First official outdoor rink at Siksika Nation now open

Skating, shinny and more can now be enjoyed at a new outdoor rink on the Siksika Nation that officially opened to the public on Tuesday.

The Calgary Flames Outdoor Rink was celebrated in a ceremony involving drumming and dancing at the Siksika Deerfoot Sportsplex.

In attendance were members of the Siksika Nation including Elder Alvine Eagle Speaker and Chief Ouray Crowfoot, as well as members of the Calgary Flames, Hitmen, Roughnecks and Stampeders.

The outdoor rink is the first of its kind on the nation, and will serve about 4,000 people in the area, including six nearby schools.

It was built in a partnership between the nation, Siksika Health Services, the Calgary Flames Foundation and the Calgary Hitmen Foundation.

Crowfoot says the rink is an important addition to the area, and is especially excited for the community's youth to use the ice.

He says there can be a lot of financial barriers to sport, and the partnership with the foundations helps take away some of those barriers.

"[With] hockey, especially, equipment costs money, rink time costs money … so if we can break down some of those barriers and make it more accessible, you give those kids a lot more opportunity than they would have any other way," he said at the ceremony.

Jeffrey McCaig, chairman of the board of directors at the Calgary Flames Foundation, attended the event and shared his own fond memories of growing up playing hockey.

"We know this rink will be used for much for than hockey and we could not be happier to be a small part of that," said McCaig.

"We are proud of our partnership with the Siksika Nation and the incredible programs, the education, the sharing of ideas and the community initiatives and games that this partnership has resulted in."

In the summer of 2021, the Calgary Flames Foundation unveiled its Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) Inclusion Program, which promised a $2 million sum to go toward sport inclusion through the foundation.

Siksika Health Service's partnership with the CSEC has lead to events like the now-annual Every Child Matter Calgary Hitmen Game, which will take place mid-January next year.