Rink of Dreams — Local services in Ottawa

My 6 year old son (the greatest human being who has ever existed, BTW! ...just for context - :)) and I arrived at Sens Rink of Dreams in Our beautiful capital of Ottawa on the 28th of December to skate for his first time ever. Things went bad. Under-staffed - overwhelmed. No laces... The pandemic had very little effect on the greatness of skating and I have no desire...no ...no NEED to tell you the details of the sour experience we had as the 'make-up' was that much greater.

I contacted Kevin. He owns Final Pass Pro Shop - those responsible for the rentals at the rink. The experience couldn't have been more delightful. A business manager/owner who understands what the customer experience - especially now - needs to be about. So, tonight, two days after, rental was complimentary, as was the skate trainer. With children 'perfect', uninterrupted moments are so critical. I sell Ice Cream...I get it. - No Vanilla???? OH MY GOD!!!! We had an exceptional time. He 'skated' happily - NO - hysterically, fulfilled, beyond what he...I ever imagined and Our love grew that much deeper.

Kevin, my 6 year old was happy, content, and exhausted...you and you staff are my heroes.

BUT the highlight of my evening was when the young gentleman came to apologize for his actions the two nights previous. ....I was moved. A young man in 2020 taking responsibility for actions? Wonderful! Hug your parents! I also apologized for my New York aggression, which I've come to rely on in Toronto but doesn't really seem necessary in Ottawa. (Hmmm...food (for internal) thought). I am sorry for that. We parted ways. He, seemingly content with the resolution. I ....with a sense of a city in which I ..my family ...and Lick It Gelato could also possible be a part.

So, with this I say, Sens Rink of Dreams, you made Our New Year beyond what you can ever imagine. You allowed my son and I to experience together the greatness of the epitome of Canadian sport. You allowed us to share a time and space that will be cemented in his memory for a lifetime. ...and you quite possible made my decision, as a business owner - a father to my son - a man who wishes peace and friendship unto everyone, to possibly move to this...Our capital: the culmination of a country's greatness.

…and that was just skating! Can you imagine what this city has to...

The Sens rink of Dreams is really cute. It's a tiny rink in front of City Hall in Ottawa. We went during the day and it wasn't very busy since it was so cold, they have nice colorful picnic tables right outside of the rink that you can use to get ready or if it's very cold you can also use a trailer to change. Thank God because it was so cold and her fingers probably would have froze off!

There is a beaver Tails cut right beside the rink which is a really nice touch. The people there are super sweet just remember to bring cash since they don't accept debit.

The ice was really soft which was great for practicing and for little children it won't be Rock Solid and hurt too much if you fall. There was quite an amount of snow on it it isn't super smooth just to note. I'm not sure how often they refresh the ice but it's a great place for little children to practice on.

At night time I would say keep the kids at home, it's probably gets pretty packed at this time. We couldn't stay for longer than half an hour since it was so cold. But for the time that we stayed it was really nice. You can see the torch right behind the rink which is a really nice touch for making videos of your skating skills :-) thank you to Ottawa for having this complimentary skating rink it makes a world of a difference for people like us who love to skate all over...

Amazing to be able to skate in such a scenic area. The cooled and zamboni grromed ice allowed for me to have a quick skate this past Monday, April 1st, 2019.

Skate sharpening at this location is amazing, but because it's so late in the season, the guy told me he's only there for a couple hours a day. Was told that they close the rink if it's about 5 days steady of +5°C celcius.

Unfortunately I lost my late wife's green magnetic bracelet a few weeks ago. But, this is definately a good sport to take up to develope new muscles. The evening skates are far better because of the music, flashing lights and better ice conditions.

Get your skates and come out for one more skate before the season finishes and fullfill your dreams... I definatelly smiled when putting my arms in the air flying like a plane or superman and brushing up on this good old national sport.

For neebies, or the safety concerned, consider putting on your rollerblade/inline skating pads (wrist guards and knee pads), that way if you fall your safe. Maybe they could even rent them out.

It would also be nice to have a shovel there to clean the ice between samboni... and the opportunity to put your name down for a ryde on the Zambonie... perhaps...