Diana Fox Carney to join puck drop for official opening of Kehoe Forum in Cape Breton

Diana Fox Carney visits the newly renovated Kehoe Forum - the first rink in Canada dedicated to women’s, girls’ and para hockey.

Diana Fox Carney, an economist and wife of Prime Minister Mark Carney, took part in the puck drop for the official opening of the Kehoe Forum in Cape Breton on Tuesday evening.

Carney, who is a former university hockey player, attended the IIHF U-18 Women’s World Championship pre-tournament exhibition game at the on-campus facility at Cape Breton University.

The game, which pits Team Sweden against Team Switzerland, starts at 5 p.m.

“Cape Breton University is honoured to welcome Mme Fox Carney for this historic celebration,” said university president David C. Dingwall in a news release from December. “The re-opening of the Kehoe Forum represents far more than the modernization of an arena. It shows CBU’s national commitment to equity, opportunity and the next generation of women leaders in sport.”

The $40-million redevelopment transformed the old Canada Games Complex, which was originally built in 1987, into the Kehoe Forum, which was named after Jim and Roma Kehoe. The facility is fully accessible and supports para and sledge hockey.

Fox Carney said she was impressed by the quality of the rink.

“A place like this, I think, is fantastic in terms of prioritizing women and making a point that women’s hockey is just as important as men’s hockey,” she said.

With files from CTV’s Ryan MacDonald.

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