CALGARY – Puck Drop ’07 wraps up next week as Facilities Week is celebrated from coast to coast.

Canada has long been home to some of the world’s most historic major arenas, from Maple Leaf Gardens, to the Montreal Forum and the Victoria Skating Rink, site of the first organized indoor hockey game in 1875.

This week, Hockey Canada celebrates not only the major arenas, but the more than 3,000 community rinks from coast to coast, from Strathcona Arena in Campbell River, BC to Glacier Arena in Mount Pearl, NL, where hundreds of thousands of players take to the ice every season to play out their dreams.

But the state of community rinks in Canada is also a cause for concern as hockey continues to grow in popularity. Of all the community rinks in Canada only three percent have been newly built in the last six years, and 42 per cent are already beyond their life expectancy of 32 years.

“Canada’s arenas have histories that are unlike any others found around the world,” says Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson. “For the game to be strong in Canada in the future we need to also turn our attention to the new infrastructure that will support the game for generations to come.”

Facilities Week will also feature the kick-off of registration for the first-ever National Arena Symposium, an event presented in partnership by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Recreation Facilities Council from May 2-4, 2008, during the 2008 IIHF World Championship, bringing together arena users and the management of some of Canada’s largest facilities.

For more information on the National Arena Symposium, and to find out how to register, visit www.hockeycanada.ca/puckdrop07 during Facilities Week.

Hockey Canada, in participation with its 13 Branches and thousands of minor hockey associations across the country, will celebrate the more than 550,000 players who take to the ice each season, along with the coaches, officials and administrators who shape the game, during the five-week event. Each week during Puck Drop ’07 will be themed differently, celebrating unique aspects of the game.

PUCK DROP ’07 THEME WEEKS

September 8th to 16th – Volunteer Week

September 17th to 23rd – Coaching Week

September 24th to 30th – Goaltending Week

October 1st to 7th – Officiating Week

October 8th to 14th – Facilities Week