Inside a hockey pro's home
Home of the Week, 33 Heather Rd., Leaside, Toronto. Owner Nick Kypreos is a former NHL player who builds a full-sized ice rink with boards in the backyard every winter.
The kitchen has been rebuilt with face-framed cabinetry, a large centre island and a casual dining area overlooking the family room.
Mr. Kypreos says the couple were drawn to the history and quiet beauty of the house. “It was incredibly unique,” he says. “It’s kind of unassuming from the front.”
The Kypreos’ hired Kelly Lam to undertake a renovation which would provide more room for the couple and their three children.
The family room was extended with a turret that juts into the backyard. Five large windows provide front-row views of the outdoor hockey games. The three Kypreos kids - two boys and a girl - all play hockey.
A view of the dining room.
Upstairs, the farmhouse’s original four bedrooms have high ceilings and tall windows. There’s a four-piece bathroom and laundry room on the second floor. The large master bedroom has a sitting area and heated river-rock floors. The ensuite spa bathroom has a soaker tub. The large walk-in steam shower has entry from two sides, a bench and a rainfall shower head.
Mr. Kypreos, who hoisted the Stanley Cup as a player with the champion New York Rangers in 1994, finished his hockey career back in his hometown with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1995 to 1997. Tie Domi and Bryan McCabe are two former Leaf teammates who have laced up in the backyard of 33 Heather Rd. On other occasions, the Kypreos family has hosted “signing” parties to launch the hockey season for their children and their respective teams.