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By Brian Clarke
There is a silver lining in the dark cloud that is the 20-below weather of the past few days: outdoor rink conditions are going to be near perfect this weekend.
Ottawa boasts one of the best volunteer rink maintenance programs in the country and roughly 250 outdoor rinks.? I can?t pretend I?ve tried a large enough sample size of these rinks to truly offer a list of the best in Ottawa.? In fact, it?d be a stretch to say I?ve skated on 10% of Ottawa?s rinks in my lifetime.
However, with many people searching for a good spot to skate this weekend, I?d like to offer a short list of the rinks that I?ve consistently enjoyed over the past ten years or so.
Kaladar Park
I?m a bit biased because this is the rink I grew up using.? Countless hours of child-Brian pretending to be an NHL superstar were spent on this rink (actually, adult-Brian still does the same thing at times).? Located just off Heron Road in Old Ottawa South, the Kaladar rink always has great ice conditions and has two rinks ? a small one for non-hockey skaters, and one within the boards for hockey games ? so everyone can enjoy this rink.
Brewer Park
Known for its outdoor speed skating oval, Brewer Park is a great location for a diverse range of skaters.? It?s got space for hockey players, speed skaters, and recreational skaters and children.? If only it had an outdoor figure skating and curling rinks it would be the winter skating sport heaven/perfect Canadian stereotype.? Brewer Park is located on Bronson Avenue, directly across the street from Carleton University.
Centerpointe
For those skaters who do not want to play hockey and just want to skate, this is the perfect spot.? It?s one of the few non-hockey outdoor rinks in the city, making it great for children and others learning how to skate, as well as for skating dates.? It is located right behind the City of Ottawa buildings at Centerpointe, just off Woodroofe road near Algonquin College
Tanglewood
For weekend pickup hockey games, this is probably my favourite outdoor rink.? Located on Woodfield Drive, just off Merivale Road in Nepean, it usually has great ice conditions and is a large rink with high boards.? More importantly, the rink draws a large number of people so you can always get great games of pickup going fairly easily.
The Rideau Canal
Obviously the Canal has to be included.? While it?s not what most people think of when you say the phrase ?outdoor rink?, the Rideau Canal is Ottawa?s premiere skating option.? Every Ottawa resident needs to skate on the Canal once per winter, and this experience is enough to draw in tourists and visitors in the tourism off-season.
And what do you know, the Canal partially opened for business this morning! Be sure to check which stretches of the Canal are open, as well as ice conditions by visiting the NCC website.
The one right around the corner
Don?t think any of the above options are suitable for you this weekend? Well no matter where you are in Ottawa, there is sure to be an outdoor rink right around the corner.? You can?t go wrong with any of them. So just grab a pair of skates and get out there!
Where is your favourite outdoor rink in Ottawa? Share in the comments below.
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