Manitoba Community

Bring it on! Show us the best darn backyard hockey rink in Winnipeg

From now until Sunday, Feb. 9, tag CBC Manitoba in your backyard rink pics on Instagram or email them to us for a chance to win the title for Winnipeg’s ultimate homemade rink.

We're ready to host a fun game of shinny for CBC Manitoba's first Backyard Face-off

CBC Manitoba is looking for the best backyard hockey rink in Winnipeg. (Ron Johnson/The Associated Press)

"Meanwhile in Canada…" This winter, CBC Manitoba wants you to tell us who has the best darn backyard hockey rink in your neighbourhood!

If you think it's your backyard, don't be the typical quiet and humble Canadian.

Shout it out loud and proud to us — because we want to come over and host a game. 

From now until Sunday, Feb. 9, tag CBC Manitoba in your backyard rink pics on Instagram or email them to us for a chance to take the title for Winnipeg's ultimate homemade rink.

Not only do we want to show off your rink to your fellow Manitobans, we want you to get a game going for us because John Sauder and our TV crew will be coming over to report LIVE from your backyard during CBC Winnipeg News at 6 on Tuesday, Feb. 18

How to enter

Whoever has the most creative and ambitious rink wins! Our in-house hockey-loving judges will be basing their decision on creativity, effort and overall design.

The dates

  • Submission deadline: Sunday, Feb. 9
  • Winner announced: Tuesday, Feb. 11
  • Backyard hockey game: Tuesday, Feb. 18

Game day details

If your rink is chosen as the ultimate backyard shinny oasis, we will be asking you to organize a little hockey game for us when we broadcast live. 

You have full discretion on who you want playing on the ice and how many. You can go for a full Timbits hockey vibe or bring in the beer league crew. You can do women versus men, or human versus critters (good luck with that!).

What we're really saying here is that you have full control over your hockey barn burner. 

We will be there to show off your rink to our audience on CBC Winnipeg News at 6, share some hot chocolate together while we bicker and chirp over who on your team has the best slap shot, and provide you with a bit of CBC Manitoba swag to keep you warm. 

Good luck, rink masters!

Unfortunately, we can only take our live TV show so far outside of Winnipeg, but we do want to see any and all homemade rinks across the province, because we will also be featuring them on our social channels. 


Sign up for CBC Manitoba's newsletter for stories happening in our community and to stay on top of the latest in CBC TV, Music and Arts. We curate the best of the best just for you.