm up their feet. I never tried it but they said it worked.

[@SeerGamingYT]

im thinking of donating 1k if i can get the money

[@joannesepicadventures6533]

I lived in Lang 1988-2007. The rink was always the place to be! Families in and near Lang have poured blood sweat and tears into this building, and all the fun had inside. Jam Can bonspiels, hockey, the card table, dressing rooms, skating lessons, carnivals, frostbite, fries and ketchup, Green Ghost, bats, smelly bathrooms, shinny.... Those were the days!

[@trying3841]

Frostbite lol

[@BailyC295]

Do you know the Becks??

[@forgetfulpriestiv14]

Greetings from Regina, I have to check this place out some time.

[@CountryLifestyle2023]

I came here to say the town looks familiar but realized I've never been there... just alot of those small SK towns look similar . All have a co op, camp ground, bar/restaurant, and usually a train track running through them. I loved the small town feel of SK

[@williamhrivnak7345]

As an American, it kinda reminds me of the old bowling alleys small towns have here. Going to a rural area for a tournament and seeing a place that still has real wooden lanes, above ground ball returns, and a score machine that looks like a 70’s Atari system makes me happy in the same way old rinks like this make Canadians happy

[@caseysmith544]

Yes, or the old indoor Basketball courts those are amazing as well, My town had one from 1930 with redone hoops in 1960 for the modern lighter basketball as it had older baskets that could take this netting that needed an old heavy style ball that was basically an old leather basketball or a heavier indoor volleyball to get though the small gap in the netting but the whole place had to come down by 2010 due to the amount needed to repair the place every 2 years. Now a crappy Radison hotel with a Starbucks is coming and my town Pierre (Pier) South Dakota can't find workers for other places like what I think is still the worlds largest Menards on 7 acres having to have the people come From Mobridge that is in good weather 1 hour 45 min away or the other business are struggling to find people, some smaller ones having to close due to a lack of workers not the profits.

[@neithermanc1]

quality quality content here. as an American who didn't grow up playing (or really watching) it seems hard to overstate just how much influence hockey has over the entire country of Canada

[@theshizon]

Hockey is our Football!

[@rimothytimothy1398]

Rural Canada. Once you hit the cities, you ain't playing hockey unless you come from some money. I've lived in both, and urban kids that don't come from wealth play basketball/soccer.

[@avacondo]

There is no equivalent in the US.

[@neithermanc1]

@@theshizon funny enough it's my football too (since it's the only pro sport i watch)

[@mattkeeler7385]

hockey to us, is like football to ya yanks. It hits the heart.

[@frostyvr9805]

I’m a rink rink rat and this old arena just has so much charm. The old methods of maintaining it really goes to show the love this community has for hockey. Our arena is big, has a Zamboni, two ice surfaces and heated stands, but it just feels like a workplace, whereas this arena feels like a place people would just go for fun

[@calvinbaII]

One of the rinks in my hometown in Nova Scotia was like this one in the vid but a bit better built. It was a brick "castle" like structure built around 1916(?) and the boards were wood and the "glass" was just fencing. It had a wooden mezzanine around the ice (similar to this one but completely around the whole rink) and the only bleachers were on both ends of the ice. The dressing rooms were heated by those old metal coiled boilers. It had so much charm and character and about 90 years of history before it was torn down in the 2000s and another newer multi-pad facility was built elsewhere. Now the "old" rink left there was built in 1970 and while is has that era of charm it isn't the same. I'm glad I got to play minor hockey in the "castle" when it was still around. I forgot to add that at that rink they flooded the ice the metal drum/hot water on a pully system.

[@bobmartino8073]

Growing up in Buffalo we made many trips over the Peace Bridge to some of the smallest towns in Canada where there was an Ice rink in the middle of farm land. Oddly enough, some of these, almost unknown to man, ice rinks played host to tournaments that brought teams from all over Canada and the northeast US. We would sometimes Billet, (which is when a player from our team would stay with a local family while our parents stayed in a hotel) and I would find myself living on a farm for the weekend. It was such an amazing experience to stay at the home of a player who was on a rival team. You really get to see what it was like for these players to get their start in these tine little arenas. That is when hockey was hockey. To me, anyway.

[@adamsons2890]

Hi Bob,you have some wonderful old rinks in Western NY for sure. Spent a lot of time there as young player in the 70’s. My boy also played on some of the rinks in the Niagara area. We live in Southern Ontario. Some of my favourite memories were watching the Sabres play in the 70’s at the Aud. What a rink,what a one of a kind classic rink. To see Perrault,Martin and Robert fly around,it was fantastic. Those old boards would flex back with a stiff body check.The seats were so steep. I’m sure its missed… lots of character.

