Ex-NHLer Gary Roberts' rink house, a paradise for high-performance athletes, on the market for $6.98M
*By Jonathan Bradley*
What Canadian wouldn’t want a home with a 75-foot-by-45-foot ice rink, complete with chillers, in the backyard? Not to mention an infinity pool to relax in after a skate?
Or a sand volleyball court, hot tub, outdoor yoga deck, high-performance gym and an infrared sauna?
This paradise for body and soul belongs to former Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Gary Roberts, and is on the market for $6.98 million.
Roberts, who retired from the NHL in 2009, turned his hockey career into a career in personal training. He created the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre and Fitness Institute , which sees him train amateur and professional athletes. His training regime involves high-intensity exercise and a strict, all-organic diet.
And, presumably, yoga, volleyball and skating.
Located in Uxbridge, Ontario, just north of Toronto, the 8,000-square-feet home is also a roomy solution for well-heeled urbanites who found the city too cramped during the pandemic, and would like to spend more time social-distancing in their well-equipped backyard.
The house backs onto Wooden Sticks Golf Course.
“Uxbridge is a nice community,” said Steven Green, a real estate agent at Royal LePage Partners Realty, who is helping Roberts sell his house. “It’s a great lifestyle change.”
The house has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. And has extras of everything — four dishwashers, three bar fridges, three washers, two dryers.
“I’ve been selling real estate for 34 years, and it is a paradise,” said Green. “You walk in, and it’s contemporary. It’s warm, and it’s inviting.”
The neighbourhood the house is in receives a perfect score of 10 on Realtor.ca when it comes to quietness and car-friendliness. It has a score of zero when it comes to elementary schools, high schools, daycares, parks, vibrancy and nightlife.
People who want to buy this house will need to make a down payment of 20 per cent at $1.4 million. Prospective buyers should expect to pay $30,318 in property taxes each year.
Green said he has received multiple inquiries about the house from sports fanatics and health and wellness lovers.
Roberts was drafted 12th in the first round for the Calgary Flames in 1984. He played for the Flames from 1986 to 1996, winning the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989. He played for the Leafs from 2000 to 2004. He announced his retirement while playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009.