Residents nostalgic as Simmons Sports Centre hosts final Sunday skate
The mainstay Charlottetown rink will eventually be torn down, making way for a brand-new facility next door
Islanders got a chance to take one last lap around the boards and grab one more order of rink fries at Simmons Sports Centre in Charlottetown this weekend.
Sunday marked the final free skate at the arena before it's eventually torn down, making way for a brand-new sports centre that is slated to open this fall.
Over the course of 50 years, the building has played host to plenty of memories for city residents of all ages.
Sabrinna Spingle said all of her children learned to skate and play hockey at the arena, and it's also become a place for her to meet up with friends she's made through her kids' activities.
"It's very much my social circle," she said.
"There's a lot of great atmosphere in here, everybody comes in here with great memories. My feet don't touch the floor when [I] sit in the stands. You're always cold, but that's part of it."
The new $33-million replacement facility sits just next to the existing sports centre on North River Road.
The new centre will include an NHL-sized ice surface with six dressing rooms, an outdoor swimming pool with three change rooms, a large multipurpose room, and a walking track on the second floor.
The building was initially expected to open last fall, but the project was delayed by the pandemic. Officials also blamed rising construction costs.
It's now expected to open this October.
The final skate at the original Simmons on Sunday was bittersweet for many who attended, with a lifetime's worth of memories making way for a new facility that people are excited to use.
"I pretty much grew up at this rink," said Jacob Muttart, 14. "I lived at the pool, and in the winter I lived here [at the rink]. I learned how to skate here. Pretty much had the best 14 years of my life playing hockey.
"The new rink, I bet it's going to be even better than this, so I'll just have to make new memories and finish off my hockey years at that rink."
Rodney Cudmore watched his grandson play hockey at Simmons Sports Centre for years and remembers his own early days of attending free skates on the ice surface.
"I have a lot of memories from my own children and my grandchildren skating here," he said. "My first memory, the first time I was ever in the place, April Wine was playing and I was about 18 at the time."
The rink is nestled between Colonel Gray High School and Queen Charlotte Intermediate, making it the perfect place for students to skate or practise their hockey skills after school.
Chase Munn, 14, was happy he got to spend his hockey-playing days at Simmons over the years.
"I grew up in the penalty box, mostly," he laughed. "It was a fun time and I love this rink. It's pretty cool [and] the fries are good here, too.
"It's good to give it a retirement. It served a long time."
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With files from Stacey Janzer