Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 04/98) - The city of Yellowknife may be a little bit off the beaten track, but passion for the game of hockey burns as fiercely here as it does anywhere else in the country.

John Campbell has been the supervisor at the Yellowknife Community Arena for the past three years.

He says the arena only shuts down for about two weeks out of the year and there's no shortage of hockey lovers in the North.

"Hockey is the big thing here at the arena, but we also hold bingo games during the summer and the arena plays host to a number of trade shows and conferences and boat shows as well.

"Hockey is just as big here as anywhere else in the country, the guys here love the game. We also have programs dedicated to figure skating and speed skating."

The Yk Arena plays host to both minor hockey and a recreational hockey league, as well as numerous pickup games and the Wade Hamer loop.

Campbell says as arena supervisor, he pretty much oversees every aspect of the arena's operations.

"I'm in charge of the building's overall maintenance and repair, as well as looking after its cleanup and maintaining its budget.

"We see kids of all ages come through the doors for minor hockey and see all ages of adults who love sports, especially hockey."

Campbell says the arena has three full-time employees hired by the city and has members from the outdoors crew work a couple of shifts a week to make up for the manpower situation.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Campbell moved to Yellowknife 16 years ago, at the ripe old age of 19.

"I originally came here to work for the summer and decided I liked it, so, here I am.

"As for the job itself, same as any job I guess, some good days and some not so good.

"But, like anything else in life, you have to take the good with the bad in order to be happy."