Reese’s Rink a bittersweet tribute to 14-year-old’s battle with cancer in Caledon
Published February 1, 2024 at 10:56 am
It’s been years since Caledon teen Reese Meyer lost his battle with cancer, but his memory will live on at the ice rink which now bears his name.
A member of the Caledon Hawks ice hockey team, Meyer played defence wearing number 3 and his father Glenn was also part of the coaching staff.
Reese was just 13 when he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour, but the spirited teen was determined to beat back the cancerous growth that he nicknamed “Liam.”
Reese died less than a year after his diagnosis on Oct. 3, 2020. But not before the player, nicknamed “The Lion,” rallied the local hockey community to his cause, with opposing teams wearing stickers of support on their helmets and the Mississauga Steelheads donating tickets sales from a hockey game to the Meyer family.
In 2022, the Town of Caledon announced it was naming an ice rink after Reese with the puck drop at the Caledon East Community Complex’s new “Reese’ Rink” opening in just a few weeks.
“It’s a bittersweet moment, to say the least, celebrating Reese Meyer and naming the new outdoor rink at the CECC after him,” Caledon Mayor Annette Groves said in a statement.
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Reese’s Rink will officially open on Feb. 17 with a ceremonial puck drop by Reese’s parents Glenn and Jennifer, Mayor Groves and members of Reese’s Caledon Hawks hockey team.
The Town says the rink will honour the determination of the young boy who “captured the hearts of the Caledon community,” and will be a place where Reese’s memory “will always remain alive.”
The ceremony will run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., officially opening the new outdoor rink followed by a free public skate.
Refreshments will be available in Banquet Hall A in the CECC with some of Reese’s memorabilia on display. At 1 p.m. the rink will remain open to the public under the usual daily schedule of skating activities.
A gifted pianist as well as hockey player who excelled at his studies, Reese’ legacy “is a simple lesson and reminder about love,” his obituary reads.
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