New arena proposed for Windsor, birthplace of hockey

People who live in Windsor, considered by many to be the birthplace of the game of hockey, have proposed a new state-of-the-art arena for the Nova Scotia town.

The proposed arena would be built next to Long Pond on land owned by the Dill family and King's-Edgehill School.

Both landowners say a new arena would have a huge impact on the community because the town's hockey heritage will be incorporated into the new arena.

"This is something that will appeal to the heritage of the community, it will appeal to tourism, that it will sort of be a mecca for the game," said Joe Seagram, the headmaster of King's-Edgehill School.

The Dill family likes the idea of the current hockey heritage centre finding a new home.

"I've had so many comments from people that come here to Long Pond, that it just feels right," said Danny Dill.

"To have a complex like the arena, the museum and so forth, it would be the hat trick I guess I'd like to call it."

The proposed arena has an Olympic-sized ice surface and the ice would be available for skating year round. It would also be home to a fitness centre and walking track.

But there's a lot of work to be done before any shovels go into the ground.

Windsor Mayor Paul Beazley is enthusiastic about the proposed arena.

"We rolled out the vision here last night in the community and we had a very large crowd, even in the middle of a snowstorm," Beazley said Thursday.

"The citizens of the town and the citizens of West Hants are certainly ready for this. The timing is right."

The current arena in Windsor is almost 35 years old and it's starting to show its age. It's hoped the new facility will host summer hockey camps as well.

The next step will be to bring a business plan to the province of Nova Scotia.