Film production robs city teams of 100 hours of ice time

Major youth and amateur hockey organizations say they’re being benched by a movie production.

The Southdale Community Centre decided to close its two rinks to accommodate filming of the curling movie Sticks and Stones.

In a statement, Hockey Winnipeg, the St. Boniface Minor Hockey Association, and the Hockey Winnipeg High-Performance Council said it was “disappointing that this project was scheduled without regard for the significant impact on community sport programming.”

“We strongly urge all involved parties to reconsider the filming timeline to one that is far less disruptive. In publicly funded community centres, youth sports and community programs should not be displaced for private enterprise.”

Hockey Winnipeg said Southdale’s west rink will close from Jan. 3 to 23, while the east rink will be off limits from Jan. 12 to 16. It means 100 hours of ice time for scheduled activities, including about 85 hours of hockey ice time, will be lost.

The move will also displace high school hockey programs, local junior hockey, adult recreational hockey, figure skating, learn to skate programs, and public skating.

The hockey organizations say, while they are disappointed, it “is not opposed to the use of community centres as filming locations.”

“When done responsibly and collaboratively, such partnerships can bring excitement and value to the community.”

The movie, which has been filming locally for a few weeks, stars award-winning movie and TV actor Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird, Richard Jewell, Cobra Kai, Inside Out 2). It features Johnny Pemberton (Fallout) and Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse (Superbad and Kick-Ass).

It tells the story of American curler John Shuster and his journey to Olympic gold during the 2018 games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The hockey organizations say they have made their concerns known to the community centre. They have to bear the financial burden of finding ice time at other rinks, not to mention the headache of rescheduling games.

Travis Hoemsen, president of the St. Boniface Minor Hockey Association, said his organization will lose 74 hours of its allotted 101 hours of ice time.

“We’re losing three-quarters of our ice time,” Hoemsen said, adding there’s anxiety about the loss.

“There’s concern about our ability to deliver our program… it is definitely less than ideal right now. The 24th of January can’t come fast enough at this point.”

Ian McArton, Hockey Winnipeg’s executive director, said the decision is particularly disappointing because Southdale was his community centre when he was a child.

“I learned to skate on the outdoor rinks there,” McArton said. “I played my first ever hockey game on the east rink.”

“It is a massive gathering place for the hockey community and I am baffled at the decision to displace the user groups who continue to help the facility thrive for a one-off business opportunity.”

Southdale Community Centre president Jamie Bettens said he had no comment and referred inquiries to RoseAnna Schick, president and founder of RAS Creative, who has provided publicity for more than 90 film and television productions that have filmed in Winnipeg.

Schick did not respond to emails on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as a phone message on Wednesday.

Hoemsen said he is concerned about the short notice about the closures.

“I was given a heads-up (last) Thursday and on Saturday we received the notice of what our ice allotment is,” he said.

“We are one of the main users of Southdale, but we’re not the only user.”

Hoemsen said other organizations, including the Churchill Hockey Academy and Bonivital Ringette Association, are scrambling to find ice time.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca