Princeton falls short in Hockeyville
Town was hoping to put the $250K from the event toward replacing arena roof
Princeton's motto is Where Rivers and Friends Meet, only it's not usually “atmospheric rivers” that the townsfolk are referring to.
Last November's unprecedented rains caused historic flooding of the Tulameen and Similkameen rivers that converge at the mining, forestry and ranching town of 2,800, causing $50 million in damages.
That meant funds that could have been allocated to replace the town's 48-year-old arena's roof were needed elsewhere.
“My sister and I grew up in that arena, she figure skated and I played hockey,” said Sean McAffie, who has begun a GoFundMe page with a target of $450,000 to go toward replacing the roof of the Princeton and District Arena.
Like many small town kids, McAffie formed lifelong friendships at the rink, which besides hosting sporting events accommodates grads, reunions, funerals and other large gatherings.
“I learned how to be a part of a team and the importance of hard work. I learned how to be a ref and the responsibility that came with that,” said McAffie, who is now an airline pilot. The town narrowly missed out on a $250,000 prize in the Kraft Hockeyville 2022 contest, finishing behind winner Sydney, N.S., on May 7, pocketing a $25,000 runner-up cheque instead.
The Nova Scotia town is using the quarter-million dollars to reopen a shuttered rink to give women's and girls' teams more ice time.
“Sydney had a very worthy cause. Honestly, if we weren't in the running, that's who I would've voted for,” said Princeton's mayor, Spencer Coyne.
“Because of the amount of damage in the community, we had to divert some of our attention away from things we would normally have done this year.”
The November floods destroyed homes and washed away belongings.
“We've been through so much, (the arena) has given the community something to rally behind,” Coyne said. “To problem solve and figure out a way to do (the repairs) themselves instead of looking to government to find all the solutions, which is pretty cool.”
The town has applied for an infrastructure grant to help pay the cost of a new arena roof. A video that Princeton submitted for its Hockeyville bid shows tarps, weighed down by tires, covering about a quarter of the arena's roof. The 2022 municipal budget set aside $1 million for arena upgrades, but those depend on grant funding.
McAffie was born in 1974, the year the arena was built, and he has fond memories of the rink, including a goal he put top shelf — alas, it was an own-goal as he attempted to clear a puck from in front of his net while playing defence.
The ancient ice-cleaning machine needs replacement, too, and solar panels would be nice, but without a proper, well-functioning roof everything else is moot, McAffie said.
“Just because they've applied for a grant doesn't mean they're going to get it, first of all. Probably, but you never know.”