Chris Lowrey
BRISTOL Aug. 20, 2017
It wasn’t your typical game of outdoor hockey in August. Instead of kids hollering “Car!” for an oncoming vehicle, they were more likely to say “Tractor!”
The strange sight of children whipping around on their ice skates in the middle of a field at Rusendale Farms may have turned a few heads on Aug. 20.
The “ice” is actually a type of heavy-duty plastic that allows skaters to lace up and glide around on a smooth sheet without having to brave cold temperatures.
The plastic panels measure four feet by four feet and can interlock with one another to form a larger skating surface. They are “self-healing” which means that there is limited maintenance that goes with it.
Each panel is two-sided with each side having a lifespan of three to five years.
The panels are made by Hockey Shot, a New Brunswick-based company that makes hockey skills improvement gear like stickhandling obstacles, nets with targets and the synthetic ice sheets.
The impromptu game was organized by Shawn MacDonell, who’s spent the last 14 years working for Creativision, a marketing company that specializes in creating unique experiences for different brands.
MacDonell, who grew up in Shawville, has been taking the synthetic ice all over the Ottawa Valley staging hockey games that are uniquely photogenic.
He recently took the setup to Ottawa where he staged a game right on Bank Street during an event called Glowfair. He also set up the rink in his friend’s parents’ backyard near the Aylmer Marina earlier this summer.
He has his eyes on staging a game at Fort Henry in Kingston. MacDonell even said that the four-by-four planks can float, so he might arrange to play a game while floating on the Ottawa River.
“We’re just trying to do some fun stuff with it and put it in the weirdest spots possible.” MacDonell said.
When he thought of his hometown and where he could stage a quick game of shinny, his thoughts immediately went to Ed Rusenstrom.
“I thought of all the farmers I knew and I’ve known the Rusenstrom family forever,” MacDonell said. “Well, they come with a whole hockey team between the four kids.”
MacDonell set up 25 panels in Rusenstrom’s field which made for a 16’ by 24’ playing surface.
“We can make it as big or as little as we want it,” MacDonell said.
Even the Los Angeles Kings are getting in on the trend. The NHL team played a game of hockey on the beach in sunny Southern California as a promotional event.
MacDonell said he would like to see the panels used here in Shawville again during a hockey tournament, which would give players something to do between games.
But ultimately, MacDonell said he wants to try and turn as many heads as possible with his ice sheets.
“I’m trying to get it in the weirdest possible spots,” he said. “You know, try and get it on rooftops, the beach, a farmer’s field. The weirder I can get it the better.” Anyone with an idea for MacDonell can email him at info@creativision.ca.
