Moosomin has had a connection to outdoor rinks like very few others in Canada. Our history goes all the way back to 1882 when we had the only formal outdoor rink in the then North West Territories.
As the story goes … Moosomin’s Grosvenor Hotel was the first one opened after the CPR entered the N. W. T. in 1882. The Host was a genial Irishman, E.M. Rossiter, on of the founders on the Anglican Church. Rossiter must have been a skater himselt and there must have been skating fans among the first arrivals. Anyway, the first “rink” was created, probably through host Rossiter, on a slough behind his hotel, in the first winter of 1882,83.
Moosomin would then go onto build the first Indoor Rink … and then the second indoor rink ( 1884 and 1885) in all of the then N. W. T.
Since then Moosomin and Outdoor Rinks have had a love affair as the communities has countless backyard rinks and has had a dedicated Community Outdoor Rink for over 100 years.
he Rink has played host to kids games, Senior Hockey games and perhaps most special an annual game which started about 25 years ago on Christmas Eve where a group home for the holidays come back to play a fun game late into the night.
Our community has one indoor rink … to service 12 Boys Minor Hockey Teams , 4 girls Minor Hockey Teams and 4 mixed minor hockey teams. We have 4 Adult Recreation Hockey Teams and a Elite Senior Hockey Team as well as a huge Figure Skating Club. As you would imagine we have virtually no open ice and as a result Rossiter’s Pond ODR is absolutely packed from November to March with kids playing every night … well into the night.