“It’s very meaningful to me, to my sister Janet and to my children,” says Andrew (Andy) Michelin about the naming of the rink at the new Sports and Recreation Centre in the Town of Montreal West. The regulation-sized ice rink will be named after Steve and Rob Michelin, avid hockey fans and Andy’s older brothers. The new Centre, which has been years in the making, is set to open at the end of 2025.
The family name Michelin may ring a bell in and around Town and that is because the Michelin family has been involved with Montreal West for decades. Andy, one of four siblings, played hockey as a kid with his brothers at the Legion Memorial Rink, then, as an adult, raised his four children in the Town, and now serves as the Chair of the $2.2 million Capital Campaign in support of the Centre.
Steve and Rob were identical twins who were born with cystic fibrosis, a chronic-life threatening disease that affects several organs including the lungs, pancreas and intestines. Although they were relatively healthy and athletic into adulthood, they unfortunately eventually succumbed to the illness.
In 2001, at 37 years old, Steve passed away. Andy, Rob and Janet decided to hold a hockey tournament in Steve’s honour to raise funds for local organizations. The rules for participation were that you had to have played hockey with Steve at some point in his life, be it on the ice, in a park or on the street. The Steve Michelin Hockey Tournament was a success that benefited McGill University, Steve’s alma mater, as well as smaller local organizations like Meals on Wheels and the Little Red Playhouse. Three short years later, Rob became ill and passed away at only 40 years old. This is when the annual fundraiser was renamed the Steve and Rob Michelin Memorial Hockey Tournament.
Over the years, Andy has been a strong supporter of the reconstruction of the sports facilities in the Town, garnering community support for the project and in 2024 becoming the Chair of the Capital Campaign. Taking over the role from Scott MacKenzie, Andy’s objective is to carry the campaign to the finish line reaching the $2.2 million fundraising goal which will go towards the $39.2 million project. It was in reaching out to his network for financial support that the idea came about to raise money in Steve and Rob’s memory.
The naming opportunity was widely supported motivating donors to give. “The world is a better place when you pay it forward” says Andy. With the promise of remembering his brothers’ legacy, Andy has raised $1 million for the naming of the rink so that future generations can continue to make great memories at the Steve and Rob Michelin Ice Rink.
The 24th edition of the Steve and Rob Michelin Memorial Hockey Tournament was held on April 19, 2025 , raising $17 000 that will go towards the new Centre. “Naming the rink after my brothers is icing on the cake,” says Andy. “All of this comes together to make me feel like I have helped accomplish something important and it feels great.”
For more information on the Fundraising campaign and to donate, click here.
Photo of Rob Michelin, Stéphane Lebeau and Steve Michelin
More than brick and mortar
Curiosity and impatience for the opening of the new Sports and Recreation Centre is growing. The opening is still slated for the end of 2025 but while you wait, here’s a video about what the new Centre will mean for the community.
In true Montreal West spirit, this Centre will be more than just a sports facility—it will be a vibrant community hub, a welcoming space where people of all ages can stay physically and socially active. Designed to be climate resilient and built to be fully accessible, the new facilities will offer more programming to better serve the community.