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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.