This Town Needs an Arena

The other day I was talking to our program assistant, Rex Knapaysweet, about hockey in Fort Albany. I asked him who the best players in town were. He told me the two best players were ones who played hockey indoors as kids. Because most of the guys had little formal instruction, Albany usually gets beaten badly when it travels out to tournaments. This goes for the kids teams too.

Getting an arena built in this community has been talked about for years. But it’s all talk. In my opinion, it’s time for this town to join the 21st century and get an arena built. Attawapiskat and Kash have arenas - as do Moose Factory and Moosonee. Yet, the children in this town of 800 learn the game on an outdoor rink that goes up at the beginning of January and down at the end of March. That’s three months of hockey.

If it’s question of money, then I say let’s raise it. An arena may seem like a frivolity to some, but it is the central gathering place of numerous small towns and First Nations Reserves across Canada. Along with an arena, Fort Albany requires a well-organized minor hockey system - a system where kids are taught the basics of the game on a safe ice surface that could be available to them, say, seven months of the year.

I am always impressed when I watch the kids play floor hockey. There is a lot of talent and passion for the game in this community. To not have an arena is ridiculous. Do you think Jonathan Cheechoo would have made the NHL had he not had the luxury of playing in an indoor arena? I am not suggesting that Albany has to start turning out NHL players. That’s not why we need an arena. We need an arena to give these kids something to. They need more structure in their lives. They need something to look forward to on a Saturday morning or a Wednesday night. And it’s not just the young ones who would benefit. An arena would improve the overall health of the community. We could get an adult league going.

Hockey was a huge part of my childhood. Growing up in Kirkland Lake, I would spend all day Saturday playing the sport. I’d wake up and go the old arena for my game, then I recall playing all afternoon on the outdoor rink, in our driveway, or on the road. At night I would watch Hockey Night in Canada or go watch the Legion 87’s - the AAA midget team. It was a good life, I tell ya.

I’m not suggesting an arena would solve all of Albany’s problems, but it would help a generation of children feel better about the community they live in. That’s not a bad start.