A facility originally built in 1967 welcomed the public for the final time on April 1, 2023. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

end of an era

A look back: Red Deerians say final farewell to Kinex Arena

Apr 1, 2023 | 1:37 PM

It’s the end of an era in Red Deer recreation.

Fifty-six years after the Kinex Arena originally opened as a barn, the rink tucked in behind the Red Deer Arena and now Servus Arena is marking its final day of residents recreating on its ice surface.

The facility’s end comes as The City recently replaced the ice surface, opening a brand new one at the G.H. Dawe Centre in the north.

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Much colder inside than it is outside, at least on this April 1, the Kinex holds a special place in many Red Deerians’ memory banks, including that of Steven Watson, who was born in the city sixty-odd years ago.

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Watson turned out with his family Saturday for the day of free skating ‘through the ages,’ which ran until 3 p.m.

Three generations: Steven Watson (left) with daughter Melinda Krulicki (middle), grandson Brenden Krulicki (front), and wife Lynette Watson (right), at the Kinex farewell event on April 1, 2023. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“I remember coming in here when it was first built. It was great to get some indoor ice for our minor hockey league. Everything else was outside, and our main surface was where the tennis courts are now. The dressing rooms didn’t originally have ceilings, so you could hear the other teams. A ceiling eventually went in and we got showers, and the Red Deer Commercial League moved in with the Rustlers playing out of here,” says Watson, who’d brought along his wife, daughter and grandson for the final day.

“For my family, it’s three generations of skating here. I’m glad his generation got to come on this ice surface before it was closed. This was a great place to learn to skate; my daughter played ringette here, and speed skating, which my son did, has had a home here. As with everything, it gets older and we have to put it to rest. We have to progress forward.”

Brenden Krulicki, 4, practices his skating skills at the Kinex Farewell event, with grandparents watching on. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

So agrees Gary MacDonald, who moved to Sylvan Lake in 1980.

MacDonald was part of an old-timers 55+ hockey club called the Mourning Blues, which played for many years out of the Kinex, wrapping up a decade or so ago.

“I understand things change. There’s a new rink over at the Dawe; this kind of stuff just happens,” he says.

“What’s unique about this place? Well it’s old. But it’s been a good ice surface that never had any issues. I encourage people, especially kids, to go skating. It’s been a wonderful life experience to learn skating. If you put it all together, skating has been the second best experience of my life. Family is first.”

Gary MacDonald took one last skate at the Kinex, donning his ‘Mourning Blues’ old-timers 55+ hockey team cap. The team used to play out of the Kinex. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

The Kinex Arena’s future is undetermined; demolition is an option, but Curtis Bailey, the Kinex’s operator for the last nine years, shares that it could potentially remain standing to be used as a storage facility or serve other purposes.

According to RedDeer.ca, an environmental assessment will be completed in the coming months to identify any concerns that may exist with the facility. This information will inform next steps for the Kinex.

“There’s definitely a lot of people whov’e come through these doors. There’s been so much hockey, skating and lacrosse. The building is a bit tired, but it’s very much served its purpose. With change comes new opportunity, in this case at the Dawe,” says Bailey, noting that the arena’s name comes from the Kinsmen.

“It’s one of those arenas which over the years has been tucked away behind the bigger one, and it hasn’t gotten quite as much notoriety, but user groups have always felt it was the best ice, and that’s because it’s so cold in here.”

Bailey adds that it isn’t very well insulated, leading to that particular quality.

Curtis Bailey has been the operator of the Kinex for the last nine years. He also operates Servus Arena. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“There are many fond memories here, but some have cursed the building over time for how cold it is, or maybe for it not being as modern as other ones we have,” he says.

The Kinex was built in 1967; as mentioned, it was originally a barn, and then converted into a rink.

The last major renovation was in the early 1990s.

In 1927, long before its construction, the Red Deer Exhibition Grounds called nearby land home, while the Exhibition Building stood where the Kinex does now.

The exhibition building on the Red Deer Fair grounds, pictured above sometime between 1900-1920. It was later called Barn 10. (City of Red Deer Archives/P2195)

The floor is not as good as it could be; it’s concrete so it’s got some cracks, which is normal, and it’s not causing problems, but with lacrosse or inline hockey, it’s not as smooth. The ice-making equipment is showing its age, as well as the infrastructure itself,” says Bailey.

Parade floats for Canadian Diamond Jubilee parade passing the grandstands in the old Exhibition grounds, near where the Kinex and Servus arenas now stand. (City of Red Deer Archives/P264)

“Even though the building is showing its age, credit is due to the staff and The City for maintaining it over the years. Relatively speaking, it looks pretty good and it’s structurally sound, but they do deserve a shout-out for squeezing a few more years out of it, when it maybe otherwise wouldn’t have made it to 2023.”

Among other things, the Kinex played host to the 2019 Canada Winter Games for a number of hockey matchups.

The City adds that facility equipment and fixtures from the Kinex will be inventoried to identify pieces that have continued useful life and value. The City will repurpose the assets in other City-owned facilities wherever possible. Any remaining items will be made available to the community in a fair transparent process.

Click to enlarge: Can you spot the Kinex? (City of Red Deer Archives)