Reopening of the Aréna Raymond-Bourque - Two Olympic Women's Hockey Champions Become Ambassadors for Saint-Laurent Français
SAINT-LAURENT, QC, July 21, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Saint-Laurent's Administration is very pleased to announce that women's Olympic hockey champions Danièle Sauvageau and Kim St-Pierre are serving as ambassadors for the reopening of the Aréna Raymond-Bourque. In particular, they will take part in the grand celebrations, scheduled for Saturday, September 3, 2022, to mark the inauguration of this renovated building.
They are both connected to Saint-Laurent, as Danièle Sauvageau was a police officer in the borough for a number of years and Kim St-Pierre lives here, where her children are members of the Saint-Laurent Hockey Club.
Both ambassadors are available for interviews upon request.
Quotes
"Saint-Laurent strives to cultivate excellence in all areas of activity. What better choice than two Olympic hockey champions who are connected to our community and our territory to become ambassadors for the September 3 reopening of the Aréna Raymond-Bourque? On behalf of our Council, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to them both! Our young arena users will not only be able to take advantage of the fully renovated building, but will also be inspired by these two incredible sports role models. Excellence may moreover be found in the architectural innovations of this new arena, which will notably achieve 40% energy savings, while aiming for LEED Silver certification."
Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent
"As I often say, to lead a team to victory, you have to accept the challenges and work as a team in the face of adversity. It is probably also this formula that the Saint-Laurent teams and the hired firms used to achieve these spectacular results at the Aréna Raymond-Bourque. I'm proud and happy, also as a former Saint-Laurent police officer, to promote this new ice sports venue in order to encourage young people to take part in sports activities. I look forward to seeing all of you there on September 3 for the inauguration celebrations!"
Danièle Sauvageau
"Hockey is my passion and this sport has given me some of the best emotions of my life. Being able to pass on this happiness to young people today, especially in my own Saint-Laurent community where I live and where my children play hockey, gives me immense pleasure! They are lucky to have the benefit of the renovated Aréna Raymond-Bourque--a beautiful, modern, perfect setting to play hockey. So join us on September 3 to celebrate—all together—this new temple for ice sports!"
Kim St-Pierre
Details of the improvements to the arena
Targeting the refurbishment of all spaces and the upgrading of electro-mechanical systems to meet current standards, the renovations—which began in September 2019—will make it possible to attain nearly 40% energy savings for this project aiming for LEED Silver certification.
Saint-Laurent sports enthusiasts will have the pleasure of discovering the new ice rinks during the public skating activity that begins on July 22. Note that both rinks—named A and B—have been completely rebuilt with a new scoreboard and an even better pro shop. Rink A has even had its 1,144 seats replaced and Rink B, new bleachers. Users will also appreciate the lobby, featuring a wood design, in keeping with the original construction.
The Aréna Raymond-Bourque is also more accessible and inclusive, as the places reserved for people in wheelchairs are now located in the middle of the two rinks. Other improvements have been made, as well, in order to consolidate universal accessibility, including a one-level entrance.
The staff and the three Saint-Laurent clubs that use the rinks will not be overlooked either. Hockey Saint-Laurent, the Figure Skating Club (CPA Saint-Laurent), and Ringuette Saint-Laurent will benefit from renovated dressing rooms and offices.
As for the people accompanying them, and parents in particular, they will now be able to wait while enjoying a much more user-friendly and health-focused food and beverage area, due to the fact that since 2008, "trans fat" foods, fried foods and sugary drinks have been eliminated.
Most importantly, the renovations have made it possible to maximize energy savings with energy-efficient LED lighting, for example. Since 2000, the borough has also been a pioneer in the use of resurfacers, since it has acquired two electric machines that emit no greenhouse gases. Just like the refrigeration system, which moreover uses six times less ammonia, thereby increasing safety.
