Those passing by the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre Tuesday morning might have noticed something unusual – an artificial ice rink.
John Wilson, chair of the Victoria Hockey Legacy Society, says it was set up as a test ahead of it being set up for real for next month’s Hockey Day in Canada.
“It’ll be used down at Ship Point where the festivities will be,” Wilson said in a Zoom interview with CHEK News. “Wednesday, Jan. 17, it’ll activate into a festival celebration of hockey down there. There’ll be the synthetic ice service, there’ll be three ball hockey courts and a lot of community activity going on.”
The festival is a little over a month away, with it set to take place from Jan. 17-20.
As part of the event, the Stanley Cup will be in Victoria, Ron MacLean will broadcast from the city, and there will be a number of both ticketed and free events.
A full rundown of events can be found on the Hockey Day in Canada website.
“Preparations are well underway. We’ve been working on this for the better part of a year,” Wilson said.
“What the event is, is a celebration of hockey and hockey for everyone. It’s about making sure that new Canadians, Canadians, no matter what your background is, feel free, happy and open to participate in the game of hockey, whether that’s ball hockey, whether that’s first-timers on the ice, whatever it may be.”
Laura Brougham
