“It’s so rewarding to create joy in a time of isolation”: Meet the 22-year-old building skating rinks in backyards across the GTA “It’s so rewarding to create joy in a time of isolation”: Meet the 22-year-old building skating rinks in backyards across the GTA
By Toronto Life | Photography By Daniel Neuhaus |
December 14, 2020
12/14/2020
As told to Luc Rinaldi
“Growing up, the hockey rink was my second home. My family moved from Vancouver to Toronto when I was eight, and I learned to skate soon after. I played for my school teams, but my true love was shinny. I practically lived at the Dufferin Grove rink most winters, playing pickup games with an ever-rotating roster of skaters. Every Saturday, my family would walk to the winter farmers’ market at Wychwood Barns, where my parents would sip hot apple cider while the neighbourhood kids and I took shots on a grizzled old goalie who padded up every weekend without fail. I loved the sense of community I foun