Rink of dreams in Sudbury

There's something about a backyard hockey rink that brings out the kid in every hockey enthusiast.

Perhaps it's because most every hockey player in Canada has spent some time braving frozen fingers and toes to play the game they love.

The weather was frigid again on Feb. 17 and there was one thing frozen on everyone at Dean Gerow's contest winning rink, at that was the smiles on their faces.

While most backyard rinks are little more than a frozen square with a ratty old hockey net, Gerow's rink looks like a miniature version of a regulation hockey rink.

Complete with boards, official-size nets, lighting, and measuring 36-feet wide by 60-feet long (about 1/7 the size of a regulation ice surface) Dean's rink was the winner of the Home Depot backyard rink contest and he was paid a visit by a number of children from the community as well as some members of the Sudbury Wolves.

“My wife's friend suggested that we enter the contest and we've actually entered a few different contests and we were lucky enough to win,” said Gerow. “This is so awesome, if you build it they will come, and this is going to evolve but it's just so neat seeing everybody out here having a great time.”

Sudbury Wolves players Troy Timpano, Ben Garagan, Michael Pezzetta, and Brandon Bastasin all exchanged their helmets for toques and joined in a game of pickup hockey with a group of kids, while Gerow manned the goal light, the final touch on the rink that evening.

The project is one that was two years in the making and will now be a permanent fixture at the Gerow residence on Ramsey Lake Road.

“The boards are bolted into the cement so it's permanent,” said Gerow, who ordered the boards and netting that surround the rink from a distributor in Calgary.

He also purchased his own Zamboni-style attachment that he hooks up to a hose and allows him to maintain a perfectly smooth and level playing surface.

“After a mild spell it's a bit of a pain to keep it maintained,” said Gerow. “It takes about eight hours of constant watering to get a base down, but I've got about a two inch base now and it takes about half an hour to resurface it.”

Gerow's smile was permanently frozen to his face as he watched the Wolves players and local kids skate up and down the ice, but there may have been a hint of envy as Gerow is admittedly a big kid himself.

“I built it for my sons who are two and four-years-old, and they'll be getting into hockey eventually,” said Gerow.

“I'm a big kid and I get more use out of it than either of them.”