[@jeremybyington]

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

[@bobcaygeon4533]

As a Canadian kid, getting billeted for out of town tournaments was one of my greatest memories. I also got billeted in a hockey tournament in Chicago. We raised enough money to fly the team and some parents down to Chicago from Toronto. The coach was rich so he also subsidized the cost with his own money. What did we sell to make money…….. panty hose. Pretty Polly Pantie hose. The mothers that we sold to door to door, could not resist buying panty hose from a 13 year old kid raising money for his hockey team. Brilliant marketing by the owner of the team. I think he had money invested in the panty hose company.

[@adamsons2890]

@@bobcaygeon4533 That’s so funny. All women love pantyhose

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@bobcaygeon4533 My high school hockey team had to sell mattresses as one of the many fundraisers to fund our trip to Germany and Austria. Bunch of 14 year olds running around the street in mattress costumes flagging down cars. Half the team ended up getting suspended from school following that trip for “underage” drinking. It was legal there!

[@Psyshimmer]

As someone who was a rink operator in a past life, another thing to add to the charm of this particular facility is that it looks like it's maintained in an entirely old-school way: no plant keeping the floor cold, no resurfacing machine (upon second watch I see the old bucket-flooder). Speaks to the passion this community has to play some hockey, because, let me tell you, even with all the technology we have at our disposal in the best of circumstances, maintaining a rink is a huge amount of work. Good on them

[@BleachCowboy2016]

it really is amazing how much more shit you gotta do just to play hockey compared to other sports. basketball all you need is a hoop, soccer you don't really need anything.

[@fleatactical7390]

@@BleachCowboy2016 Yeah, but hockey blows all those sports away. Worth every penny and second of time spent.

[@robertcampbell8070]

It should be noted this rink was opened in 1929, and most of the rink is still original.

[@Teeder]

There’s a small town in southern Ontario called Blackstock where the hockey rink, like the one in this video, doubles as a curling rink (the extra circles on the ice). Unfortunately for all concerned, a number of these small community hubs/focal points are being condemned because of roof issues and deteriorating freezing units (the Oshawa Children’s Arena [the best ice in the city!] is one such casualty). These rinks, affectionately referred to as “barns”, are notoriously cold. How cold are they (you ask)? Well, when I coached a pee wee select team we travelled to Cannington (another small town with an incredibly cold rink) for a two hour practice. The boys had to put their winter coats on over their equipment to stay warm, and their full water bottles froze solid on the players’ bench. Do these small towns produce great hockey players, and even better citizens? You better believe it. Small towns and their hockey rinks are at the heart and soul of Canada. When you come to our barn, you better be ready to play! 🇨🇦

[@papagotyou3876]

Born & raised in Saskatchewan Canada there are plenty of hockey rinks in rural areas such as this here. I’ve had the pleasure of playing in many but not all & there is a community support system at each location. Many volunteers spend countless hours contributing to the community rink. My hats off to all those volunteers

[@capsaicin5332]

Being from a Saskatchewan village of a similar size myself, you'd be surprised just how many villages here have a rink regardless of population. Now, they may not be quite as unique as this rink, but you can always count on the food being amazing there, I don't you can find better popcorn chicken anywhere

[@ExistenceUniversity]

I've been craving a rink burger all month lol

[@ThomasKane424]

@Joe dirty71 holy fuck why are the rink burgers and fries always so good

[@ericwickman920]

Gotta have a place to keep warm in those prairie winters. ;)

[@pluggafn9475]

I’m from swift current and the amount of rinks like this I’ve played in are crazy! Gotta love the old barns around these parts 👍🏻

[@stevet5573]

My daughters remember the French Fries while going to watch little brother play. SW Ontario. We moved to the US when he was 7 and he is still on the ice 3 days a week in his mid 20’s. Miss those old small town barns.

[@ajangell2897]

Love how my home rink is getting the attention it deserves for not being modernized. I love how people can apreciate the old things❤

[@nuthinnobody3357]

Hey buddy. I’m from Weyburn. I wish I had the chance to play in Lang. This place is an absolute treasure.😁❤️🇨🇦

[@retrogaming8647]

I love this rink. Hope it never changes. I fear some outsider will see this and want to make money off it somehow and end up ruining it. Locals, protect this rink at ALL COST. It's a gem.

[@AvenEngineer]

Small town Canada is the absolute best. I've had the good fortune to tour countless small Canadian towns with musicians. Never suffered a night of poor hospitality. Special shout out to whoever's Nana in Salmon Arm, BC always seems to provide the band and crew with the 'special' brownies.

