UBC October 2026 - Abandoned Hockey Game

In my post about Colin's 18th birthday, Martha mentioned that while she enjoyed my travel blogs, she missed hearing how my son was doing. Fair! So here's a current update. He's still playing hockey. Duh - right? It might be his last season though. He'll graduate in summer 2027, and more likely than not the following will occur:

In Switzerland, young men are generally required to perform military service. Most start with 18 weeks of basic training, which is basically our version of boot camp. After that, they return to their regular lives, whether that's work or university, but have to attend refresher courses, usually lasting three weeks, until they've completed their service obligation.

There's an alternative, though. Those who cannot reconcile military service with their conscience can apply for civilian service instead. This involves work in places like hospitals, nursing homes, or environmental projects. The catch? Civilian service lasts 1.5 times as long as the total military service obligation. That's quite a commitment, but it also offers an opportunity to contribute to society in a different way.

Anyway, Colin still gets to enjoy his senior year for the time being, and part of that is playing hockey.

Of the eleven opponents in their league, two play exclusively outdoors. At first glance, especially when the game starts while it's still light out, this seems charming. Think NHL Winter Classic.

After three periods in the freezing cold, often accompanied by arctic winds, you'd love to have options! Even though it's not as if it's particularly warm in ice rinks.

The weekend before this, we attended one of those games. It wasn't freezing cold yet. After all, it's only October. But it was drizzling slightly. Have I mentioned that the spectator stands aren't covered either?

About half an hour before the game started, hubby and I watched the Zamboni driver prepare the ice.

Now, we've attended hundreds of hockey games over the years, and you develop a pretty good idea of how ice resurfacing is supposed to work. Let's just say this particular driver didn't seem to have the routine down.

First of all, I couldn't help noticing his outfit: shorts, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and a man bun. With the public swimming pool right across the street, I briefly wondered whether he'd been recruited from there!

His driving wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring, either. He lost snow along the way, missed entire sections of the ice, and had to go back over them. His route seemed more like a zigzag than the smooth, systematic pattern we're used to seeing.

Oh well. The ice looked playable eventually, and the game began.

The first eight minutes went well. We were leading 1 : 2! Then the opponents managed to turn things around, and by the end of the first period, they were up 4 : 2.

The players disappeared into the locker rooms for intermission, and hubby and I headed to the arena's restaurant to warm up.

Little did we know that we'd already seen the last hockey action of the day.

Here's what happened next: 

So apparently, the Zamboni had inadvertently damaged the ice between the goal and the boards, leaving quite a hole. Naturally, every player had to skate over and inspect it. Who could resist?

When I asked Colin how big the hole was, he spread his arms wider than the proudest fisherman describing his biggest catch. Make of that what you will.

The Zamboni driver and other rink staff tried everything they could think of to repair the damage, including what looked like fire extinguishers filled with dry ice. I have to give them credit: they really tried! At first, everyone seemed confident that the game would resume any minute. But after an hour of waiting, they finally had to throw in the towel.

By the time the boys had showered and were ready to head home, the drizzle had been promoted to proper rain, making me wonder whether the game would have had to be abandoned prematurely anyway.

What happens now? 

Following the abandonment of the game after just one period due to ice damage, the referees submitted their report to the SIHF. Three scenarios are possible: 

The game could be replayed if neither club is found responsible, the home team could face a 5 – 0 forfeit if held responsible for the unplayable ice, or further investigations could be required before a ruling is made. 

We suspect that the inexperienced ice technician caused the damage, but this has not been officially established. As of today, no decision has been communicated.

Scheduling a replay at an outdoor rink could prove tricky, with an already packed championship calendar throughout the winter and no guarantee that March temperatures will still allow for playable ice.

So here we go, moving on to the next games, waiting for the decision. 

Well, I guess this incident falls squarely into the “there’s a first time for everything” category! After all these years of hockey, we certainly didn't expect a game to end like this.

How about you? Have you ever experienced a sporting event being abandoned halfway through? What caused it, and how was the situation eventually resolved? I'd love to hear your stories! 

P.S. Don't miss the video! Even if hockey isn't your thing, the spectacular dry ice show alone is worth watching, with thick clouds of white fog billowing across the rink, turning an ordinary hockey game into something resembling a rock concert with special effects. Who knew an ice rink could put on such a dramatic performance?