New rink just one item on wish list: MacKinnon

By Darren Zary of The StarPhoenix

Despite a harsh report released Tuesday by external reviewers, University of Saskatchewan president Peter MacKinnon is touting some of the recent advances on campus, but stops short of making a new rink the No. 1 priority.

“We were understandably criticized for facilities — particularly the rink,” MacKinnon said. “It’s something we want to address, but these things cost a lot of money.

“We can claim some success in improving our athletic facilities at our university. We built the Physical Activity Centre. We are doing renovations to Griffiths Stadium. We have put in proper parking facilities for people who come to events, so we have been attentive to some of these needs.”

With 26 recommendations outlined in the review, could a new hockey rink be priority No. 1?

“If you take a look at those 26 recommendations, those are now concerns,” said MacKinnon. “We have to think very carefully about where it is that we might be able to raise the money to build a rink. It’s not as though we haven’t been aware of that issue. I attend Huskie hockey games and I’m well aware of the conditions of Rutherford. I would have loved, before this time, to have uncovered the resources to build a new rink but that hasn’t happened.

“We can work on it.”

The report suggests the U of S wait no longer and act now. As each year goes by, Rutheford Rink moves closer to being condemned because of a limited lifespan of its wood.

“I don’t know precisely what its unspent life is,” MacKinnon said. “We know the building needs to be replaced. We’ll now take a look at the recommendations, see what we can do, see what we can afford and go to work on this.”

Meanwhile, in Regina, the rival University of Regina is also in search of a new hockey facility on campus. Both the women’s and men’s Cougars hockey teams play at the Sherwood Twin Arenas.

Dick White, athletic director for the U of R, laughed when he was asked which university would be the first to get a new rink.

“I thought it was really close up there for you guys,” White said. “When I look at our two cities, you guys are ahead of us as far as rinks go. We’re horrible here. Other than the Dome (Brandt Centre), which is fine, but it’s only fine, really, for the Pats to play and concerts and the Brier, we just have horrible rinks.

“To me, that’s the foundation of creating good athletes: it’s having great facilities.”

The U of R held a student referendum on the issue.

“And we didn’t win,” said White. “If we would have won that, there was no guarantee that we were going to build a rink on campus, but we would have been in a much better position. Now we’re kind of regrouping and deciding how we move ahead. “The students are feeling the crunch of fees. Even though it wasn’t very much money — it was only $15 a semester — they just want to say ‘no’ to anything that’s a fee now. “I don’t understand, but I do understand.”

dzary@sp.canwest.com