From sheep barn to hockey rink, Manitoba family finds way to enhance their winter skating
A Manitoba family has taken their love for hockey and brought it to their backyard.
In the past, Dave Rawlings, from Hamiota, Man., would take his young sons skating on a slough on his property.
While they enjoyed the winter sport, he said it would take several hours to clear the snow. So, three years ago, Rawlings decided to turn to the old sheep barn they have into a skating rink.
"We flooded a 12 by 24 section of it just to see kind of see how it would go," said Rawlings. "It was good, we used it lots."
Dave Rawlings built a miniature hockey rink inside a sheep barn on his property in Hamiota, Man. (Source: Dave Rawlings)
The following summer Rawlings went to work converting the barn into a fully functional miniature hockey rink.
"We started by taking out sheep manure, hay, straw, and junk that we collected for 10 to 12 years," he said.
"Then we did some reinforcing and built some walls and I spent the better part of the summer, I painted all the boards."
Dave Rawlings built a miniature hockey rink inside a sheep barn on his property in Hamiota, Man. (Source: Dave Rawlings)
Rawlings said getting the ice into the barn is rather easy, as they just spray the water in and wait for it to freeze thanks to the cold Manitoba weather.
He said being able to skate inside makes all the difference in the winter.
"You don't have to deal with wind, you don't have to deal with snow. Even when it's minus 30 out, if you're skating in the day, the sun warms up the temperature up by eight to 10 degrees in the rink, so it makes it a lot more enjoyable to skate.
Rawlings noted there is more to the barn than just the ice rink as they have also set up a heated dressing room and have added a laser light over centre ice.
A heated dressing room inside a sheep barn that also features a hockey rink. (Source: Dave Rawlings)
He said his kids are enjoying having their own personal rink and they are able to bring friends over all the time to skate as well.
Rawlings said he plans on continuing to upgrade the rink every year to better the experience for his family.
Dave Rawlings built a miniature hockey rink inside a sheep barn on his property in Hamiota, Man. (Source: Dave Rawlings)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.