Elsipogtog celebrates new rink, Hockeyville title - Action News
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New Brunswick

Elsipogtog celebrates new rink, Hockeyville title

Two years after a fire gutted the communitys old rink, Elsipogtog residents are getting their first look at the replacement.

Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre reopens after being gutted by fire in 2020

Hockey boards in a rink that say Elsipogtog First Nation is Hockeyville.
Elsipogtog was named Hockeyville in 2021, which came with $250,000 in rink upgrades and $100,000 in youth hockey equipment. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

Two years after a fire gutted the community's old rink, residents of ElsipogtogFirst Nation are getting afirst look at their new one.

The rink suffered major damage after a fire in September 2020.Community members campaigned to become Kraft Hockeyville 2021 and when they won, they received $250,000 in rink upgrades and $100,000 in youth hockey equipment.

They also won the right to host an NHL game with the Montreal Canadiens taking on the Ottawa Senators in a preseason game on Saturday in nearby Bouctouche.

Barry Augustine manages therevamped Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre andsays it's been hard to keep it under wraps this long.

WATCH |Elsipogtog band council'sRuth Levi walks through the revitalized rink

Elsipogtog rink gets new life

2 years ago
Duration 3:10
After a fire destroyed Elsipogtog First Nation's rink, a cash prize helped community members bring it back.

"I think all of us have been wanting to share pictures, like from the beginning, because the whole community wants to see," said Augustine.

"We've been stopping a lot of guys coming in, they want totake pictures, they want tosee. Everybody wants to see."

The rink isn't 100 per cent completeyet. There arestill some issues with the ice-making system's piping, which could mean the ice won't be in place until the new year.

A woman holding a box of hats and other hockey merchandise from the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.
Ruth Levi showing off signed items from the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

Still, it's a huge moment for the community and one people have been waiting for since the Hockeyville announcement.

Kylie Francis, a member of the group behind the successful Hockeyvillecampaign, has vivid memories of the day Elsipogtog won.

"It lives on in my head forever, like that feeling," said Francis.

"We had our announcement in the community hall and we broadcasted it on the big screen"

The First Nation's hockey community suffered two major blows before being crowned Hockeyville last year.

The first came when with the fire.

A man with short, black hair wearing sunglasses and a blue t-shirt smiles.
Craig Sock out on the water. (Submitted by Derek Sock)

The second came in April 2021 when Craig Sock, a band councillor and driving force behind the Hockeyville bid, died after the lobster boat he was on capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia.

A second crew member, Seth Monahan, died in hospital.

"[Sock] was there when we announced the top four, but sadly, he wasn't there when we announced [the winner,]" said Francis.

The interior of a hockey arena with a Zamboni.
The community is getting its first look at the revamped Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

"But he was there in spirit"

"He would have been proud. He would have been real proud," said Augustine.

Band councillor Ruth Levi said for the community, the return of the rink is about more than hockey.

"This arena is the heart of the community," said Levi."It's our pride and joy."

Augustine said the arena contributes to the overall health of the community, both physically and mentally.

The interior of a hockey arena with hockey nets in the foreground and a Zamboni in the background.
The rink isn't 100 per cent done, but the plan is to have the ice in by the new year. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

"It's a wellness centre, I would call it," said Augustine .

"The last two years, I could see everybody's down and depressed and when we won this event, it kind of brought everybody back up and believing that we can do it. We can do anything"

With files from Information Morning Moncton, CBC News at 6 and Shane Fowler