MONTREAL — With restrictions in place on team sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, some people are setting up backyard skating rinks and a Town of Mont-Royal (TMR) company is working overtime to send DIY rink kits across the country.

Ice N’ Go is a Montreal-area e-commerce company selling do-it-yourself backyard rinks including figure skating style rinks or the more robust hockey kit with boards.

“It’s a different rush because I’m working for myself now,” said co-owner Michael Schwar.

Schwar and Blair Robertson are going into overtime to fill a 200 per cent increase in sales since the novel coronavirus pandemic began.

“Ordered so far, we had 1,100 on Sunday, 200 more since then the backlog is tremendous,” said Schwar. “It’s happy, it’s good work, and we work until 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning here. Santa’s workshop getting the kits out for the kids.”

The three-year-old company is powered by a small team of hockey fans with a love of the game.

“We stay late cranking orders,” said Robertson. “We understand they have nothing else to do, and we want them to have that winter success and get the kids engaged doing something other than sitting indoors.”

Installation of a DIY kit takes about two hours. The yard needs to be level, and the buyer needs to supply the lumber for the boards.

The company owners see it as an investment in family time.

“Trying to find ways to keep them entertained especially through the winter months because there’s nothing for them to do but sit on their iPads and video games,” said Robertson.