Elisha Boutilier will see the puck drop in her own backyard.
The 100 Mile resident is a local winner of Canadian Tire’s Operation: Puck Drop contest, which offered three ‘gold’ prizes consisting of an 85 by 200-foot ice rink worth $10,000.
She won the ‘silver package’ – a backyard kit consisting of a 20 by 40 ice rink kit worth $1,000. She was one of 200 people to receive a silver prize.
“It’s pretty awesome, we’ve never won anything so we were pretty excited when we got the call,” Boutilier said. “Because they had something like 3,000 applicants so to be one of 200 chosen is pretty good I think.”
Both Boutilier and her husband Mike were raised in 100 Mile House and chose to raise their own children out on Horse Lake. As such, they know the value of a good outdoor ice rink and already have one in their own backyard.
“We have a really great little community. It’s very economical and reasonable to raise a family here and we’re able to do extra things like hockey and skiing, we’re pretty lucky where we live,” Boutilier said, noting the hockey community is especially strong in 100 Mile House.
Having an ice rink in their backyard is great, she noted, especially this year with the “terribly warm weather.” Boutilier said this means there won’t be as many lakes that are safe to skate on, while COVID means they have to be careful who they let use their rink and when.
Boutilier said her prize includes one net and a variety of pucks she and her family will use with their existing rink.
She’s not yet sure what she’ll do with the rink building kit but said they’ll either use it next year or give it to another family who wants to make their own rink.
