NYC man builds hockey rink in his own backyard

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Imagine having a rink in your own backyard in New York City. That's a reality for a man in Queens.

“When I have downtime, whether that’s at the end of the night or in between the workday, I can come out here take a lunch break, shoot some pucks, and just kind of fulfill my love for hockey," said Gino Santaguida, who built a rink in his backyard in Ridgewood.

The industrial designer for Johnson & Johnson first hit the ice at the age of 3 and grew up playing the game in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

"Obviously my favorite team being from New Jersey is the Devils. Growing up we went to all the games and it was just an inspiration to kind of watch those guys play," Santaguida said.

After joining a team in the Hudson Valley, the 34-year-old needed a practice spot. So in early December, he got a free net off Facebook Marketplace and built the rest for less than $200.

Santaguida said his experience and education as an industrial designer allowed him to engineer and execute the rink to perfection.

“I sketched it out. I priced out all the materials. I went to Home Depot on Saturday and started framing out in the backyard and waited a couple of days untill a tarp showed up from Amazon and that’s about it," Santaguida said.

The defenseman said the rink is now a place where he can not only relieve stress and enjoy winter but also feel like a kid again. 

“Hockey is like one of the best sports out there. The speed, the aggression, just the energy it takes to compete is just like no other sport, and so for me I’m just high energy and it really helps with that," Santaguida said. "For me it’s whenever practice ends. I just want to stay on the ice. I'm usually the last guy on the ice just because I never want to leave, so having this in my backyard allows me to skate all the time.”

That is why he plans to build the backyard rink every winter.