The Home For Women's Hockey

There are a few places that I'd like to visit in Canada to see a hockey game. I think seeing game above the arctic circle would be an amazing experience, and there are a few places in the Maritimes where I'd like to take in a game. One of those places is Cape Breton as I have a feeling that the hockey there would be fast and exciting, but there's now another reason I'd like to visit the northern island to the north of Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Univeristy has a women's hockey team that plays in the Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association - yes, another ACHA - that's a step below the AUS, but the Capers planning something very big with their latest branding and hockey project!

Built on the Cape Breton University campus in 1987, the Canada Games Complex featured an ice surface that was suitable for games, but it needed some serious upgrades. With the university having a complex like this available, they had used it for various purposes, but it had begun to show its age while desperately needing to conform to standards if hockey was going to played there regularly. Cape Breton University, community groups in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and levels of government decided to retrofit the complex a few years ago with preliminary designs completed in 2021.

Construction on the complex began on May 8, 2023, and the upgrades were extensive. The ice surface would be upgraded and retrofitted to NHL-sized rink standards with the capability to host sledge hockey, seats would be moved and reconfigured for 1744 people, a new ice plant would be installed, and new dressing rooms would be added in place of the old ones. A walking track and fitness centre would be added to the complex, convention space would be created, and health and counselling services and spaces would be expanded. In short, it was a major renovation for the 37 year-old complex as Cape Breton University saw its potential!

Some of the cooler features that would be seen with the renovated centre included upgraded HVAC that sees heat from the ice plant distributed through the complex, LED light fixtures used throughout the centre, the largest solar power installation on Cape Breton Island on the roof of the arena, and electric ice resurfacers to maintain the Canada Games Complex's new green identity.

Clearly, these renovations wouldn't be cheap, so a number of groups and people got involved. The price tag on the renovations was estimated at $36 million, and Cape Breton University included it as part of their $205 million investment to modernize and green its campus. The university also sought some partners to help with the renovation and expansion. Mike Kelloway, Member of Parliament for Cape Breton–Canso, announced a contribution of $1.5 million to CBU on October 17, 2024. The Nova Scotia government announced a contribution of $8.2 million towards the project in March 2023, and CBU and the Cape Breton Blizzard Female Hockey Association teamed up to win the 2022 Kraft Hockeyville grand prize of $250,000. These contributions helped immensely in moving the project forward.

So what's this "Home for Women's Hockey" stuff?

Well, the Cape Breton Blizzard Female Hockey Association was growing in numbers, and they had no home rink for their growing leagues. Any ice time that they sought was being grandfathered forward so other leagues could continue playing at times they always had, and that left the Blizzard out in the cold (excuse the pun) when it came to finding places to play at relatively normal times. With no time slots available and rinks unable to open up more ice time, things looked bleak for the Blizzard for expanding girls' hockey.

CBU was paying for the then-closed Canada Games Complex, so they needed a way to offset those costs. Hearing that the Blizzard needed a rink where their girls and teams could play, CBU and the Blizzard joined forces with a plan to turn the Canada Games Complex into the Home for Women's Hockey! Thanks to CBU's and the Blizzard's commitments, the new centre would exclusively be for women's hockey and women's hockey programs in Cape Breton!

On this past Saturday, Cape Breton University made the branding official as they announced on International Women's Day that the Canada Games Complex would officially use the branding "Home of Women's Hockey" moving forward. The complex and the groups will also use the taglines "It's Our Turn" and "Barriers Are Made to Be Broken" in working to promote "gender equity in hockey and the university’s mission to provide opportunities for female athletes". Having the captains of the Cape Breton Capers, Holland College Hurricanes, and the Acadia Axewomen at the announcement only underscored that commitment.

"With the launch of this branding, we are reinforcing our commitment to empowering female athletes, creating a program and a facility that fosters excellence, and breaking down the barriers that have historically limited opportunities in the sport, especially in our region," CBU president David Dingwall said to Jeremy Fraser of the Cape Breton Post.

Christina Lamey, president of the Cape Breton Blizzard Association, was also excited at the prospect of playing in the renovated facility, adding, "There is a lot of excitement among our players about getting into this new building and having an arena to call our own. I know all the players will wear this brand with pride, and we can't wait to continue showing the country what we are doing in Cape Breton."

Alyssa Burke, captain and graduating senior of the Cape Breton Capers team, told Ryan MacDonald of CTV News, "It really excites me, as I grew up playing with boys when I initially started. I think it's just going to set an example for Canada to step up and open up some more female arenas, but also for girls to see that they have a home."

The ACHA championship tournament was supposed to take place this season at the Canada Games Centre, but a few construction delays pushed the re-opening of the complex back to May. Canada's first "Home for Women's Hockey" will be the venue for CBU's spring convocation in May, and the school is planning a grand opening coinciding with the start of the Capers' hockey season in the fall. I'm very interested in seeing what the newly-renovated rink will look like, and I'm excited to see women's hockey in Cape Breton have a place it can exclusively call home for girls of all ages!

I don't know how many places in Canada have an arena that's closed that can follow Cape Breton's lead, but having the university and community partners committed to women's hockey like this is how the game will continue grow and thrive at the grassroots levels while this kind of commitment can and should be a blueprint for growing women's hockey across Canada! Well done, Cape Breton!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!