Relocating to Toronto

[bcboy 0]

Hey guys, like the title said I am relocating to Toronto at the end of September.

I literally know nothing about the hockey scene there aside from the fact that I read there are 51 outdoor rinks in the Toronto area that run 4 months out of the year. "Sweet!!"

I'm from Vancouver so the idea of an outdoor rink is foreign to me. Can anyone recommend a rink to get some shinny games at?

I'm working in the Richmond Hill area but hope to live in York around yonge st somewhere. Is this a good area that is central to lots of rinks?

Can anyone hook me up with some good pickup hockey in that area? I used to play Jr B and still have some skills although I am slowing down. In my late 30's now.

Also, what is the best hockey shop for sharpenings etc.

Thanks for any help!

[bigdmac 12]

Welcome to Toronto! There a bunch of arenas in Toronto, so finding pickup won't be a problem. If you do move into York, there's a Canlan arena at York University. I've never actually played at that specific location, but I have played shinny at 3 other Canlan's around my area. As far as sharpenings, it's pretty good around here. Just avoid the usuals (sportchek, arena sharpenings) and you should be fine. I've been on T'blades for about 2 years now, but before that I never had a problem getting a decent sharpening. I find that Source for Sports seem to be consistant at their sharpenings, so that's always a place to start!

[althoma1 574]

This is a good GTA sharpening thread:

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/48821-gta-best-and-worst-place-to-get-your-skates-sharpened/

Read through that and you'll know where to go and where to avoid.

As for pickup, you can find noon pickup sessions at most of the Canlan Icesports rinks for $6 if you're available during weekdays. Some of the locations also have midnight pickup sessions. Here is the September schedule for the York U Canlan: http://www.icesports.com/Data/Sites/17/SharedFiles/PP%20Sept%2011ab.pdf and here is the schedule for the Victoria Park location: http://www.icesports.com/Data/Sites/21/SharedFiles/Public%20Program%20Calendar%20%20SEPTEMBER%20VP.pdf

As bigdmac mentioned, there are also a lot of outdoor rinks with free pickup sessions. You can find schedules here: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/prd/skating/dropin/hockey/index.htm