A Cobourg, Ont., arena has been renamed after nine-year-old Grace Bowen, a young hockey player from the nearby community of Grafton who died of bone cancer in 2015.
On Sunday, actor Ryan Reynolds joined Grace’s family, local officials and community members at the Cobourg Community Centre for the official renaming of the Grace Bowen Arena. The event followed Reynolds’ appeal earlier this year to Cobourg town council, which voted unanimously to approve the change.
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Reynolds first met Grace in 2014 during his induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame, where she was a guest of hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser. The actor later said the encounter changed his life and inspired his ugly sweater fundraising campaign for SickKids Hospital, which has raised millions of dollars to support children with cancer.
During the ceremony, Grace’s father Greg Bowen remembered the conversation he had with Reynolds before the council vote.
“Greg, I need your permission,” he remembered Reynolds saying. “I wanted it to be a surprise but I need your permission as well.”
Grace’s parents, Greg and Andrea Bowen, cut the ribbon alongside Reynolds and their daughter Mackenzie.
The event included a scrimmage hockey game with Grace’s former teammates and a public skate.
Mayor Lucas Cleveland said the renaming ensures Grace’s passion for hockey and her “kind and caring nature” will live on in the community.
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