[@Sakick]

Yo that's sick. I grew up in lavington playing hockey in lumby. Went to salmon arm multiple times to play.

[@lucidblicky7642]

every single grandma in salmon arm makes pot brownies lol

[@NopeSecret]

Well when you tour going around playing music and are around lots of people drinking you will most likely have an amazing time. Most of small town Canada has issues with Alcohol and Opiate abuse.... Might be nice to just pass on through but try living in small town Canada for a while. Unless you have secured one of the good placed of employment in the region it is a very very bad place to live.

[@AvenEngineer]

@@NopeSecret are you describing your experience? It's not mine. I would say however, being broke and/or addicted sucks everywhere. I toured virtually all the small theatres in Newfoundland in the fall some years back. Around Thanksgiving. People don't get hammered for acoustic theatre gigs, that end before 10pm on a Tuesday, in my experience. They do on the other hand, invite 2 bands, roadies, and film crew, into their multi generational homes for 'Jig's Dinner'. On 5 consecutive nights, in 5 completely different towns. So yea, I guess you're right to a degree, the Canadians that have enough to eat, are often kind and generous to complete strangers with a reputation for occasional misbehavior.

[@bigdog8820]

Playing at this rink as a kid the drawbridge you comedown on from the dressing room is extremely sketchy but fun!

[@SonOfTamriel]

Played there in around 1986, lol. Rink is terribly cold, the ice felt really high compared to the boards (looks normal now). Birds flying around inside while you played. It was cool

[@bufford5483]

The smell and atmosphere of an old wooden ice rink can never be forgotten. Growing up in south central Ontario, Canada, we spent every weekend playing hockey in rinks like this.

[@xorry77]

the rink where i learned to skate got torn down and was like 70-80 years old. I get kinda sad driving by where it used to be and seeing the empty parking lot and a bunch of trash where the rink used to be. then again, it reminds me of my first memories of hockey and learning to skate at 3 years old. i love seeing old barns like this still up and functioning because it reminds me of mine and what it felt like to never want to get off the ice. good times.

[@cruisinchristine3649]

we had to tear down the curling aide that was attached to this in order to save the main building. :(

[@Guaptologist]

the oldest rink where i’m from was set to be torn down but the whole city came together and pushed to keep it, nothing brings a community together like hockey

[@jasonsabourin2275]

How does the Joni Mitchell song go?..... "Paved paradise..... And put up a parking lot".

[@ravit50]

As a south Sask kid, really cool to see a shoutout for our area. The barns (rinks) out here are usually very unique

[@NotLowMusic]

I grew up playing against teams in this rink. I was a "city" kid living in Weyburn (pop. 10 000) and I absolutely hated heading out to this rink. I clearly remember playing a tournament in this rink when I was like 8 and 3 of my teammates got frost bite on there noses & toes. This rink is amazing/horrible/nostalgic/dangerous all at the same time. Sedley and Francis were brutal too, and Radville used to be, but I believe they did renovations. Milestone is still the nicest small town rink in southern sask, with amazing concession food and a heated lobby lol

[@atomeyes99]

yeah, i played at one school rink in winnipeg probably the same idea as this one, where the ice isn't piped frozen - they let the ambient outside air freeze it. made the walk from the dressing room onto the ice quite shocking

[@naggle]

cleeman rink is the best small town rink in SASK

[@richardcaron6340]

@@atomeyes99 that’s probably was Glenwood, but they renovated at least a decade ago now

[@paulfranklin4276]

Ugh urban people.... Weyburn... lah lah lah

[@bmxscape]

@@atomeyes99 if the outside air freezes it why even have a hockey rink in the first place? you can play hockey on any frozen lake you don't need a special indoor frozen lake

[@nuthinnobody3357]

I grew up down the road from Lang. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to play organized hockey, but I had plenty of friends that played in that barn. I forgot how unique these places are until this video brought me back. I miss my home province so much sometimes 🥲

[@elijahtronson2218]

I live 20 minutes away and have been there multiple times and can say that it's the definition of a small town rink the whole feel is amazing

[@lorimoon-penner1633]

I grew up skating in this rink. We didn’t know anything different!

[@Jeffro23_]

I grew up on this rink, i slept in the rafters, it was just what we did

[@austinfitch2395]

During High School I played at the William Allman Memorial arena in Stratford ON. It’s one of the oldest in the world (built in 1924). The player benches where on the opposite side of the ice. And the seating was all original. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

[@griffinbanbury4240]

Being from town about half an hour away from there, it’s definitely really cool to see this get noticed, things like these are almost the true heart and soul of Canada. Like the fact I’ve never been to a town without either an ODR or just a rink. Love to see the fundraiser included as well❤

[@pat7785]

I'm a big fan of dome style rinks with an airlock. The old Sackville arena is a great old rink in the HRM, spectators freeze their asses off, but it's just the right temperature for players.

