SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Sitting in his chair at his home in Aven Court, Yellowknife hockey legend Ed Jeske remembered a story about one young kid he coached in the early days of minor hockey in Yellowknife.

"After the game he had no shoes, someone had stolen them so I threw him over my shoulder and carried him home," Jeske recollected. "The mother came out screaming and thought he was hurt. The kid piped up and said he'd lost his shoes."

It's this kind of story that encapsulates the long-time Yellowknife residents' dedication to hockey and one of the countless reasons the Olympic ice pad at the Multiplex will now be known as the Ed Jeske Arena. City council's decision to name the Olympic pad after him compliments an earlier decision to name the Multiplex's second pad after the late Shorty Brown, also a Yellowknife hockey legend.

Jeske moved to the NWT in the mid-1950s from Swan River, Man., to work in construction. He worked in Inuvik for more than two years and helped build the airstrip at the airport before moving to Yellowknife where he eventually became a teacher at Sir John Franklin School.

"I taught everything from automotive, construction and heavy equipment operation," he said, later adding he taught the first 10 years without a teaching certificate before he was asked to go back to school and get one. "I was doing some training in the evenings when I was in Inuvik and got asked to come down and teach at Sir John. I did that for 31 years."

It's when Jeske came to Yellowknife he finally had the chance to get involved in hockey. He said he travelled a lot before settling here and was never able to give time to minor hockey. Jeske juggled work and coaching quite nicely over the years.

"I used to sneak out of work at 4 p.m. and I'd ref and coach at the same time," he said. "I'd blow the whistle every three minutes or so to make line changes. It was really tough."

He said he wasn't sure how much time he spent tying skates for the kids, but he was sure it was just about the same amount of time he spent behind the bench.

"Not many parents would come into the dressing room, they'd just drop their kids off. They didn't know how to tie their skates so we tied them up. We used to joke about how our fingers were going numb," he said, adding his wife Blanche probably tied just as many as he did.

Seeing the kids he coached over the years grow up, Jeske said many are now playing old-timers hockey. He said hockey was very competitive in Yellowknife a few decades ago.

"We had three good teams in town," he said. "Giant Mine and Con Mine, those teams used to bring in guys that just about made it to the NHL. Boy, they sure didn't make them work too hard."

City councillors voted unanimously at Tuesday night's council meeting to name the rink after Jeske. The longtime youth hockey coach and referee received a standing ovation from all in attendance.

"Fifty-one years ago when I came here I never would have dreamt this would happen," Jeske said in a short speech to council after the vote. "I really appreciate this from the bottom of my heart. I'm truly honoured."