LAURENT KERBRAT

Date of Death: 2020-07-28
Date of Birth: 1948-04-02
Date of Induction: 2024

Throughout Manitoba, the hockey rink is the heart of every community in winter. Its pulse kept up by long hours of mostly volunteer work.

All the residents of St. Laurent and its neighbouring towns would agree that for 35 years, without the efforts of "the hockey man", there would not have been any ice. And no ice, meant no hockey. St. Laurent, MB's Laurent Kerbrat's lifetime love for hockey impacted the entire community after he stepped into the role of ice-maker. There was never going to be any doubt that the local area kids were going to be playing hockey every winter.

St. Laurent was one of the few remaining rinks in Manitoba with natural ice. When the temperature dropped to the right level, Kerbrat would take up a second residence at the rink to get the ice ready for hockey season. Over several days, he'd set up a bunk in the rink, waking up every few hours to give the rink a flood. Once the ice was ready, the doors to the rink opened, and he'd keep one eye on the ice while sharpening skates, making repairs to equipment, running the canteen, refereeing, driving teams to games, nursing bumps and bruises, and providing heartfelt support for each child.

He always made sure that no child was left out if they could not afford hockey fees or needed equipment, often dipping into his own pocket to make sure they got out on the ice to enjoy the game.

A true profile of the spirit of dedication and community engagement, in 2008 Laurent Kerbrat was presented the RBC Local Hockey Leader Award at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Laurent Kerbrat passed away in July, 2020. Shortly after, the St. Laurent Arena was officially re-named the Laurent Kerbrat Arena.