Real men - and women - don't like global warming

Even the National Post may be waking up to the fact that outdoor hockey rinks may someday be just a fond memory. In this piece titled A meditation on ice, Mark Spector writes about how "the outdoor rink is slowly melting from the consciousness of the Canadian man".

How many of the major Canadian cities can even keep an outdoor rink frozen any more, the way the weather has changed? Are we dependent on Kyoto to restore what was once an intrinsic, vital part of growing up in Canada?

Despite the chauvinist attitude in this article (hey, women play hockey too - sometimes better than the men!), I find this heartening. Perhaps, one day, the Post will figure out that we really do need to act to stop climate change - and save our outdoor rinks too.

I was happy to see that our local park managed to create an outdoor rink this year - although it wasn't until February. I'm sure the lifespan of these rinks is much shorter than it used to be. Although I've never played hockey, I have fond memories of helping my Dad create a small skating rink in our backyard. We had a blast back then.

The Hockey Pond
Just for fun, here's a short video showing the future of outdoor hockey in a climate-changed world (found on BeSustainable.com).



Comments from the YouTube post:

Today, February 16, 2007, is the second anniversary of Canada's Kyoto Promise, finds ordinary Canadians tired of political rhetoric and keen for true action. "It's not right to have open water in my hockey pond" says Arni Mikelsons, a resident of Guelph Ontario Canada, "I want action by my government. Cut the high sticking and honour Canada's Kyoto Promise."