Two new ice surfaces in Calgary have debuted in the past couple weeks.
And they’re helping to deal with the constant challenges to find enough icetime for games and practices among all the user groups.
Max Bell II was put into use in late November and got a good test by hosting all of the women’s games at the recent Mac’s Midget Tournament.
It will officially be christened Jan. 14 as Hockey Calgary and city officials join forces to cut the ribbon — just as they have joined forces to get the rink built.
“We’ve put about $2.8 million into the project,” Hockey Calgary president Perry Cavanagh said.
“It gets us preferential time slots for our teams and helps a bit in dealing with the challenges of finding enough ice times in the city.”
“And we’re looking forward to being a part of a unique pilot project for the revamped Fairview Arena, which re-opens this month.
“Through the Calgary Sport Council, we’ve come together with the figure skating and ringette groups in the city and with the Southern Alberta Women’s Hockey Association (SAWHA) to share the ice there.
“Based upon our registration, Hockey Calgary will get about half the available ice time.
The city will operate the arena until the end of May but SAWHA will take that over at that point.”
Fairview was closed in December 2006 when the city discovered the ice plant was at the end of its life cycle and was not up to safety codes.
The ice plant has been replaced but the city is trying to get out of the operating business for its recreational facilities.
SAWHA was chosen to operate the arena while an arts group will run the adjacent community centre.
Both operators are set up as not-for-profit organizations, although that does not mean they’ll operate the facilities at a loss.
“SAWHA is a partner with demonstrated business knowledge, volunteer capacity, and the desire to operate the arena at this time,” said Laura Lobsinger, manager of neighbourhood services for the city.
“The Fairview Arena will be in good hands,” she said.
As well, Hockey Calgary is making full use of Bowness Arena which was closed for a time while a new floor, a new ice plant and new rink boards were installed.
The city continues to operate Bowness in an era where community associations have found it increasingly difficult to operate facilities.
What’s Happening in Zone 9
Zone 9 is the Calgary region and some of Calgary’s hockey volunteers continue to put in time helping to supervise the amateur game in the province.
Ken Moore, a former president of Hockey Calgary, will be one of two Zone 9 directors on the board of Hockey Alberta.
Ken Morris will be the other director.
In his spare time, Morris also serves as the president of the Calgary Royals of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Cavanagh will be director of operations for Zone 9, helping to set policy at the minor level, co-ordinating playdowns and supervising the peewee skills challenge program.
All part of the commitment a few people make so that so many others can play the game.
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