Outdoor rinks in Kanata/Ottawa

Hey guys,
Just wondering if anybody knows of any decent outdoor rinks in the area. I'm in the west end- Carp has a great one, but it's a little out of the way... I figured this could be the forum for everybody to share any specific outdoor rink that's particularly good- whether it is quality, or just number of guys out to get a pickup game going.

There's one beside W.O. Mitchell school in Bridlewood. Pumphouse Park in Glen Cairn also has an outdoor rink set up, though I'm not sure it's maintained (last time I checked was I was in town it wasn't).

We've got one in Morgan's Grant that's set back from Halton Terrace next to the French school. Surrounded by forest. Ice has been pretty horrible, though.

I'd say almost all of the best outdoor rinks are in the east end of the city. Queenswood Heights, Emily Carr, Overbrook, Roy Hobbs, Divine Infant are all great rinks and the ice is almost always perfect because the people who take care of the ice are incredibly dedicated to making the rink the best it can be.

Jordo wrote:Hey guys,
Just wondering if anybody knows of any decent outdoor rinks in the area. I'm in the west end- Carp has a great one, but it's a little out of the way... I figured this could be the forum for everybody to share any specific outdoor rink that's particularly good- whether it is quality, or just number of guys out to get a pickup game going.

best rink in the city for ice & for skill level is the outdoor setup at brewer park across from Carleton. They've got a speed skating track and two hockey rinks so they actually have an outdoor zamboni that does the ice!

Best ever, I've been going there for years. Saturday's get crazy busy so watch out for when you go!

very worth the drive in!

Ahhh this is bringing back the memories... growing up in Ottawa I frequented two rinks a lot - one in Graham Park and the other in Briargreen. Neither were top notch rinks but they are part of my child hood memories playing hockey outside.

I remember playing a lot of pick up hockey with Fred Brathwaite and his brother back in the day. Damn his bro was fast.

The City of Ottawa has a dedicated office that provides information about all of the city's outdoor rinks.

Rachelle Bertrand
Seasonal Recreation
100 Constellation Cr., 8th floor West
Ottawa, Ontario K2G-6J8
Tel: 580-2424 ext. 46216
Fax: 580-2591
Mail Code 26-52
Rachelle.Bertrand@ottawa.ca

On request, Rachelle will send you locations and PDF maps of all the rinks in your area. BTW I am told the rink at Dovercourt in the West End is a good one.

I'm a volunteer at the rink beside the Pauline Vanier School in the Walkley/MacArthur road area, which is an excellent facility thanks to the volunteers from the neighbourhood who regularly help maintain the ice surface.

The pickup games are always fun. We have a good cross section of players of different ages. We have a running joke at our rink, nicknaming the over 40 guys like myself 'Team Geritol'--the young guys are 'Team Red Bull'. 8)

Given the importance of these rinks to those of us who love to play, The City of Ottawa should look at providing a much larger budget to support these facilities.

davetherave wrote:The City of Ottawa has a dedicated office that provides information about all of the city's outdoor rinks.

Rachelle Bertrand
Seasonal Recreation
100 Constellation Cr., 8th floor West
Ottawa, Ontario K2G-6J8
Tel: 580-2424 ext. 46216
Fax: 580-2591
Mail Code 26-52
Rachelle.Bertrand@ottawa.ca

On request, Rachelle will send you locations and PDF maps of all the rinks in your area. BTW I am told the rink at Dovercourt in the West End is a good one.

I'm a volunteer at the rink beside the Pauline Vanier School in the Walkley/MacArthur road area, which is an excellent facility thanks to the volunteers from the neighbourhood who regularly help maintain the ice surface.

The pickup games are always fun. We have a good cross section of players of different ages. We have a running joke at our rink, nicknaming the over 40 guys like myself 'Team Geritol'--the young guys are 'Team Red Bull'. 8)

Given the importance of these rinks to those of us who love to play, The City of Ottawa should look at providing a much larger budget to support these facilities.