[@MrNeandertalaren]

This is the kind of habitat where legends are made. I donated, hope you all do! Love from Sweden :)

[@nicholswiftly15]

My brother showed me this last night and I was genuinely scared for the players but it’s still cool

[@paxt17]

ya that players ankle as he slid down the stairs had me going NO!!!!

[@DreadX10]

Players learn to keep their head on a swivel this way. Keeping track of everything ON and ABOVE the ice......

[@bobjohnson270]

most small towns had "barns" with hockey and curling rinks. Ours was in Maymont Saskatchewan. They have since built a school with a rink attached. Most have gone to the wayside with our old grain elevators with the towns name on it. Those guys coming down the stairs were coming from the dressing rooms. THey were usually above where people watched through a window and where you bought food. Many memories in these rinks. They were cold as hell if you went out into the rink part as there was no heaters or insulation. Whatever temp it was outside is the temp it was inside. During intermissions parents would go out with shovels and scrape the "snow" created by skates.

[@RLSteffler]

So awesome that you shared their fundraiser! Could make a big difference👍👍

[@mr.e8432]

If you like old rinks, right next to the arena where the Americans won the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, is the original rink from when they held the Olympics there in the 1930s. Check it out if you ever get a chance,it’s a pretty cool old rink.

[@markbarry9945]

He didn't mention the curling circles which are found on almost every community rink in small Canadian towns, that's how you can tell its a Canadian rink because you don't usually see those in the US

[@big420bob8]

Learned how to skate in that rink when I was 4 back in 86. Used to even have a curling rink attached to the other side of the rink straight north of the concession. Is a great place in great times and memories. The flooder has always been like that as well. Ice maintenance has always been by hand.

[@GbEv33]

Incredible. Played in a tiny, beyond freezing cold rink with a creative layout and locker rooms. The city built a new rink and it was warmer with all the amenities, but I miss that old barn.

[@Firstfocalplane]

Eck, if you ever come to Saskatchewan, I will personally give you a guided tour of some of the more "bespoke" barns in this great province. Also, love the success with the hockey channel here. Been following you for almost a decade with your Star Wars/Halo content.

[@jasonsabourin2275]

The best(and toughest) hockey players come from Saskatchewan.

[@jondreger934]

This is my hometown rink! So many awesome memories playing hockey, power skating, football on the dirt floor. Yes, under that ice, it's just dirt!

[@polymarc2171]

You should add the link to the fundraising page, especially in the information area below the video. Some people can pledge directly that way.

[@EckHockey]

That's a good idea!

[@paulbzzz7636]

I spent 30+ years in TV and these were my favorite stores to work on. It's the only part of the biz that isn't awful. Good work.

[@type1goalie56]

Love this!! I commented on the original video weeks ago and it's awesome to see this gem blow up! I'd love to skate here

[@johnnychinstrap]

Thank you for posting. My first years of hockey we played on an outdoor rink. Sucked when it snowed. But I remember tournaments or playoffs going to other centres that had barns. I love it when the kids today still call them a barn.

[@prodkashton]

the amount of old rinks I've played at in these small canadian towns, the last rink I played at, the benches were in the corner's. and the walls of the building was the boards.

[@blaiseplaise]

It's always a good day when Saskatchewan gets a moment in the spotlight. No matter how ridiculous the reason is.

[@jordananon678]

Togo, Saskatchewan's rink has a support beam right in the middle of the ice!!! There is also an old, old hockey rink in Sylvania, Saskatchewan that has this big wooden-beamed vaulted ceiling that goes straight down to the boards. If you skate too close to the edges of the rink, you risk clotheslining yourself on the roof! 😆

[@EckHockey]

I actually saw that while trying to find where this was

[@jordananon678]

@Eck I just edited my comment, you hear about Togo's rink?

[@dougmcbride6627]

Reminds me of playing games against the Buff's at the old Theodore Sask rink! Holes in the walls and the wind blowing through, slivers from the boards if you got rubbed out along them! Those were the days! Now they have one of the nicest 'barns' in the province and the Buff's are still a local popular Senior Hockey Club!! Small towns are amazing!

[@DaBeatBanga]

If you get a hold of someone from the Village, ask about the Jam Can Curling Tournament coming up. That’s what all those extra red rings on the ice are for 😉 you won’t be disappointed. Also, they’re coming from the dressing rooms. That’s the only reason those stairs get used, there’s regular stairs for the observation deck, and the viewing/heated area is through the door by the little platform on the ice at the bottom of the retractable stairs.

