Kitsilano Community Centre Arena

Always love the kits-​y feeling here. Older rink but feels historic. Not the most modern changing rooms, but it’s clean and pretty good ice.
Well-​lit parking lot. always fun playing hockey here and have a decent drop-​in crowd.

This is a story about a blister (aka why skate rentals hurt!)
A friend’s birthday approaches and I get apprehensive. The reason: we’re going skating. Did I mention I have been skating once in my life prior to this? And I was 7?
So we arrive, and lace up. It smells like a mix of a high school locker and ice. I mean the rink and the skates: p. But they do have lots of sizes, including really large guys ones (like up to size 15). I think I’m a hot shot — I’m making my slow way around the rink, gradually letting go of the wall, getting the hang of gliding. I’m doing well! And it is a big rink. There are moments when we’re told to start skating the other way, there are breaks when the Zamboni trucks on through and then there is the moment when.
My foot starts to hurt, its burning a bit. I sit out, relax, until they urge me to come back out for one last lap. I oblige. Half way through the circle I feel an incredible burning on my foot, my eyes go wide and I announce I have to turn around. They want me to finish the lap… no…no…no…I have to turn back now!
I remove my skate, look at the bright red spot where the skin once was and wince. And wince do I ever for 3 full days I crawled. Have I mentioned that this happened in the least likely of all spots– right on my arch?
If I ever get back on a pair of skates, they’ll be my own! For now, the non slip grip of grass, concrete and the occasional dirt path will do me just fine!

NHL size ice surface, stands are small and are on one side only. It’s a fairly cold rink so bundle up especially in the early mornings. Odd fact: it’s exactly the same as the Sunset rink.