Posted: June 2, 2025
Submitted by: Alan Hayman
Still living nearby today, Hayman is once again watching with interest the construction of the new Oulton-Stanish Centre and has provided generous support for one of the Centre’s community locker/change rooms. Below, he shares his fond memories of the Dal rink and his anticipation of the integral role the new facility will play in the local community—just like the Dal rink of his youth.
Alan Hayman (front row, second from the left) with the 1954 Gorsebrook hockey team
Reflections on growing up at the Dal rink
By Alan Hayman, K.C., Dalhousie Law Class of '67
I was a lucky boy!
I grew up in a house that was within sight of the first Dalhousie ice rink. I remember it being built in 1949 by Cameron Construction. I was a kid, about 7 years of age, and after school I would go to the Dal football field (now Wickwire field) to watch as the structure was being erected. At our supper table, I gave a daily report on the developments at the rink site. I think my mother got tired of my stories, but my father seemed rather interested in them.
When the rink finally opened, my life changed. My class at Gorsebrook Junior High was allowed to skate there once a week. All the boys and girls attended, and it became a wonderful social event. The Halifax Figure Skating Club moved its headquarters there and I was one of the few boys who went and wore black figure skates! While I didn’t last long doing figures, it was then that I really learned how to skate and got a “leg up” on my buddies.
I could see the lights of the Dal rink from my bedroom. Twice a week we had hockey practice from 7–8 in the morning. I was allowed to go on my own if I was quiet leaving the house. So, I set my alarm for 6:15 am, put my gear on in my bedroom and waited for the rink lights to turn on. Once that switch was flipped, I was out the door and headed up the street for an hour of complete enjoyment with not a worry on my mind.
The original Dalhousie Memorial Rink (circa 1950s) and the Oulton-Stanish Centre, construction in progress (2025)
Always at the rink
On wintery days, after school and on weekends, I was always at the rink. My buddies and I would hang out there out of the cold air. The men who worked at the rink didn’t seem to mind us being there so long as we shot our pucks against the south end walls and didn’t go on the ice. But with the rink manager, Mr. Liddell, it was a different story. His office was on the second floor on the north end of the rink. Many a time I can remember Mr. Liddell hollering from one end of the building to the other, “You kids, get out of here!” We respected authority and usually left, taking our sticks and pucks with us. We would be back the next day.
There was no such thing as a Zamboni during the first 10 years the Dal rink was in operation. Flooding the ice between events was a laborious process. Teenagers called “rink rats” were hired to walk around the ice surface pushing a handheld plow to gather the snow. While these 5–6 rink rats were scraping the ice, the lead ice maker, named Harold, would put hot water in a drum and pull a cart around, allowing the hot water to fall into a bag and then onto the ice. Making ice for a rink was quite an art and when you pulled that watercart, you had to follow in the plow’s path so you would have traction and not slip and fall. It took at least a half an hour. Dal got a Zamboni in the 1960s and rink rats were no longer needed. Just one operator who cleared and flooded the ice in 15 minutes or less.
As the years went on, I attended many hockey games at the Dal rink and eventually had the privilege of playing hockey at various levels for Dalhousie while I obtained my degrees from the university. I finally hung up my skates at age 60, realizing that my best hockey days were behind me.
Hayman’s love of hockey, sparked at the Dal rink, has endured throughout the years—even through injuries like the broken ankle he got playing old-timers hockey
Supporting a new generation
I was fortunate to play hockey for more than 50 years without a major injury. Just a broken nose, smashed teeth and a broken ankle. Today the game is faster and more physical, with more facial cuts. To reduce injury to the face, I believe it should be mandatory to wear a full face mask in all hockey leagues in Canada, both amateur and professional.
As I reflect upon my life, I realize what a huge part that hockey and the rink played in it. The bonding and camaraderie that I shared with others on the ice and in the dressing room while playing has lasted a lifetime. And now I have the pleasure of watching my granddaughter and grandsons apply their skills to the sport. I hope they can enjoy the new Oulton-Stanish Centre rink with their friends and teammates.
I have the greatest admiration for Ian Oulton and Bill Stanish, who have taken a leadership role and gathered support for the new centre. They both have made a significant contribution to university sport at Dalhousie. I was honoured to be asked to support this project and do so with fond memories of Dalhousie.