[@Ryan-lm8kd]

I've actually played in this rink! the dressing rooms are on the 2nd floor, on the balcony where the players go down the stairs from. the rink burgers there are very good. when we were done our ice time we shoveled off all the snow in a little window near the stairs, and then the manual zamboni goes onto the ice.

[@Ohhighbud]

It's even built like a barn lol. That's awesome. Reminds me of the local town rink near me. No draw bridges but lots of character. Remember learning to skate there & so many locals had their buck and does at that rink haha. Memories.

[@joeshmow1583]

funny enough that's actually where a lot of the original plans for rinks were based off of real barns. Since you could order a barn package and just make the necessary changes to make it an arena.

[@pdc3762]

Love seeing these older rinks still being part of hockey! Grew up in Truro, NS where our small town family owned rink, Deuvilles Rink, won the very first Hockeyville contest for renovations when I was still a youth. Communities need spaces like these, especially today in the era of children raised on iPads

[@FreerioOY]

Truros a w

[@paulym5814]

The strangest rink I ever played on was at a tournament in Quebec. Norte Dam Du Boise. It was actually in a big barn. Between periods both teams on the ice would have to shovel the ice to clean it. Then they would send out their Zamboni which was a 55 gallon drum of hot water in a modified wheel barrow. We had a great time time and we drank plenty of great Canadian beer.

[@Sakick]

I grew up playing in lumby BC Canada and it was/is the old dome style rink that looks like a big barel was cut in half and tipped over. Always cold but super fun to play in. I haven't been back out to see it after lumby won kraft hockeyville but I bet it still has the same old feeling.

[@paulrr5711]

I'm from South Africa, but now living in the US. We used to have a small rink in Cape Town too. No drawbridge, but the rink in this video reminded me of the rink we used to play on. The change rooms were containers dropped outside and if it rained we'd have to get a bit wet before going into the main building. At least we had a Zamboni! I believe it was built in the 60s. Someone once told me that the games used to sell out so spectators would park outside and listen to the game over a loudspeaker. Sadly, hockey is not as popular back then as it is now even though we have a muuuuch better rink and host IIHF Div III tournaments.

[@paishocajun]

this is actually kinda fascinating to me. never expected SA to have hockey as a even semi-popular sport. did any teams below like olympic/jr olympic etc levels travel for play in NA or Europe or vice versa?

[@stewartkuntz3581]

I've played in that rink many years ago, rec hockey and coming down those stairs in goalie equipment is a little tough.

[@ReDevil2_2A]

Great Video. Played hockey from 93-2002 And still a huge Hockey/Hawks fan. I love that kids still play and learn this way!

[@crinklethebear]

Good to see the Bowles get some love too!! Have some great memories in that place ... I must say, I love the idea of walking onto the ice from the closest thing to a gangplank a rink will see!!

[@MG-im8ku]

I would love to go to that rink. Looks awesome. Probably some great hockey games there too. Going into that rink would be like stepping back in time.

[@larrygrassinger2819]

Brings back fond memories of playing tournaments in Pierceland, Sk (when my son was in the range of 8-14 y.o.). It would sometimes be -30 C outside and the rink was unheated. Between periods, we would clean the ice with scrapers and flood it with the barrell that you see in this video. It would be so cold that most people would go and run their vehicles between games. Because we lived nearby, my son's team would always play the Friday games and then again at 5AM on Saturday. A small town arena, but tournaments always drew 12 teams (from as far away as Edmonton).

[@dougdillon1271]

Another great video! I've seen some old rinks, but that one is wonderful! Keep up the great work!

[@bustywaifus]

Awesome rink! Looks like a great community.

[@adamsons2890]

This is great. There are some beautiful old rinks in Ontario. However,I’m not familiar with rinks outside of the province. There’s a beautiful old rink in Georgetown. Cambridge has one also. Almost every small town will have an older rink,as it’s so expensive to build a new one. Worthy of a KZbin video for sure.

[@sherryallen3650]

I have played hockey and lacrosse in both arenas. Ever go to Newhamburg? You could see through the cracks in the dressing room walls. Colder in the dressing rooms then the ice surface area. Rob, not Sherry.

[@parmenidesofelea9092]

The one in Georgetown got torn down about a decade ago. The display trophy case in the lobby had a picture of a team from 1908 which was pretty cool (when the rover position was still around). One of my buddies got one of the seats from the stands before they tore it down. Cool stuff

[@adamsons2890]

Nice old Rinks yes. Never played lacrosse 🥍,now that’s a tough game.

[@adamsons2890]

@@parmenidesofelea9092 Really,that’s unfortunate. My son played there more than 10 years ago. Georgetown always had a tough team.

