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Whether it's for occasional games of pickup hockey, serious practice for your hockey enthusiasts or just casual Saturday night skating parties for family and friends, a backyard hockey rink is the perfect way to bring hockey and skating closer to home. So, this year it's time to grab your Mastercraft tools and get to work!

To help you along we consulted with the NHL® ice experts. Here are their "Four P's" (Plan, Preparation, Patience, Play On) of building your very own backyard rink:

• Choose the place for your rink on a shaded, flat surface – close to a source of water and a source of outdoor light for night skating.

• Draw the shape of your rink on paper and figure out the dimensions. The instructions provided are for building a rink that is 24' wide x 46' long, with angled corners. If you are planning to make one larger or smaller than this you will need to scale your diagram and material list accordingly.

• Check the weather forecast and make sure you plan to build your rink when the weather will be very cold to ensure the ground is frozen (ideally -10˚C (14˚F) for three days).

• Print out your materials list.

• Go to Canadian Tire and your local lumber store to buy the materials on the list.

• Mark out your rink dimensions on the ground using string and spikes.

• 1 Mastercraft cordless drill

• 1 Mastercraft circular saw

• 1 Mastercraft hammer

• 1 Mastercraft stapler

• 1 Mastercraft measuring tape

• 1 Mastercraft level

• 1 Mastercraft tool belt

• 1 pair of Mastercraft safety gloves

• 1 pair of Mastercraft safety glasses

• 2 - boxes of 2 1/2" galvanized deck screws

• 2 - boxes of 1 1/4" galvanized deck screws

• 60 - 12" spikes

• 1 roll duct tape

• 1 lawn hose and nozzle with fine spray

• 1 wide snow pusher

• 1 spool of measuring string

• 1 plastic tarp or sheet - white or clear colour and as large as possible to generously cover the rink area. Tarp should be 2 feet longer and wider than the actual size of your rink.

• 3/4" inch pipe foam to fit over the edges of the boards for protection (you need to cover 140" in total length)

LIST OF MATERIALS FROM THE LUMBER STORE:

2. PREPARATION

Building your frame for the rink's base:

To start, place a 2"x4" on its edge and make a pencil mark 12" from the end of it like this. It is easiest to do this on a level surface, like a cement floor, but it can be done outside on the ground.

Take a 2"x6" on its flat, place it on the top edge of the 2"x4" at your pencil mark so it looks like this. Make sure the edge of your 2"x6" is flush with the front face of the 2"x4".

Now, drill the 2 1/2" screws (approximately 16" apart) along the bottom of the 2"x6" into the top edge of the 2"x4" like this.

Now you should have the two pieces of lumber attached, making one L-shaped piece. Flip it towards you 45 degrees so the 2"x4" is flat on the floor and the 2"x6" is upright on its edge. This is how it will be used on the ground.

Drill 2 holes on the top of the 2"x4" - one 16" in from the end and the other one 16" from the opposite end.

Hammer two 12" spikes into the holes, in as far as the width of the 2"x4". Now repeat the steps above 17 times with 2"x4"s and 2"x6"s. When you are done, all 18 pieces should look the same.

Assembling your frame:

Take all your L-shaped pieces to your rink area and lay them out on the ground around your stringed-off area used to mark your rink base. Remember, the 2"x6" should be facing in and up on their edge. You should have four L-shaped pieces at each end of your rink, and five pieces along each side.

The four pieces used in the corners for both ends should be placed on an angle to simulate the appearance of an arena's ice surface - preventing pucks from staying in a squared-off corner and keeping them in play. The sides and ends will run in a straight line in and out of the angled corners.

The pieces should now all fit together like a puzzle.

Take your 2 1/2" screws and attach one end of a 2"x6" into the 2"x4" end of the next piece until you have gone all the way around the inside of your rink.

Corners will be placed in like this. You'll need to slope these screws to hit the 2"x4" on the next piece – both going in and coming out of the corners.

Once you have all the L-shaped pieces together, step to the outside of your frame and hammer down all the 12" spikes into the ground.

Installing the tarp:

Spread out the tarp inside the rink area and secure it around the edges of the framework (on the back side of the 2"x6") with a staple gun. The tarp will help protect the grass from ice damage and gives the rink a flatter surface. Ensure you have left enough slack on the tarp to lessen the tension and allow some give when the rink freezes.

If you happen to get a tear in the tarp, don't worry. Just use the duct tape to seal it up.

If you are not building boards, you have finished the preparation stage of your rink. Skip ahead to the third "P" - patience.

Constructing the plywood rink boards:

Now it's time to cut and install the plywood sheets all around the framework to create rink boards.

Cut 1' off along one end of each of the 4'x4' plywood sheets to create the side boards and the end boards.

Use 1'x4' plywood sheets for the sides, and the 3'x4' plywood sheets for the ends. You should have eight of each. Secure them to the front of the 2"x6" framework with 1 1/4" screws.

To give the plywood rink boards more support, you can cut the leftover pressure treated wood boards and use them as braces. Do this by fastening them to the back of the rink boards and framework with screws.

Finishing Touches:

3. PATIENCE

Managing your ice surface:

4. PLAY ON