About Us

January 17, 2023

Wilansky Hockey

Fred Barrett Arena, 3280 Leitrim Road, Ottawa.

As a hockey parent, I have seen first hand how expensive minor hockey has become and how the cost of hockey can be prohibitive to some families. We truly believe that hockey should be a more affordable sport so that more deserving kids can play. Whether it is for physical activity, building life-long friendships, learning about team work or one of the other valuable life lessons hockey has to offer, the benefits to the children involved are innumerable. Because of this, the sport should be accessible to more families.

Wilansky Hockey is grateful for the support from families and players in Ottawa. We have been working hard to help our customers save money on hockey since opening in 2013. We started by saving parents significantly on their hockey stick budget by offering the Integral Hockey Stick Repair service. Now, we keep unavoidable costs down, like hockey tape and skate sharpening. Unfortunately, offering these services isn’t enough for many families. As a result, Wilansky Hockey wants to give back to help specific individuals based on need.

When my son started playing hockey in IP4, there was no question that I wanted to be involved. Since then, I have been coaching hockey and soccer for him and my two daughters every season. It has been amazing to see the growth in my kids over the years, both physically and as individuals, and I am so appreciative of the bond that that we built through sport. But as a coach, I have also had the opportunity to see the growth and development of many other children – it is a huge source of pride to be able to contribute to that. 

The desire to be involved in sport comes from my father. Growing up, I would look forward to baseball season every summer with him as my coach. Looking back now, that time with him was so valuable since he was taken too early from this world. He was a quiet man but when he was involved in our sports, umpiring baseball or playing softball, he came to life. Sadly, he was taken from us too soon so he never got to see my kids play any sport; however, I know that he would be so proud of them. He inspires me every time I step onto the ice or pitch or stand behind the bench, and I strive to be as good of a coach to this generation of kids that he was to mine.

In that light, we are proud to announce the Mel Wilansky Memorial Grant. This grant will help families in need with their hockey fees, which will result in more kids having access to the sport. This year, with the help of one of our partner associations, we were able to support one family, whose child would not have played hockey without this support. Moving forward, we will work with this and other partner associations to identify candidates and support as many kids as funds will allow. With your continued support, our goal is to grow this into a meaningful grant to get more kids on the ice so that they can benefit from team sports and Canada’s game. 

Thank you to all of our customers for your support.

Sincerely,

Mark Wilansky

Owner, Wilansky Hockey