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
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.