BLOOMINGTON - When Andrew Kelly was a boy growing up in Ontario, his mother wasn't keen on him playing hockey, but today she is pleased he has built a backyard ice rink at his Bloomington home. | Photo gallery | Video

"She wants the kids (two grandsons) to be the most Canadian they can be, Kelly said with a grin. "An ice rink is part of that culture."

The outdoor skating rink he built at his home in Old Farm Lakes subdivision is also a gathering place for neighbors and friends to pass the puck, test their figure skating skills or just enjoy crisp winter weather.

It's 20 by 30 feet - about the same footprint as a two-car garage - but it provides enough room for family members to improve their skating skills and have fun this winter.

On a recent Saturday, while 2-year-old Ashton napped, father and son Noah, 4, passed the puck back and forth. Mom Malika didn't have her skates on this time, but often does.

Noah wore the hockey sweater of his favorite player, Pittsburg Penguins star and Halifax native Sydney Crosby, and hockey pants with "Canada" spelled out in red letters.

It's been a better skating season than Kelly might have been anticipated when he set up the rink Dec. 2. The weather warmed. "I had a big slush pit. I was so disappointed," he said.

This winter the ice froze and thawed multiple times as the temperature fluctuated greatly. "It's a lot of work in this weather," Kelly said. When others cuddled inside on the coldest and blustery days, Kelly was outdoors adding water and resurfacing the ice with what he calls his "hand-Zamboni" regularly.

The T-shaped tool and a garden hose are his weapons against bumpy ice.

Now the ice is six to seven inches thick on top of a white liner and confined by a wooden frame, with metal brackets.

The outdoor rink is a result of a friendly challenge with friend Dave Dimitri who had a 6-by-6-foot mini rink last year. Dimitri hails from Detroit and has Canadian roots.

"We tried to out-do him this year," Andrew Kelly said of his bigger skating surface.

There's actually a three-way challenge among transplanted northerners here. Rob Newcombe, originally from Halifax, also has a backyard rink.

The three families may hold an end-of-season traveling skating day to go to each home and have a little skate, Kelly said - if weather and schedules permit.

"I'm sure some of our neighbors think we're crazy," he joked. But not all of them. Those with ties to the Bloomington Prairie Thunder hockey team come over to skate sometimes.

The Kellys have season tickets for the Prairie Thunder, and know team members better than most.

Andrew Kelly has dressed with the team four times as an "emergency backup goalie." He hasn't played in a real game, but this hasn't deterred the hockey fan and his family from cheering for the home team.

They also put their skates on at Pepsi Ice Center for family skates and special events. Noah is a Hockey Tot there. The 4-year-old looks comfortable skating and shooting the puck. His younger brother, Ashton, can stand steady on the narrow blades at an age when most toddlers are just getting past being wobbly on their land legs.

Still, "are you for real?" was Malika's first reaction when her husband said he was building a rink in the back yard.

Both grew up in Canada, a few hours from each other in Toronto and London, but didn't meet until he was in law school at Michigan State.

They moved to Bloomington for his job in 1999. Today, he's a partner in Wylder Corwin Kelly law offices in Bloomington, which specialize in personal injury cases. She has taught at Normal-based Unit 5 schools and now stays home with the children.

"It's nice having the rink. We can go out and skate, get exercise and fresh air," she said.

They plan their evenings around the rink as well. They are set for night games with bright, rink lighting.

In his spare time, he plays goalie in a men's hockey league. He jokes that he became a goalie because he's not a great skater, although he says his skating skills improved this winter.

One of Malika's friends recruited him to the team at first - solely because he was Canadian and they thought he'd be good at hockey.

In Bloomington, the hockey community is a strong one.

"It's like a family," he said.

Speaking of family, Noah's grandma would be proud of his cool Canadian blood. After a brisk skate, the 4-year-old came into the house with rosy cheeks and asked, "Can I have a Popsicle?"

---

Rink amateurs

• Where: In the backyard of Andrew and Malika Kelly in Old Farm Lakes subdivision, Bloomington

• Rink size: 20 by 30 feet - roughly the size of a two-car garage. Ice depth: 6 inches.

• Rarity: Known to be one of at least three backyard rinks in Bloomington

• What it's made of:

- 2-by-6-by-10-inch boards for the frame, held together with metal brackets

- A white liner to reflect the sun. Plastic liners sold locally are usually black or blue and the ice would melt easier. Ordering a white one online or importing one from Canada are options.

- Water, added using a garden hose, often working in tandem with a T-shaped tool to smooth the ice.