Jeff Green | Feb 10, 2016


Buoyed by a strong response to their campaign, Frontenac Community Arena volunteers are hopeful about their Kraft Hockeyville bid.

In order for the Frontenac arena to progress to the final stage of the contest, it will need to beat a few other contenders. The top 10 bids, in a field of 3190, will be informed that they are moving on in early March, and those 10 will then have to mobilize support for an all-out one-week sprint to the finish line.

Al Pixley, the president of the Frontenac Minor Hockey League, said that whether the Frontenac Arena's bid gets to the finals or not, the amount of support and interest that was generated over the weekend on both Twitter and Facebook have buoyed the arena executive's spirits considerably.

“Win or lose, it has brought a lot of awareness about the arena and the amount of work that needs to be done. There are a lot of positives,” he said.

Pixley added that in order to be considered for the top 10, the arena's campaign needed 250 social media posts. “We haven't calculated the final number, but we are somewhere in the range of 25,000. Things really did take off over the weekend.”

As word got out about the campaign, hockey families from the past joined with the current arena users “and it all sort of snowballed from Thursday on, all the way to Sunday,” Pixley said.

The number of supporters for the campaign is one of several factors that are considered when determining the 10 finalists, each of whom will receive $25,000 towards arena upgrades.

“I think it is worth 30% and then they look at our application, what we want to do with the money, and other factors,” Pixley said.

This leaves the committee unsure about what their chances are. “But we will make sure that when the names are announced we are ready to promote our nominations right away, because we won't have much time at all,” he said.

Central Frontenac councilor, Brent Cameron, is the chair of the arena's management board for 2016. He is one of four municipal council members, two from South Frontenac and two from Central Frontenac, who make up the board.

“We already have plans in place to upgrade a lot of the equipment in the arena and to improve the lighting and heating, but if the Hockeyville money comes through it will allow us to do a project that has been on our radar for a long time,” he said.

That project involves putting in an entirely new canteen/hall at the rear of the building on the second floor, and an elevator for access.

“The existing canteen can only be reached through the stairs, and the idea of a public part of our arena not being accessible is something we would like to address, for one thing. It would create a space that would enhance community uses of the arena on a year-round basis. There is also the idea of turning the existing canteen into a fitness room for the public,” he said.

Cameron added that these kinds of projects require a lot of public participation and fundraising, and that he has been impressed by the efforts of the hockey league.

“I have to hand it to Al Pixley, the league executive, and all the parents and volunteers. They have taken on this Hockeyville initiative and run with it. As a board, we are supportive of anything that will improve the arena, and the timing is right for something to happen, as it's our 40th anniversary this year,” he said.

Cameron added that working with his fellow Central Frontenac councilor, Sherry Whan, and with councilors Al Revill and Norm Roberts from South Frontenac, has been a good experience.

“We all bring something to the table. Al has a keen eye about building operations; Norm has a history as a hockey coach and in minor hockey; and Sherry and I both grew up at the rink.”

Cameron added that the Frontenac Community Arena, which is still referred to locally as the Picadilly or Pic Arena, has had a storied history for a small rural rink. It has produced three NHL draft picks over its 40 years. One is Trevor Steinberg, who is the coach of the St. Mary's University Huskies in Halifax, one of the top university teams in Canada. Another is Marty Abrams, who was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals and is now a coach with the Wellington Dukes, a Junior A team. The third is a certain goalie from Verona, Mike Smith of the Arizona Coyotes, who was on the Canadian Olympic team in 2014.

“Everyone loves this rink. It is not an urban multiplex and never will be. It always will have the feel of a rural rink but we want to make sure it has the best ice and the best facilities for the community,” he said.

Support local
independant journalism by becoming a patron of the Frontenac News.