OTTAWA — Pre-schoolers in Sens jerseys and hockey helmets whizzed around the sleek oval surface of City Hall’s new Rink of Dreams Wednesday evening but Mayor Jim Watson did not stray from the red carpet.
Watson wore dress shoes with his white NHL All-Star jersey (team captain Daniel Alfredsson’s No. 11) because, the mayor sheepishly admitted, he does not own a pair of skates. In fact, Watson — who said he “looked like Bambi” the last time he laced up — does not know how to skate.
“It’s on my bucket list,” Watson told the Citizen.
Now that a 12,500 square-foot outdoor rink has opened in Marion Dewar Plaza on the north lawn of City Hall, the mayor has vowed to buy a pair of skates and takes some lessons. But more importantly, Watson said he is pleased Ottawans have a new outdoor rink that does not rely on the weather. A refrigeration unit will keep the ice skater-ready in temperatures up to 10C.
“Most often, people come to City Hall to pay a parking ticket. Now they have a reason to come and skate in this beautiful Rink of Dreams,” Watson said. “It will be a city-wide asset that will help revitalize our downtown core and it will offer predictable and reliable skating for both children and adults from November to March — completely free.”
The rink opened just in time for the NHL’s All-Star Weekend, hosted by Ottawa for the very first time.
The crowd shouted “Go Sens, go!” just before the glow of multicoloured LED lights illuminated the perimetre of the rink at 6 p.m.
Sens left wing Milan Michalek was sporting his No. 9 jersey but his skates were absent, as well.
“The ice looks really nice but I didn’t bring my skates. I’m saving myself for the game,” Michalek said.
Michalek and his teammate, defenceman Erik Karlsson, walked the red carpet signing autographs and posing for photos with fans who wished them good luck for Sunday’s All-Star Game.
“The city lives for it and I’m really excited for it,” Michalek said of the upcoming game.
The rink was supposed to open in December but problems with its refrigeration equipment caused delays — and bumped its cost from $1.25 million to an estimated $2.1 million.
The city’s contribution is capped at $250,000 plus the space for the rink in the plaza between City Hall and Laurier Avenue. The Ottawa Senators Foundation foot the rest of the bill.
“The Rink of Dreams will be a fantastic legacy project that truly was built by the community and for the community,” said Cyril Leeder, president of Senators Sports and Entertainment. “I look forward to skating on this rink. My children will skate on this rink and hopefully my grandchildren will have an opportunity to skate on this rink one day.”
It’s the first of about 20 new rinks to open in Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais as part of the Rink of Dreams project. The others will not be refrigerated.
The rink’s change hut will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. It will be closed for special events from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 28, and from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29.
During the spring and summer, the rink will be taken down and the space will host community festivals.
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