New Canadians Centre Joins Peterborough Petes For A Try Hockey Night At The Memorial Centre

Newcomers to Peterborough got a taste of Canadian culture on Tuesday night with ‘Try Hockey’ presented by the Peterborough Petes.

Photos by Luke Best

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Community members from countries all over the world joined Peterborough Ice Kats and Petes players on the ice before Tuesday’s Petes game.

Esther, who came to Peterborough from Peru eight years ago said Tuesday was her second time attempting to skate, though it was her first successful try.

“I was so scared before,” she said. “The first time I did it I was by myself on the canal. It was not a pleasant situation, I wanted to have the whole Canadian experience but it was not successful. But here with the help of the girls here it’s amazing.”

Esther says while there was no ice skating in Peru, before she came to Canada she knew what hockey was and that it was stereotypically Canadian.

While she joked that she didn’t know what she was doing on the ice, Esther has decided she will buy her own pair of skates for next winter.

“I didn’t know how much fun I was missing. What I love the most about this is feeling like you are flying. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt - you’re on the ice standing up on knives.”

The NCC first introduced the Try Hockey program in 2019, according to Jessica Devlin, Youth and Community Programs coordinator. Tuesdays event was the first time they had been on the ice since then due to COVID.

“This was super popular activity, people were super excited to try,” said Devlin. “For Peterborough hockey is such a big part of our culture. When new folks move here this is such a great chance to introduce some of the local culture, it’s amazing to introduce that and give them the chance to try the game.”

The event saw over 50 people, adults and children, on the ice followed by over 300 NCC clients in the stands to cheer on the Petes afterwards.

The Peterborough Petes organization provided equipment for participants, while Emterra and The Bob Gainey Foundation provided tickets to the game.

The night was complete with boxes and boxes of Timbits, for the full Canadian experience.

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