[@djamsaidmuradov1509]

There is something amazing about the comments to this video. So many great memories, hidden side of hockey in small towns of Canada, farms, tournaments, fundraisers, billeting.... As a newish fan who thought hockey is too expensive and inaccessible to certain population, it shows an alternative perspective to it. Thanks for starting this heartwarming discussion

[@ThePrimot]

Played in many old rinks in SK as a kid. This one included. What a flashback.

[@bmn5964]

Love all the content but small time and non nhl stuff hits different. Love the work

[@lawnmowerdave]

So jealous of this, as a midwestern American, we really dont have too much hockey aside from the STL area. For us, the small town staple is bowling, but I love seeing some place the local town rallies behind and enjoys and hopefully the channel can find a way to support a great small town rink.

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

Go Blues!

[@icecoldpolitics8890]

Depends very much on the part of the Midwest you are in. Minnesota has places similar though not as unique as this place.

[@IceRanger41]

Idk where in the Midwest you’re from but there’s tons of hockey, especially around the cities.

[@lawnmowerdave]

@@IceRanger41 KC area. We have a couple rinks here and there but unless you go north or west im in the deadzone :(

[@cobra646]

Love this. I can smell the inside of that barn, the cold wood, the dirty grease from the frier and the must of hockey gear. The oldest barn I ever skates in was probably in Berwyn, AB.

[@susie154]

Fascinating! I love old buildings. Thanks for sharing!

[@juvialockser9912]

Aww we can't let such a national treasure like this disappear on us I hope they can be helped in some way

[@Kittongrl720]

These type of things are truly national treasures. I hope it stays open for another 100 years.

[@trav4oilers]

Arizona Coyotes walking out for warmups

[@thejerseyj5479]

As a kid we would run home from school to play Hockey until it was too dark to see the puck. Then head home for supper. I remember how cold my boots would feel when we would change to go home. I also remember that the lakes and ponds would be filled with people playing or just skating. And this was in New Jersey! Not even Canada, but the love of being outside and playing was sure there. Now, nobody and it's not only unbelievable but very sad. Glad to be a kid in the sixties. PS, I went to the War Memorial Arena in Johnstown Pennsylvania last year to see the Johnstown Chiefs play a junior Hockey game and it looked exactly like it did in Slap Shot from '77. It was incredible and, the Chiefs won!

[@evanbrown2594]

Brings me back to my 1990s Nova Scotia rink experience. "Devonshire practice in the AM"...no other combination of words could upset a 11-year-old me more. The old rink in Bedford has a special place in my heart also.

[@clintonbruning]

Old basketball courts in small towns in Kansas make me feel the same nostalgia as this video. Tons of courts in armories, city halls, and old high schools. I grew up learning ball in sabetha a town of 2,000 with a lot of towns like lang around it. It was at the old high school from 1924. It smelled like it too. But I have a ton of great memories and alot of the skill I developed I can attribute to that old court. There were always pick up games going on there.

[@caseysmith544]

My High School (one I went to in 2003--2007) has a court the better old one that was made in the 1950's but the current lower seating is newer as it had until the 1970's old wooden seating that did not retract for other sports but the old seating is still there and if the radio people are smart, sometimes they set up lower but if smart use the seating less people use or mainly the senior citizens use. They had to replace the floor in a part where the coach for the football team got mad walking back to his classroom and slammed his helmet down or the part where they had to replace it before the season started due to The city of Pierre (Pier) South Dakota also had until 2010 when torn down an auditorium that was an indoor basketball court from 1930 that from story I was told, in the late 1960's had to replace the hoops as it had these older hoops that could only take these small hole nets that needed a heavy leather Basketball or a heavy indoor Volleyball to have the ball go though the net, the cheaper rubber/synthetic rubber basketballs would get stuck. In fact one of the hoops still had an old hoop and net. The place was not really needed for basketball stuff having the schools Middle and High school as well as the YMC from the 1970's but then the Local archery club has had no real place to do archery as they used the small basement since 1950, in 1959/1960 becoming the Pierre chapter in the How--Kota Archery association.

[@Sidious6460]

I had a unique rink to learn on. Was an old barn the town converted into a rink (was smaller than regulation size) - timbits hockey was played there. The roof was old barn rafters, had stairs up from dressing room and there was no glass on boards, the corners were just shelves lol. My buddies went back and rented it for shinny every so often. Oh the memories, felt huge when we were kids, feels tiny now lol.

