Canucks could be looking at East Vancouver for permanent practice facility

Could the Canucks soon have a permanent practice facility in East Vancouver?

The Vancouver Canucks are the only team in the NHL without a permanent practice arena, but that could soon change.

In a report by Irfaan Gaffar, the co-host RinkWide Vancouver, he wrote sources told him that the Canucks and City of Vancouver are nearing an agreement to build a practice facility at Britannia Rink in East Vancouver.

He says he was informed that it will be about 20,000 square feet and include an ice surface, a state-of-the-art gym, an off-ice training facility, a lounge, and locker room along with two floors of office space for the city.

“Brittania was always in the works for the Vancouver Canucks and it’s something they’ve always had an eye on,” Gaffar explained.

CTV News asked the City of Vancouver about the report and whether plans are underway to build the facility off of Commercial Drive at the Brittania complex, but they were unable to confirm the plan.

It wrote, “the city regularly speaks with a range of organizations about potential ideas and opportunities. We do not comment on the status of any discussions related to specific sites or land-use matters.”

The Canucks also wouldn’t provide a comment.

It remains unclear when the project would potentially begin or what the price tag would be.

Britannia reaction

After days of speculation and fan frenzy, Craig Ollenberger, a member of the board of directors at Britanna Community Services Centre, said they have yet to get an official response from the parties involved.

He said when he heard the initial report it was exciting to potentially have a new partner to bring added resources for the neighbourhood, but the Britannia board needs to be a part of that conversation.

“It’s important to us to know what’s coming and just understand how it impacts the community,” said Ollenberger.

He worries that if the project gets goes ahead, it may interfere with the replacement of the aging pool and possibly shut down the ice service again. These are a few questions he says the community would need answers to.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the community centre and the arena.

He’s hopeful that if the Canucks and the city do come to an agreement, the project will include added and enhanced community services for everyone to enjoy.