How hockey families build backyard ice rinks at three different price points

MINNEAPOLIS — Jeremy Barrick has what so many hockey parents contemplating a backyard ice rink want: advice from the pros who have to make outdoor ice every year.

Barrick, who works at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board as assistant superintendent of environmental stewardship, remembers going into work, upset that a hose he left on overnight for his backyard rink formed canyons instead of a smooth layer of ice. He thought the rink was done for the season.

His coworkers, a few of the 150 employees who make ice for the city’s 42 rinks, helped Barrick solve his problem.

Other parents aren’t so lucky. It takes years of tinkering and observation to get the ice just right and the task of keeping up good ice is never ending. DIY and online-purchased “homebonis” help to smooth the ice, but even then, a rink can be spoiled by leaves that break up the smooth surface, too much snow inhibiting ice growth and pee from the family dog.

We asked hockey parents with varying rink sizes, what it took to make their rinks and their top tips this winter. All rinks included are on the ground, not on lakes or ponds. Prices are approximate.

As big as it needs to be — $1,000

Chris Nelson built his first rink in his backyard when his Golden Valley neighbor was ready to pass on the ice making duties to someone else, he said. Since then, his backyard has turned into a place where kids skate while the parents hang out in a nearby sauna.

Now in his eighth year of putting up the rink, Nelson said the key to a good one is picking the right size. In years past, he made his rink so big it took 28 hours to fill up with water and too much time to shovel and maintain.

His set up includes several lights, one hockey net and wooden boards that rise about...