[@Drpolicebox]

Look up Weston Lions Arena, its been used in soo many commercials because its a beautiful old rink, its where I grew up playing. Along with that, the St. Mike's arena in toronto, where the OHL St. Mikes Majors used to play

[@YewrinePish]

Eck, bud, where I'm from we had a rink built into an old WW2 bomber hangar. That place was freezing, with the warmest dressing rooms, best canteen, best ice, hardest boards, and was on an old deactivated base in a major Canadian city.

[@dmwd96]

The reason why it’s soo cold and the ice looks that way is because its actual real ice! Just frozen water and paint. Growing up in Sask I could tell it was a Sask barn right away lol. More likely to find a rink in small town sask than a post office! Also, the dressing rooms are likely upstairs above the lobby (hence the staircase) and yes, nothing beats a small town rink burger 🤤

[@Cardy31]

This is the kind of investigative journalism I’m subscribed for!

[@citronschannel5823]

I grew up in a small town in Interior Alaska. Our rink was outdoors. Fill it with a garden hose when the ground froze. Spectators stood on the ground and looked over the boards to watch. When it was -30F, the teams from indoor rinks couldn't compete with us, because they didn't know how to stay warm. Good times

[@cjlb49]

I love the old rinks, too. My first couple of years playing hockey was in an outdoor league. But once I moved inside, one of the rinks we used had a sort of tractor/zamboni hybrid. I think it's closed now, which is really sad.

[@KL6.7]

I've been to some small rinks in the Yukon similar to this minus the draw bridge. These rinks are where I've played 90% of my best and most memorable hockey games... They just hit different

[@LaSeSiS]

living in saskatchewan ive been in so many different small town rinks and they are always such a cool place to see because every town runs their rink in their own way, so much fun

[@Camh_71]

Amazing video happy about you trying to promote the fundraiser! Keep up the great content

[@timmyjimmers5095]

Rink 1 at Iroquois in Whitby Ontario hits hard when you’re a kid. Trippy so many legends came up on that rink. Legendary rink.

[@ronnieturner6820]

I grew up playing at this rink. One time in novice my buddy Deer pushed me down the stairs so I took his stick and waited for the next set of players to come down and put it under the bottom so it snapped in half. Deer’s dad chased me around the ice since he just bought him the new one piece a week before. Was so cold in there and my arm killed from landing on it when Deer pushed me. Growing up we couldn’t be on the same team cause his dad became one of the head coaches soon after just so he could sit me. Every time I’d go to head on the ice he’d say “not this time ronnie you’re lucky I didn’t shove the broken pieces of D’s twig up your ass” then he’d send me to the back of the line. I eventually also got him back by hiding his inhaler in one of the garbage cans but later found out that they’re pretty important if you have one

[@martyjames9368]

Born in Ontario where the elementary schools had outdoor rinks. The parents would spend weeks watering, putting up boards and lights. Was awesome as a kid to put our skates on, grab our sticks and skate on the hard packed snowy road and skate to the rink. Lights went off at 9pm, time to skate home.

[@kajleradbourne1345]

Reminds me of growing up and playing in Berwyn, AB (which is also very small, no drawbridge though) and Falher, AB. Falher has a new rink now, but the old barn was so dark we had a ref tell us he called goals based on the sound because you often couldn’t see the puck.

[@leeshaw1684]

I live in BC but have family about 35km from the rink we played on it as kids years ago. It's still in my opinion my favorite rink to date. Love the video.

[@petermathieson5692]

Now that was cool. i remember that the old arena in Sackville N.B. had a similar contraption for doing the ice. Good stuff.

[@bradleyvantassal8328]

That is awesome. Keep the videos coming. Love the old rinks. I know it's not a small one, but I already Joe Louis Arena.

[@heatheryeske2028]

We live in Lang, kids and I are heading to the rink right now for a little skate 🙌🏼 thank you so much to everyone who has donated and shared and spread our rinks story!!! We in the community are so very grateful!!! 💕🥅🏒⛸️

[@doeeyes2]

As a hockey parent in Canada I find the newer ones much warmer and more comfortable (plus the bars are nice when ur stuck at a tourney all day) but theres definitley something special to the older rinks... the hisorty and nostalgia realky hits me everytime.

[@sammorris9609]

Hi. I don't even like the game of hockey, but I like the way your video is put together and your appreciation and respect for older things. Ty Sir

[@whoopy34]

I've been in there and my toes were so cold you will Not be able to feel your toes for ages but its cool going down the ladder and skating on such a old rink.

[@theironrhino110]

I’ve played in rinks around the Ottawa Valley area where you can see daylight between the walls and roof. There was also one I played minor hockey in for 4 years in Fort-Coulonge where not only would it be very cold in the winter but in March during the spring thaw the roof would leak causing water patches to form on the ice. There was even one time the ice melted in a corner of the rink and they just put a few cones up and we played the game (it was Atom btw).