Last but not least, the Aréna Raymond-Bourque is among the first in Québec to have installed a settling basin that makes it possible to accumulate paint residues suspended in the water when the ice melts in the spring. This reduces the turbidity of the water that is sent to the treatment plant, thereby facilitating the processing of the water that is sent to it from all arenas during the same period of time.
These renovations are, in fact, among the borough's priority projects for 2022, in accordance with the 2022-2025 strategic plan and the climate emergency plan, including a component for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings.
Funding
The renovations were made possible under Ville de Montréal's Program to support the upgrading of municipal arenas to meet current standards—a program that targets the city's 34 arenas. The work represents an investment of $28.8 million, 65.23% of which was financed by Ville de Montréal's Service des grands parcs, du mont Royal et des sports and 34.77% by Saint-Laurent. Financial assistance of $7,500,000, in the same proportions, was moreover provided by the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur.
About Danièle Sauvageau
As head coach of Canada's women's hockey team, she led the national team to its first-ever medal—and gold at that—at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She then became the first female analyst on Radio-Canada's traditional Soirée du hockey.
In 2008, Danièle Sauvageau was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and received the Hockey Canada Female Breakthrough Award in 2021.
She also worked for 33 years with the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the RCMP.
Today, Danièle Sauvageau turns her expertise, her studies in social work and management to good account, as well as her vast experience, to give advice to high-performance coaches and business leaders. She also passionately shares her lessons and learnings at her conferences.
She is currently President and Head Coach of the High Performance Hockey Centre—Centre 21.02.
And lastly, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in July 2013.
About Kim St-Pierre
Kim St-Pierre is a hockey goaltender. She was a member of Canada's women's ice hockey team from 1999 to 2011, winning three Olympic gold medals, including the team's first ever at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, followed by Turin (2006) and Vancouver (2010). Kim St-Pierre also won nine world championship medals (five gold and four silver), in addition to the Clarkson Cup in 2009 and 2011 with the Montreal Stars. On October 23, 2008, she became the first woman to take part in a training session with the Montreal Canadiens, replacing Carey Price who was ill at the time. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020, thereby becoming the first goaltender to receive this prestigious honour. In 2022, she was awarded the Order of Hockey in Canada for her entire career.
Kim St-Pierre now works in the field of physical activity and strongly believes that participating in a variety of sports plays an essential role in young athletes' development process. She is also a speaker sharing her outstanding story and is a member of the RDS team of hockey commentators.
Related links
Schedule for free skating at the Aréna Raymond-Bourque (Montreal.ca)
Video presentation of the work at the Aréna Raymond-Bourque (in French) (December 14, 2021)
Danièle Sauvageau (website)
Kim St-Pierre (website)
About the borough of Saint-Laurent
A city established in 1893, Saint-Laurent became one of Montréal's 19 boroughs in 2002. Located north of the island of Montréal, Saint-Laurent is the largest borough of all, with its 42.8 square kilometres. Its population of over 100,000 is one of the most multicultural. With the borough having become a "sustainable municipal territory" in 2019, its Administration places sustainable development—and environment protection, in particular—at the heart of all its decisions: a challenge that is all the greater since more than 70% of its territory is devoted to industrial and commercial activities, with over 4500 companies and 110,000 jobs. In fact, it is home to one of Québec's main industrial and technological hubs. Already boasting great accessibility to the main highways and public transit, Saint-Laurent is getting ready to welcome 5 train stations within the new Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light rail network. And last but not least, with Saint-Laurent's two libraries, its Centre des loisirs (recreation centre), its modern Complexe sportif, its arena and some 50 parks, a wide range of services are offered in many areas of activity, such as culture, sports and recreation. In this way, Saint-Laurent's Administration ensures a high quality of life for families living in the borough as well as a stimulating environment for businesses.
SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent
Marc-Olivier Fritsch, chargé de communication, Direction d'arrondissement, Division des communications et des relations avec les citoyens, [email protected]; Information: Marc-Olivier Fritsch; Media lines: 438 368-3318 or 514 229-1673
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