Outdoor Fernie rink built by Flames Foundation to open Thursday

Sammy Hudes
More from Sammy Hudes

The southern B.C. community still grieving the deaths of three men in an ammonia leak in October is getting an early Christmas gift from the Calgary Flames Foundation.

On Oct. 17, two Fernie, B.C., men and another from the Calgary area died at the Fernie Memorial Arena as they worked on the rink’s refrigeration system. As the city of 5,000 grieved, the Calgary Flames Foundation reached out and offered to build an outdoor rink, with a goal of having it ready by Christmas.

Six to eight weeks of volunteer labour and intense work later, the rink will open Thursday, with a special outdoor ceremony featuring hot chocolate, hotdogs and a bonfire.

“It just seems like it was done overnight,” said Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano. “We just thought it was phenomenal because we didn’t go looking for it. They just came to us. This means so much to our community because it’s not just the actual physical structure that’s so important but also what it meant — that support, that generosity of spirit coming toward us.”

The rink has NHL-sized dimensions of 200 feet by 85 feet, with NHL-sized board structure, two players’ benches, a penalty box and gating. Lights will allow skaters to enjoy the ice until 10 p.m. There’s also a heated Zamboni shed, change rooms and hot water lines.

“It has come together as quickly as everyone involved could make it, still in time for Christmas, and that was the goal,” said Candice Goudie, executive director of the Calgary Flames Foundation, the NHL team’s charitable arm.

Local community donors, led by the Fernie Lions Club, have worked around the clock to help ensure the rink would be ready to go by the holidays, contributing equipment and pouring water each night to help freeze the ice surface.

“So many people said, ‘what could we do’ after the tragedy,” said Giuliano. “When this offer came, we saw it as a positive place for people to put their energy and to try and make something good happen out of the sadness.”

For the Calgary Flames Foundation, the total expense of the project is $60,000 to $70,000, along with an additional $20,000 it will contribute to help pay for half of the rink’s initial operation and maintenance.