[@MicBergsma]

Oh man wow amazing thanks for sharing… barn rink… that remind me when I was a kid my team had to take a practice at a tiny ice rink barn in Sudden Vally near Bellingham in Washington state.. it was crazy fun haha

[@MickLoud999]

Our home town in Northern Ontario had playgrounds in the summer. In the winter they became ice rinks. They were outdoors and we played league hockey on them. Sometimes we had to shovel snow off them in order to play. There were a few indoor rinks but they were for adults and the higher tier leagues. We actually have a Major Junior team there as well. Good times.

[@jasonsabourin2275]

What town?

[@MickLoud999]

@@jasonsabourin2275 North Bay

[@craighammond480]

We got a unique rink like that here in MI, look up Huron County Ice Arena, its literally a converted Fair Grounds pole barn. Has a "Mystery, Alaska" feel. Old school hockey at its best.

[@zaizoesclashing7103]

We use this exact same style staircase in our calving barn, upstairs is kind of a coffee room with Windows on all sides so you can look down at the cattle calving and then it has a liftable staircase

[@joshuadoll9000]

So I've played in this rink and I also think the video of the guys in the orange jerseys are my local rec team (though not sure as I haven't played since before covid started) and the dressing rooms are upstairs which is why you have that drop staircase. It is shockingly good ice, my only complaint is that the corners are quite square compared to what you'd like with a hockey rink. And as someone who's played and officiated hockey for 20 years now, it's still one of the most unique rinks I've ever set foot in.

[@chrismac5560]

I grew up in a town of about 7000 in Alberta. The arena is only like 50-60 years old and has two rinks which are completely normal, one sits like 2000 and hosts a 'junior A' team while the other sits like 600. The weirdest thing about the arena though is that after a game or practice you would need to get someone to flush the toilet in order to get hot water in the showers. Hearing "flush the toilet" coming from the shower was always odd, but it worked. Also the roof in smaller are arena was really low and pucks would get stuck in the rafters. One day at shinny I fired a puck off the crossbar into the roof and two pucks came down. Oddly enough I had actually seen that happen in another town during a 'junior B' game, and crazy enough I've seen two other guys do it in the smaller rink where I did it. Another odd story from the smaller rink where I grew up, one practice in midget (highschool) I fired a dump into the corner and the puck went under the zamboni door. A bunch of us immediately skated over to the corner to look and you couldn't have slide a quarter laying down between the ice and the zamboni door but somehow we all had just seen the puck that I had just dumped into the corner go right underneath; I can only imagine it's now in the roof waiting for someone to hit the crossbar 🤣 Another odd arena story from small town Alberta, I forget where it was but in high school we played this team, their rink's dressing room was so small that despite having two guys dress in the shower we still had to have half the team get dressed and stand in the hallway so the other half of the team could come in and finish getting dressed after starting in the hallway. The next year we went to play there all us returning were all dreading the dressing room situation on the bus ride there and telling the rookies how small the rooms are, but when we walked into the rink we seen we had a different dressing room number than last year. Then we walked in to the dressing room and it was damn near an NHL quality dressing room, a couple rookies were like "what were you guys talking about?" we were so confused on the difference in room sizes between room 2 and room 4. We even pranked a couple guys by writing their first initial and last names on a piece of tape and putting it above the stall they were sitting in. The room was so big our coach had to yell and the guys on the other side of the room could still barely hear him. All I can think is they either tried to mess with us the first time by giving us the ref room (room 2 is an odd ref room number though) or when building the arena they only built two dressing rooms then realized that the next game needs to get dressed before the current game is over therefore you need at least four dressing rooms so they converted the janitors closet and it got called room 2 because it was between the two actual dressing rooms

[@ChadVersus]

Awesome video man most my family is canadian but they moved to the pnw before I was born so I like hearing canadian hockey stories ill share this around

[@aaronloos6673]

As a young kid I have played in rinks that used chain link fencing instead of glass, buildings so cold that a big thick layer of fog fills the rink, and rinks that the zamboni had to be driven outside to get to the rink collecting road salt and sand, basically ruining a corner of the ice. Oddly enough some of the oldest and worst looking rinks, had the best ice, and the best rinkies. I would hold off sharpening my skates if I knew I was going to one of the old rinks in my area, because the one rinkie did the best sharpening I have ever experienced.

[@Rhino1687]

Played high school in the Bowles arena, what a rink. So it was pretty cool to see one of my games clipped in this video!

[@elvisisalive2716]

my hometown rink is 60 years old and I hope its never replaced. Wood bleachers, small dressing rooms, just amazing