BEAMSVILLE, O.N. -- Less than an hour away, across the border, you will find the ultimate backyard hockey rink.
The Bunton family started the tradition in 2008. Since then, it has grown and has gotten attention from some of the NHL's most famous players.
With the boards, the lights, and its sheer size, the Bunton Backyard Rink may look like a professional hockey rink. But Mike Bunton built it himself in his Beamsville, Ontario backyard.
"This year, I'm looking at probably about 825 hours to get it up to where it is to be able to skate on it," says Mike Bunton.
The 40 by 140 foot rink features 83 hand-painted logos, and the Buntons say it easily accommodates 5 on 5 hockey. It wasn't always this big though.
"We moved from Hamilton in 2008, and I was unpacking boxes, and he decided to build the first rink for our kids," says Roberta Bunton.
The first rink was just 13 by 20. It was made with scrap wood and tarps. It did not have boards.
"I got tired of trying to keep the pucks in the rink, so that's when we started with the boards. And then the boards just looked plain, so then we added some paint and some logos and then just bigger and bigger and bigger," says Mike.
As the Bunton's four children grew, the rink grew with them.
"We max out every year," says Mike.
“So we kind of were fence to fence. And we went, well the only we can make it bigger is if we have a new yard. So we decided to move. We did the big old move over the summer and made it 40 by 140 this year when it was 34 by 98 last year," says Roberta.
They do it all without refrigeration. So if we have a mild winter, the kids have to find somewhere else to skate.
"My son's hockey team, they're like is the rink ready? Is the rink ready? Can we come over?" says Roberta.
Mike keeps a detailed record of the hours skated every year.
"Last year we did 274 hours of skating. And this year, today, is like 25," says Mike.
Despite the limited ice time this year, the rink has taken on a life of its own and the pros have taken notice.
"We've gotten pictures from P.K. Subban and Sydney Crosby. The Hamilton Bulldogs president last year, two years ago now, sorry, hand delivered us a team signed hockey stick. That's one of our prized possessions. So it was actually nice. He came to the house and he's like I can't believe this is in your yard," says Roberta.
But there is still one illusive superstar.
"We do have a main goal is to get Wayne Gretzky here one year,” she says. "We made family jerseys and we went, well, how do you know what number to put on? So we did everybody's birth year number. And our son's is 99. So it just worked well for him because he loves it and he wants to be a professional one day, so hopefully."
They want to build an even bigger rink, bigger than Olympic-sized, and that means they would have to move again because they have maxed out their space. They say they might buy a farm.