Foxwarren rink now has another claim to fame. In addition to producing many talented skaters and hockey players over the years, it was recently voted the Coldest Rink in North America on the newly launched Rink Rater app.
“Posts about naming the coldest rink in North America were circulating on Facebook and many people put Foxwarren,” said area resident Leanne Tibbatts. “No application to the contest was made, but all in all, it’s a unique situation.”
According to the website, Rink Rater is a new app designed for and by hockey parents, for reviewing and rating hockey rinks throughout Canada and the United States on such things as concession, skate sharpening, rink temperature, facility overview.
“The plaque now hangs in the facility,” said Tibbatts. “No doubt, it will be a conversation piece for years to come.”
The Foxwarren rink has been a busy place over the years as people come together to share a passion for all things skating, whether it’s hockey, figure skating, or just a few leisurely laps around the ice. And while the rink has a reputation for being one of the coldest ones around, the warmth of the people is second to none.
The community’s first arena was opened January 1912 while this current building opened December 1949, costing $30,000 at the time, and home to three NHL players.
“When it comes to hockey, there is no denying our competitive and determined nature,” says a passage in Passing It On – the R.M. and Town of Birtle History Book covering the years of 1884-2009.
Today, from minor to senior hockey, numerous banners hang from the rafters as testaments to the success of local teams across the ages and throughout many divisions. The arena also houses Foxwarren’s own “Hall of Fame” and boasts stories of many minor hockey graduates, including locals Ron Low, Pat Falloon, and Mark Wotton (NHL elite) and a long list of other men and women who excelled in leagues including the Western Hockey League, Junior Hockey Leagues, and National Women’s Hockey League.
Along with hockey, the Foxwarren rink, continues to be home to an elite figure skating club.
To keep teams, clubs and the rink itself going, it takes countless people and much volunteer work, but for many citizens of the area they don’t just enjoy hockey and figure skating — it’s their life.
