Windsor, N.S. has long-claimed to be the “birthplace of hockey.” Local historians believe the game has roots in the town, located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
It’s not the only place in Canada thought to be an incubator for the sport. The International Ice Hockey Federation said in 2008 that the first organized game of ice hockey took place in Montreal in 1875, and so-called "stick-and-ball" games have been played since the beginning of recorded history, including by Indigenous peoples of North America.
But in Windsor stands an epitaph to the beginnings of the sport as we know it today. Decades of hockey history took place inside the Stannus Street Rink, which opened in 1897.
"It's a landmark,” said Windsor Hockey Heritage Society Director Danny Dill. “It is amazing a buiding that old that is still standing."
According to Dill and his fellow society directors, it is the oldest standing indoor arena in Canada and maybe even North America, although its hockey-hosting days have long passed.
“It is a quintessential 'old barn,'” said Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame President and CEO Bruce Rainnie. “It is a word we like to use when we refer to old arenas in Canada, the ‘old barn.’ The wood smells old, it feels old, but the stories it tells are immense.”
For many decades, the Stannus Street Rink was the main sports venue in town, long before ice-making machines and large-scale refrigeration.
"One of the big stories with this rink was the ice," said Dill.
“The arena resembles an old church with a steeple. Back when the rink was operational, there was a flagpole atop the steeple. If the flag was flying, it meant the ice was ready for hockey. No flag would mean no hockey on that given night,” he said. "A lot of games had to be called (off) because it got too slushy.”
The rink is now used as a storage facility for boats and cars. The last time hockey was played here was more than 60 years ago. There are lingering questions about what the future holds for this old-time arena.
"It has not been kept up very well,” said former owner Eric Stephens. “To bring it up to standards now, it would take a lot of lot of work and money."
The bones of the old building appear to be holding up – the walls and roof are sturdy, and the memories remain vivid. Stories and pictures from a long-ago era are plentiful.
These pictures help capture a time in the first half of the 20th century, when the arena was jammed to the rafters.
"I don't know the numbers, but she used to be full,” said Stephens.
The Windsor Hockey Heritage Society has a long-term vision for the rink. They want to buy it from the current landlord and turn it into a hockey museum.
According to Dill, it would take a major community-based fundraising campaign for that dream to become a reality.
“You could make it a nice hockey shrine. Not only for here, but for the whole country,” said Dill.
It’s an idea that is music to ears of the President and CEO of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
“You have to find a way to save this, and find a way to preserve the history,” said Rainnie.
