Metro Vancouver dad with long-term dream of backyard rink finally made it happen, but he started working on it in April

DELTA, B.C. -

When Metro Vancouver is not in a middle of a cold snap the idea of a backyard rink seems unlikely. But a North Delta man has finally managed to make his backyard rink dreams come true, and he's figured out how to make it last long after the sub-zero temperatures are gone.

It was a labour of love from Warren Appleton, in part to cheer up his son who was missing hockey due to the pandemic.

And it worked. Eight-year-old Russell has been spending hours every single day in his backyard, skating and practicing his hockey skills.

"It's really fun,” said Russell, showing off the small skating area.

The backyard ice rink that made it all possible was years in the making, something Warren's wife, Johnna, can attest to.

“We moved into our house eight years ago and he has been trying to flood various surfaces to build an ice rink every winter,” she said.

Until this year, his numerous attempts haven’t been successful.

Backyard rinks may not seem as special in some parts of Canada, but in the Appletons' area, it's rarely cold enough.

While Metro Vancouver is currently experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures, it's actually not the weather that helped the rink succeed this year.

“Finally got a recipe to build them properly,” Warren said.

The secret is irrigation pipes underneath the layer of ice maintaining the rinks ideal temperature.

“I call it an ice sandwich cause there’s ice then there is a tarp and then there is more ice with pipes then another tarp” said Russell.

“I did some research on the internet and have been tinkering with it all year,” said Warren.

“I told everybody it was an experiment because I didn’t know if it would work so its seems pretty cool to see it all come together."

According to Johnna, “The kids love it, and he may not say so, but he is having a blast being able to go out there every day with them.”

It has been fun for the whole family but especially for Russell, whose hockey team's tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. Being able to play has been comforting for the boy.

“This is really special and I don’t know many people who their parents made them their very own ice rink,” said Russell.

And Russell isn’t the only one honing new skills on the home ice. His six-year-old sister has been getting better at skating every single day.

The rink has been up and running since November and Warren says it's here to stay for a little while longer.

“I’m not sure when it gets above eight degrees but imagine he will have a few more months use out of it,” he said.

But getting the rink up and running has not been a quick endeavour. Warren's work actually began back in April and he worked on it every chance he could.

“Might be 80 hours or 100 hours something like that,” Warren estimated of how long he's spent in total.

It’s thanks to that determination that he now gets to enjoy the fruits of his labour with his own kids.

“I am very proud of him. I know from the time he was a kid he has been trying to build himself an ice rink to shoot on,” said Johnna.