Bryson Peterson has been waiting for two years to get back on the ice.
This week, the nine-year-old boy from Duntroon will be venturing out on a brand new personal rink at his home, after winning the Collingwood Blues’ Backyard Rink contest.
Late last week, construction started on the 24-by-48-foot home rink through a partnership between the Collingwood Blues, Reliabuild and Collingwood Home Building Centre. The ice was expected to be ready this week.
“He is over the moon,” said Bryson’s mom, Veronica Peterson. “The Blues really went above and beyond with everything. Being able to have the entire hockey team over to your house was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Bryson’s hope is to be able to celebrate his 10th birthday on March 1 with a skating party, where all his Grade 4 classmates from Cameron Street Public School will be able to attend while socially distancing.
“My classmates and I are crazy about hockey,” Bryson wrote in his winning submission letter. “I played hockey for a few years. I want to be a goalie, but I had a knee injury that meant I had to stop playing for a while.”
Bryson’s injury – referred to medically as osteochondritis dissecans – benched him for about two years while he fully recovered.
“My knee has finally healed. I really want to play hockey again,” wrote Bryson. “I went skating for the first time in two years last week and let’s just say, I’m going to need some practice.”
The Backyard Rink Contest, facilitated by Collingwood Blues management, asked kids across the southern Georgian Bay area to send in letters outlining why they wanted the backyard rink.
Veronica says the rink still needs a few really cold days to solidify the ice before it’s ready to be used, but once it’s ready, she expects Bryson will be out on it daily, working on getting his skating skills back up to snuff.
“It means so much to us. The last couple of years we have not had a lot to celebrate,” said Veronica. “A home rink was something Bryson had been asking for since before we moved to this house in Duntroon about two and a half years ago.”
“It’s been such a fun experience."
