Small-town hockey rinks feeling the effects of an uncertain season
One thing being forgotten in a fall without hockey is all the small towns.
For many in small towns, life in the winter is centred around the rink. With no date for a return of competitive hockey, some of these towns could be forced to prop up the local rink.
In Allan, the Logan Schatz Memorial Arena has offered ice times at a much cheaper rate than Saskatoon rinks for years. Being roughly 60 kilometres away from the province’s largest city, the rink relies on rentals from Saskatoon teams to stay operational each year.
“It just kind of brings it down to perspective of what are we keeping our rink open for?” Allan and District Communiplex president Matthew Holtorf said. “Sometimes I feel that all we’re doing is keeping it open for people in Saskatoon to have cheap ice.”