Former Senator builds backyard ice surface for his sons

Posted Feb 9, 2012 By Jessica Cunha

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EMC sports - After a week of poor weather, the hockey rink in Shean Donovan's backyard was in need of some TLC. A layer of freshly fallen snow, overtop a sheet of ice coated the surface at his family home in Carp.

The former Ottawa Senators forward grabbed his worn work boots, a winter coat, gloves and a blue plastic shovel and set out to put the rink to rights.

"Now I have no choice," said the father of three young children and husband to wife Teresa. "I'll have to finish this."

Donovan cleared the snow and chipped away at the extra ice that had frozen over the rinks surface. That night, he and his two sons, Jorian, 7, and Rylan, 6, spent an hour and a half playing shinny. Daughter Trinity, 1, hasn't quite laced up her skates just yet.

"It was great," he said about hitting the ice with his sons. "It's something I do that I enjoy and the kids are starting to like it more and more."

Donovan, who was drafted to the NHL in 1993 by the San Jose Sharks, first caught the hockey bug tagging along with his father to the outdoor rink near their home in Connaught, Ont., where he was born.

The former professional hockey player learned to love the sport on the community-built and maintained rink, which was located behind the only church in town.

"It was just a little town, maybe less than 100 people in it," said Donovan.

A young Donovan would spend his time shooting pucks into the boards while his father played in outdoor hockey tournaments with their neighbours and friends.

"I'd want to tag along," said Donovan, who would often get in trouble for practising his stick handling in the family's driveway, firing pucks at the garage door. "I guess I kind of got brainwashed from there."

He was hooked.

CAPTAIN'S RINK

Donovan had never thought to build his own rink until he saw one in the backyard of friend and Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson.

"I always used a community rink, I never thought of having one in a yard," said Donovan. "Alfie's was the first time I had seen someone have their own rink in their yard."

Every winter for the past three years, Donovan has constructed his own backyard hockey rink using a tarp, two-by-fours and plywood. A floodlight sits on the deck that overlooks the rink.

"It's pretty simple," he said, adding it takes about four hours to put together. "I did it all myself and it's not really fancy."

Having a backyard rink on his street isn't an uncommon practice, he said. Within an eight-house stretch, there are about four backyard rinks.

"This area is just inundated with rinks," said Donovan. "It ends up being a competition, who can build the better rink."

Another former Sens player, Jason York, has the best rink this year with boards and a heated dressing room to change in, said Donovan.

"I'm not the rink everyone goes to if they want to go to the awesome rink," he said. "They're the bigger draw."

Donovan and his sons hit the backyard rink once or twice a week, the inclement weather and busy hockey schedules for the kids keep them from using the rink more often.

"They're still young and they don't go out on their own," said Donovan, who retired from professional hockey to be closer to his family in 2010. "They still need a little prodding or they need daddy to be out there with them."

Since retiring from professional hockey, Donovan volunteers with both Jorian and Rylan's hockey teams as the assistant coach.

"I love it," he said. "I just like hanging out with the kids."

He also co-runs a summer-training program in Carleton Place and Beckwith, coaches other young hockey players on their skating, works as an on-air personality for the Team 1200 sports radio station and attends various tournaments and charity benefits.

This year, he is the honourary chair for the Fred Page Cup, which is being hosted by the Kanata Stallions, a team he used to play for when they were known as the Kanata Valley Lasers.

"It's good, it keeps me busy and out of trouble," said Donovan.

But he always makes time for his children. The two Donovan boys had a chance to check out the NHL All Star Game with their dad last month.

"They thought it was great," said Donovan, adding they're starting to recognize various players' names, which makes it more exciting for them.

Donovan said he's happy his sons are enjoying the game that he loves to play.

"Hockey is all over the place," he said. "The biggest thing is to have fun."

jessica.cunha@metroland.com