Rain...

So its raining and overcast today... Just slightly above zero.

It's actually a good thing. Some rain and cool weather = free flood for me. As long as it doesn't snow, we'll be okay.

Looks like we're in for cool/cold weather next week! Can't wait.

The First Flood

The First Flood
Originally uploaded by Big Swede Guy

So I needed something to do to keep my mind occupied for a few hours the other day. It was cold and windy... Albeit more windy than cold... And I decided to fill the rink.

Earlier in the day, I decided to drop by Home Depot and see if the tarps were in... They were, for $109 CDN this year... I picked one up and threw it in the back of the truck, figuring I'd flood next week some time.

One thing to keep in mind - don't unravel a 40x60' tarp in -10C weather in hurricane force winds. Alright, they weren't that bad, but bad enough: my neighbour saw me struggling and dropped by to lend a hand. Mark: I'll help you keep that back alley clear for ya this year!

With Mark's help, an hour later I was filling the rink. This involved scrambling to find various tools - stapler, hose (which was still attached to the house and frozen solid), heat gun, staples for the stapler (thanks again Mark!) and things to keep the tarp from blowing away. You know, rocks, chairs, random pieces of wood.

So I basically just stapled the tarp around the rink and filled it. As the weight of the water pushed the tarp down, it ripped out the staples and I just had to restaple it in the new position... Worked actually quite well.

8 hours with the hose on and I turned it off.

Today there was a good inch, inch and a half of ice. Tonight it's going down to about -12C, which is great news.

Only one semi-problem. Near freezing temps this weekend and a pretty good chance of rain.

On the plus side, its a free flooding.


I'm dedicated my rink this year to Jack Falla and my mother, who I've been estranged from for some years. Even though we didn't get along she got me involved in ourdoor hockey when I was quite young, and it is probably the greatest gift she gave me.

She died this week at the age of 58.

And so it begins anew...

Rink Rats 2008
Originally uploaded by Big Swede Guy

Monday afternoon I held a rink raisin' party with my buddies from work. The day was overcast and cool, but turned out to be perfect buildin' weather.

The weather has been unseasonably warm up here lately, but I'm hoping within the next couple weeks I'll be able to put the liner down and fill it in the hopes of skating before Christmas :)

This year, I decided to put up the boards at the same time as the base 2x10's. It was definately a multi-person job. Some of the boards had warped a little bit over the summer, but overall it went together with little problem.

We seemed to be missing a few braces here and there, so some new ones were quickly produced.

Lookin' good... better than the weather forecast anyways!

The Time Approaches...

The grass in the backyard still holds much of the green that it did in July... In fact, it's probably longer than it was for most of the summer, seeing as how I haven't cut it in a month. Recking your lawnmower will have adverse effects on your ability to keep the grass trimmed.

This being said, it is time to put the rink up. (Weather permitting of course)

The call has gone out to a couple of good friends for a "Rink Raising" Party.

I will supply the beer and lunch, and hundereds of pounds of lumber to haul around for a couple of hours. They will supply the manual labour, witty comments and cheerful banner (hopefully) for the duration.

Check back on Tuesday for pictures!

Jack Falla 1944-2008

I've been a follower, poster and sometimes advice giver on a backyard rink forum hosted by Yahoo for the past 3 years.

I've conversed with, and discussed various topics with Jack... I've been meaning to drop down to Chapters to pick up one of his books... I think I'll do that tomorrow. His new book, "Open Ice: Reflections and COnfessions of a Hockey Lifer" was released just after his passing.

I have copied and pasted a post I put up on the yahoo boards for those who did not know Jack.

I too was saddened by the news of Jack's passing.

I just opened the October 14th, 2008 issue of the Hockey News and found a touching article to Jack on page 11 by Kara Yorio. I apologize for any spelling mistakes - I thought I would write it here for those to see that do not have a Hockey News subscription.

Cheers Jack,

Kevin Carlson
Thunder Bay, Ontario






"Jack Falla 1944-2008"

THe skates and stick leaned against a photo display in the Wellesley, Mass funeral home. They looked lonely. It would have been more appropriate if they somehow joined the stream of mourners. For throughout his life, skates and a stick gave Jack Falla as much comfort and companionship and as many memories as any friend who lined up to say goodbye. Falla, an author, professor and sportswriter, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 64 on Sept. 14th.

He left behind his cherished family - wife Barbara, children Tracey and Brian and grandchildren, Demetre and Ella. And he left behind a hockey world filled with friends, colleagues and former students. Falla was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated in the 1980's, chronicling the rise and reign of Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers. He was a professor at Boston University and authoer of Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard RInks and Frozen Ponds; Quest for the Cup; and the recently released Open Ice: Reflections and COnfessions of a Hockey Lifer. He also contributed ot the The Hockey News, writing major essays in Century of Hockey and the Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time and acclaimed back-page columns for Inside HOckey.

Falla loved music and movies, good wine and a good meal. And he loved great writing. All styles, from any era. But hockey was his true passion; the threat pulling everything together, connecting generations and linking a lifetime of moments, good and bad. And despite covering it professionally, he remained forever a fan.

He revere3d the hockey gods who won five straight Cups for Montreal from 1956-1960. He sent highlight tapes of Bobby Orr to people who never saw the great Bruin play - because no one should be a fan of today's game without actually seeing the man who changed it. He felt compelled to attend Maurice Richard's funeral, found a reason to visit Georges Vezina's grave and created a professional purpose for a pilgrimage to the pond where Hobey Baker learned to skate. He loved the game, its beauty and brutality.

He built a backyard rink, the Bacon St. Omni, in Natick Mass and that ice - which was to freeze for its 25th year this winter - provided the page on which he wrote so much of his family history. It was here he passed the puck to his kids and then grandkids. Multiple generations of neighbors and friends signed the rink guest book and were rewarded with a lasting memory.

In "Open Ice", Falla wrote that hockey was important to him "For reasons that transcend standings, statistics and scores." He recalled a conversation with a fellow professor: "Why do you go to the draft? THey don't play hockey," the professor asked. Falla replied, "I go to see my friends," adding that the NHL is like a tribal gathering. "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to," he said.

The tirbe has lost a treasured member. The game has lost a fan and a friend.
-Kara Yorio

The Time is Nearing

The chill of winter is slowly creeping into the NW regions of Ontario...

This means it's almost time to put up the rink.

I've decided I'm going to put them up on the weekend of the 24th when the gf is away on her vacation.... The end boards are also going to be put up at the same time that I do the main frame - the difficulties I had last year due to snowfall and above freezing temperatures caused too much difficulty.

Of course I didn't purchase a back up liner last fall, so I'll be waiting patiently for Home Depot to bring in their rink liners once again.

2 more weeks until we start. I'm hoping for a great year this year and make up for the disaster of a season we had in 2007.

Winter and Work - no co-operation

Well, between working 60+ hrs a week, and winter that is raining one day - and -45C the next... it has not been a great month for skating. It's a sad fact that Hannah hasn't skated once on the rink yet, and Parker only a couple of times. I'm working 12 days in a row, then I'm off for 4 days. I think I'm going to get the rink in skatable condition again, and try and put up the boards.

Of course, the problem with that is that the ground is now pretty much frozen solid. I'm not sure how I'd secure the support beams to the ground (I used rebar stakes last year).

Bah. The only consolation (as little as it is), is that it has been a bad year everywhere from what I can tell for rink builders... Good ole mother nature just isn't cooperating...

*sigh*