The puck stops here: A home with Mount Yamnuska as the backdrop

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For NHL goaltender Chris Driedger, the Rocky Mountains have always been a go-to place for solace and rejuvenation.

“They’re my favourite place in the world. The first time I saw them as kid, it was awe-inspiring,” he says, recalling a trip to Canmore and Banff with his parents when he was a youngster.

His love and appreciation only grew stronger when he moved to Calgary from his hometown of Winnipeg to play hockey with the Calgary Hitmen from 2012 to 2014.

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“I rave to all of my friends about the city and about the mountains just beyond,” says Driedger, who recently signed with the Florida Panthers, winner of the 2024 Stanley Cup. Even though Driedger left Calgary in 2014 to play with the Ottawa Senators and then on to the United States, he always managed to return to Canmore for the summers.

So, when an opportunity arose to build his dream home in the Bow Valley on a stunning lot on the edge of the Bow River with views of Mount Yamnuska in the background, “it was a no-brainer.”

“I didn’t even have to think twice,” he says. “In fact, I flew in just before training camp, toured the property and made the decision that day.”

He purchased an exclusive riverside lot in the Brewster’s Kananaskis Ranch Development (BKRD), a 3.8-hectare (9.8-acre) gated community with sweeping views and direct access to the Bow River, located on lands originally homesteaded by John Brewster in the 1890s. The property, a collection of 24 homesites, is situated just off of Highway 1X, only 15 minutes from Canmore. The lands and the Guest Ranch (the former home of Missy Bagley Brewster built in 1922) have provided the backdrop for a myriad of blockbuster movies including Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves (1990) and Legends of the Fall (1994) with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.

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“The history of this location is as incredible as its beauty,” says Janet Brewster-Stanton, a fifth-generation Brewster family member. “Our family has always worked in the present, not looking back, but moving progressively forward.” She is co-developing BKRD alongside Shane Jonker, president of BKRD, who was part of the development group behind River’s Bend in Dead Man’s Flats.

Certainly, the beauty of the land was a big pull for Driedger. Another appealing draw was the property’s zoning as year-round resort accommodation with no restrictions on residency. He’d been looking for a property in Canmore for a few months, one that he could rent out while he was away playing hockey, but nothing had really caught his eye until BKRD was released in the fall of 2021.

“This type of zoning allows residents to rent homes out as short-term or long-term destination rentals. It is the only community in the Bow Valley to allow this,” says Jonker. “It is structured as a bare land condominium development in order to create a private community with separate services.”

Driedger’s home, a 6,100-square-foot, three-level walk-out design, broke ground in June (the first in the development) and will take 14 months to build. The home, designed by Canmore’s Lorne Harms with interior design by Calgary-based Amanda Hamilton Interior Design, is being built by Canmore-based custom home build/design group Woodlands Mountain Homes.

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Bobby Richardson of Woodlands Mountain Homes says that the process has been a collaboration.

“It’s a really unique design that takes full advantage of the lot,” he says. Richardson is building 11 of the 24 homes in the community and says that the amenities and the location, as well as the zoning make the development extremely special.

“The other thing that really stands out is the height limit — it’s 13 metres, allowing you to step your levels up to 10-foot and 12-foot ceiling heights.”

Driedger had a strong vision for the home, wanting to blend rustic and contemporary design elements and utilize natural materials like wood, stone and rock. He has designed the home with an eye to entertaining.  

“I’ve been thinking about this home and its design for a long time,” says Driedger, who eventually plans on making it his full-time residence. Initially though, he plans on spending summers in the home (the off-season from hockey), enjoying the fresh mountain air, relaxing and hiking with his dog, Maui, an Aussie doodle, and hosting family and friends.

Built across three levels on the edge of the Bow River, the home features two bedrooms on the upper level, each with expansive views and separate ensuite. A large library area extends from the primary bedroom with a secret swinging bookshelf that masks a hidden entrance to an in-law suite above the garage with its own garage-level entrance.  

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“It’s one of my favourite features of the home,” says Driedger. “It gives guests their privacy and then they can do their own thing and feel comfortable to stay for long periods of time.”

When not in use, the in-law suite can become part of the home’s open floor plan by just swinging open the bookshelf.

Bar none, Driedger’s favourite amenity of the home is its lower level with home gym, sauna, steam room, cold plunge pool, hot tub, private poker room and media area. Two murphy beds and a separate bunk room provide plenty of sleeping space for guests.

The home’s second level offers plenty of living space — a show-stopping kitchen (Driedger loves to cook) and floor-to-ceiling glazing with expansive mountain and river views. A retractable full wall-length glass wall leading to the deck is also in the plans to take full advantage of indoor-outdoor living.

“I can’t wait to have a full family Christmas. I’m excited to have a place where I am really proud to bring the people that are close to me and we can all have a really great time and do the things that we love,” says Driedger.

THE DETAILS

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HOME: A 6,1000-square-foot, custom-designed three-level walk-out design on the Bow River with panoramic mountain views.

BUILDER/DESIGNER/INTERIOR DESIGNER: Woodlands Mountain Homes/Loren Harms/Amanda Hamilton Interior Design

COMMUNITY: Brewster’s Kananaskis Ranch Development (BKRD), a collection of 24 homesites along the Bow River at the base of Mount Yamnuska in Kananaskis Country on the former lands of the Brewster Ranch.

DEVELOPER: BKRD is a partnership between Janet Brewster-Stanton and Shane Jonker.

HOMESITES: Lots range between 8,211 square feet and 14,472 square feet. All lots have unrestricted year-round resort accommodation zoning. Home styles embrace Alpine or Modern Alpine designs with plenty of timber and stone.

INFORMATION: brewsterskananaskisranchdevelopment.com

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