I'll make this just a bit easier for you too:

www.ottawarinkconditions.ca

wprager wrote:We've got one in Morgan's Grant that's set back from Halton Terrace next to the French school. Surrounded by forest. Ice has been pretty horrible, though.

A fellow Grantite....
the small one on the corner has been pretty good all things considered, but it's really just for little kids...

Best ones in Ottawa are the one off of 5th in the Glebe and the one in Tanglewood.

The problem is with the mild weather we just had, and the snow we're about to have the season is just about over. Not too many rinks will have money left in the budget to run much past March 1st.

PKC wrote:I'll make this just a bit easier for you too:

[url=http://www.ottawarinkconditions.ca

www.ottawarinkconditions.ca[/quote[/url]]

Thanks PKC--and if people want to volunteer they should contact Rachelle at the numbers above.

We need your help to keep our rinks going!

[quote="shabbs"]Ahhh this is bringing back the memories... growing up in Ottawa I frequented two rinks a lot - one in Graham Park and the other in Briargreen. Neither were top notch rinks but they are part of my child hood memories playing hockey outside.

Graham Part is where I grew up and played most of my outdoor hockey as well. I remember it being soooo cold some nights and had to take refuge in the shack. When it's that cold it was never fun tripping on some bad ice and falling on your knees. Brutal.

strachattack wrote:Graham Part is where I grew up and played most of my outdoor hockey as well. I remember it being soooo cold some nights and had to take refuge in the shack. When it's that cold it was never fun tripping on some bad ice and falling on your knees. Brutal.

HA! Good times indeed. Luckily the shack was there for shelter. Ahhh... the memories of lacing up my Super Tacks in the bitter cold, shoveling the snow off the ice and playing ice hockey all day long.

I just happened to turn on The Score and they had a special on about the cost of Hockey Rinks Indoor and Outdoor. They mentioned that Ottawa was contemplating pulling the funding for all outdoor rinks. Madness!!! O'Brien backed down on that one thankfully.

shabbs wrote:

strachattack wrote:Graham Part is where I grew up and played most of my outdoor hockey as well. I remember it being soooo cold some nights and had to take refuge in the shack. When it's that cold it was never fun tripping on some bad ice and falling on your knees. Brutal.

HA! Good times indeed. Luckily the shack was there for shelter. Ahhh... the memories of lacing up my Super Tacks in the bitter cold, shoveling the snow off the ice and playing ice hockey all day long.

I just happened to turn on The Score and they had a special on about the cost of Hockey Rinks Indoor and Outdoor. They mentioned that Ottawa was contemplating pulling the funding for all outdoor rinks. Madness!!! O'Brien backed down on that one thankfully.

The City of Ottawa was actually THINKING of pulling funding for the rinks?????

That's enough to start a people's revolution.

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:

strachattack wrote:Graham Part is where I grew up and played most of my outdoor hockey as well. I remember it being soooo cold some nights and had to take refuge in the shack. When it's that cold it was never fun tripping on some bad ice and falling on your knees. Brutal.

HA! Good times indeed. Luckily the shack was there for shelter. Ahhh... the memories of lacing up my Super Tacks in the bitter cold, shoveling the snow off the ice and playing ice hockey all day long.

I just happened to turn on The Score and they had a special on about the cost of Hockey Rinks Indoor and Outdoor. They mentioned that Ottawa was contemplating pulling the funding for all outdoor rinks. Madness!!! O'Brien backed down on that one thankfully.

The City of Ottawa was actually THINKING of pulling funding for the rinks?????

That's enough to start a people's revolution.

O'Brien said it was on the table. It would have nuked like 200 outdoor rinks. That and a massive 51% hike in ice rental cost for arenas was being proposed. In the end, they left the outdoor rink funding alone and raised the ice rental costs by 7% as opposed to 51%. A surge that big would have had huge effects on everyone that plays hockey in the city.

Shabbs, are the people at City Hall insane???? Look how much they spent on the City Hall building.