PJ’s Ponderings: If we’re talking about practise, we really should be talking about adding ice rinks to the city of Vancouver.<\/p>\n
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Published Mar 14, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Fans and politicos may be all in a tizzy about the idea of the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> putting their long discussed practise rink at the Britannia complex but really everyone is missing the point.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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But if they want to leave a real legacy, they should listen to Vancouver\u2019s minor hockey associations. For them, the idea of a four-storey building being latched onto the venerable Britannia Rink is nothing more than a shrug.<\/p>\n What they need is ice. As has been noted more than once in these pages, the city\u2019s ice rink capacity has been essentially stagnant for a half-century.<\/p>\n Take the Vancouver Minor Hockey Association, which runs boys youth hockey across east Vancouver. More than a quarter of their total ice time takes place at Britannia. Their other main facility is the Agrodome, where they\u2019ve run into booking issues because it\u2019s now the Vancouver Goldeneyes\u2019 training facility.<\/p>\n \u201cThey upgraded, which is great, but then they blocked off 7 a.m. till 3 p.m. for a month so we couldn\u2019t get our schedule sorted out,\u201d Levi Higgs, president of the VMHA explained. Minor hockey doesn\u2019t use ice time during school hours, but they use the ice before school, so not having access from 7 a.m. till 8:30 a.m. was difficult.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n NHL teams usually practise between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., so if the Canucks were to move into Britannia, most of their usage probably wouldn\u2019t affect minor hockey \u2014 until the weekend. If the Canucks had to decamp from Rogers Arena<\/a> because of a weekend concert, they\u2019d need to use Britannia.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would the contract say,\u201d Higgs wondered. \u201cWhat is their ability to kick us out? We\u2019d run skills sessions and practises at the Agrodome. We\u2019d get two weeks\u2019 notice that the Goldeneyes wanted to use the ice from say 2 till 5. You can work around skills sessions and practises though it\u2019s not ideal. But you can\u2019t be moving game times.\u201d<\/p>\n The ice situation is now so tight that VHMA will likely have to turn kids away next year, Higgs said. There\u2019s just no more ice time to be found.<\/p>\n Higgs, who is an energy manager at Vancouver International Airport, used to be on the board for the Britannia Community Centre. He got involved because he had hopes that the long-sought and Britannia complex renewal once planned for would have the second rink built.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n But he discovered at least two big problems. One was the politics: about 70 per cent of the complex is controlled by the school board, essentially the core. The other 30 per cent, basically in a U shape around the eastern end of the school buildings, is park board or other city control. And then there was the community board. That\u2019s a lot of stakeholders.<\/p>\n The other problem was a major infrastructure one.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a major B.C. Hydro duct that runs downtown along the south side of the rink,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n And so here we are. The city desperately needs to increase its ice rink capacity. Burnaby has found a way to add public rinks. Surrey is too. Britannia may be challenging but Higgs still thinks there\u2019s untapped opportunity there. The fact the rink has a new ice plant is great. But it\u2019s an inefficiency.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the worst investments you can do is to build a new ice plant but have just one rink,\u201d he noted. \u201cThe Richmond oval has two rinks but that ice plant could run 10.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The PNE presents an opportunity, too.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a planner\u2019s point of view, why not tear down the Agrodome and build a fourplex and work with the Canucks on that? Or if you\u2019re tearing down the racetrack, why not add a multi-sport angle there with a new rink?\u201d<\/p>\n Bottom line, the Canucks could do some big things here if they want to and build a real connection with their community. As it stands, Vancouver\u2019s lack of multi-sheet ice rinks inhibits our ability to host youth hockey tournaments. Imagine the good will the Canucks would get from bringing major youth hockey tournaments to the city itself.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Vancouver mayoral candidate Pete Fry would welcome a Canucks move to Britannia Rink<\/p>\n![\"britannia\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/png0915nrink-04_298728602-1.jpg\")
The Canucks should listen to Vancouver’s minor hockey associations. For them, the idea of a four-storey building being latched onto the venerable Britannia Rink, pictured here, is nothing more than a shrug. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO \/PNGArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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