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Ladner dad makes memories with front yard hockey rink

A Ladner dad was able to create some lifelong memories this week by building a big front yard rink for his family to enjoy. Steve Kerr, who works in the house building industry, constructed a 50x30 feet rink with boards, nets and night lighting.
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Levi Kerr and his dad Steve on their front yard rink in Ladner.

A Ladner dad was able to create some lifelong memories this week by building a big front yard rink for his family to enjoy.

Steve Kerr, who works in the house building industry, constructed a 50x30 feet rink with boards, nets and night lighting.

“It was an awesome experience from beginning to end for our family. My son who is eight-years-old and his friends said they will always remember this. At that moment I knew it was a great decision to build it,” Kerr said in an email to the Optimist.

 

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Levi Kerr and his friends William, Thomas, Avery, Carden, Login and Lilly got to use the rink this week. - courtesy Steve Kerr

 

Kerr said he got the idea while reading his son Levi a story before bed about how Mario Lemieux’s dad built a rink for the Pittsburgh Penguins legend growing up.

“We both couldn’t sleep that night as we were so excited.” 

Kerr coaches his son’s hockey team.

 

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The rink took about four hours to put together and extended over the front lawn and driveway. - courtesy Steve Kerr

 

He also explained how his wife Billy is originally from Ottawa and a lot of her friends have backyard rinks and that he’d always been jealous of the climate there and the ability to build these rinks during the winter.

He read up online about building a rink and “one thing everyone said is bigger is better, you always wish you build it bigger.”

Kerr used lumber, a tarp and blue and red duct tape for the lines.

He said it was pretty special being able to use the rink this week during the cold snap.

“It’s not something you get to do too often in this part of the world. Plus having it in the front yard was the best as we live on a corner and get pretty heavy car traffic, and people walking their dogs. So many people wanted to stop and talk about it, take a picture, or just stop and drink coffee and talk about the neighbourhood. But seeing the look on my kid’s face when he took the first few laps and we all had our fingers crossed was just perfect.”