LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Fort Simpson residents are on the verge of having an NHL-sized rink at their disposal.

Rowe's Construction and P.R. Contracting Ltd. have donated their heavy equipment and employee time to build an outdoor skating rink on the former site of Dehcho Hall. The ice surface, which is enclosed by a snow berm, measures 90 by 200 feet, five feet wider than an NHL playing surface.

Wayne Boutillier floods the outdoor ice rink in Fort Simpson with 3,500 gallons of water on Nov. 14. Rowe's Construction and P.R. Contracting Ltd. built the rink for the community. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

This is the fourth or fifth rink Owen Rowe of Rowe's Construction has built in the village. The benefit of an outdoor rink is it freezes earlier than the rink in the recreation centre, said Rowe, a dedicated hockey player and coach.

"The kids always want to get out early and we don't get ice here until early December," Rowe said.

Following the same principle outdoor rinks also last longer at the end of the season. The last rink Rowe built three years ago was used well into April. In contrast, the ice in the arena melts by March or early April.

Rowe expects the outdoor rink to be ready for skaters before the weekend.

"I'll use it for sure," he said. Rowe said he also hopes to get the youths he coaches in hockey on the ice early. By having the outdoor rink it gives them the option to skate instead of doing less productive things, he said.

Adults and youths, hockey players and recreational skaters alike, are welcomed to use the ice. Loren Ducharme said he'll be on the rink getting in shape for the hockey season.

Ducharme, a lead hand at Rowe's Construction, was at the rink on Nov. 14 along with Wayne Boutillier flooding the surface with water from two water trucks. The trucks were carrying the 10th and 11th loads of water, respectively, to go into the berm.

"It's looking real good," Ducharme said.

Fort Simpson Mayor Sean Whelly also applauded the project.

"I think it's a great use of the property as a recreational area," he said.

The rink will bring some life to the field and act as an impromptu gathering place, he said. Whelly envisions children playing in the snow beside the rink while others skate. Families will likely light small fires to roast hotdogs and stay warm, he said.

"It's a great initiative on their part to make the contacts," Whelly said about the two businesses.

Before building the rink Rowe sought and received permission from both the territorial Department of Public Works and Services and Liidlii Kue First Nation.

To help maintain the rink users can grab a shovel and help clear snow, said Rowe. The rink will be flooded at intervals over the winter.

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