Funky hockey rinks

[bunnyman666]

I play on Sundays at a former outlet mall that will be converted to a sports park eventually. I knew that the Ross became an Indoor Softball venue. Another anchor became an Indoor Volleyball venue. Another store became a Tumbling facility. 
 
Twenty years back, this was a bustling shopping centre; now, it is a mess. My tendy partner and I walked around whilst waiting for the gates to open. There are quite a few no go zones. Note that I didn’t take pix of the rink itself; just what surrounds this place.

Any funky rinks to add? Please show your funky rinks. 

[MTH]

That's a cool place. Would be great to roller blade through. Indoor space is best used no matter what. The cages inside the Ross are funny.

I played roller hockey decades ago that was inside an old food store. Sorry no pics. It was the 90s. Had those old rubber mats for the electric power doors still. So that was fun. Walls and all were still decorated with "Meat Department" and other things food stores have.

[MTH]

I used to play at the Fritz Dietl rink in Bergen County, NJ. Right near NYC. Fritz Dietl was a gold medal winning figure skater and this was his skating studio. There were boards that were mounted directly to the exterior cinderblock walls. There were windows to the outside from the rink. The lobby was through a pair of swing doors like they have in a cold storage room. You had to watch from the lobby through the windows in the doors or the two small windows in the wall. 

Here is a learn to skate with the Rangers and the local HS kids. You can see the windows into the lobby:

The corners are real corners. You can see the windows to the outside here. There is an intersection adjacent to the building, so you'll make eye contact with people sitting at the light.

Zamboni door and boards on the wall:

The Zamboni door is like a garage door. The Zamboni is old with the hopper on top and the chain that runs over it.

Mr. Dietl later developed and used skates that were two feet tall.

He said Step Steel was for wimps.

[bunnyman666]

All American seems like the rink you describe @MTH Dashers were put in wherever, and in some places, you had to be a giant to jump over the boards. Never played goal there, just D. I still think Dietl has All American beat for full funkiness.  

[MTH]

My kids play all over. I enjoy some of these odd rinks. 

Toms River NJ has a facility called Winding river. I think it was a covered outdoor rink forever. They recently added a new indoor rink next to it. But they still get the outdoor rink running once conditions are right. They have chain link fence with tarps hung to help stop the wind and leaves coming through. This isn't an area where ponds freeze and kids play most of the winter - more like once or twice a winter and the ice is crap o la. 

If it's cold enough for ice, it's too cold for the bench and fans to watch.

Once my kids played there and we just put cones around a bad section of ice (concrete). As the visiting coach - I told the rink it was better than traveling there and not playing. Makes you appreciate the nice ice indoors. 

 

[MTH]

In Red Bank, NJ (Kevin Smith area) there is a funky fantastic rink. It's the Red Bank Armory. The building was once used as an armory and retains much of the classic looks and charm.

Inside it's labyrinth of walkways to the lockers. The rink just fits inside the place. They kept the former suspended running track around 3/4 the rink for the fans to watch from. They actually overhang the rink a little. So the parents yell down to their kids. At the one end, there are small stands with glass protecting them.

The youth program is called the Generals (perfect for the Armory) and is very good. The rink is the best in the state. Princeton's Hobey Baker Rink is also top in the state and a museum with an active rink, but the extremely small locker rooms that are shared make it second to the Armory.

[MTH]

Hobey Baker at Princeton is a sight to see and experience.

The Hobey Baker museum is in the corner of the stands:

Princeton borough has their own youth hockey program and they use the rink. It's amazing to take your little kids there for their own game.

 

[MTH]

One more:

The Navisink Country Club is in NJ around the northern beaches and you can see the NYC skyline in the distance. They have a rink they setup outside the clubhouse every winter and the kids of members play for their team on the side. What's rad is that you schedule to play them at their outdoor rink. It's on top of a patio and basketball court and is next to the large pool. In the winter when the pool is covered, it gets covered in errant pucks that land on it. Neat place. Have to dress in the golf locker rooms, so it's interesting.

You watch from the balcony off the club. So the views are nice:

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by MTH

[coopaloop1234]

Those armory and Princeton rinks are amazing.

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by coopaloop1234

[bunnyman666]

@MTH Those are pretty cool places. Charm and character in spades!

[MTH]

Not that you'd ever be in the area, but they are worth a stop if you can. The Princeton one has pictures all around inside of it of teams past, alums in the NHL or wherever, awards for players. So much old goalie gear on all the team pictures and other pictures. It's fun to look at all of it.

[bunnyman666]

7 minutes ago, MTH said:

Not that you'd ever be in the area, but they are worth a stop if you can. The Princeton one has pictures all around inside of it of teams past, alums in the NHL or wherever, awards for players. So much old goalie gear on all the team pictures and other pictures. It's fun to look at all of it.

You never know, Matt. I am actually researching a move to the East Coast. I may be in that general direction a lot. 

[MTH]

There is a rink at the University of Pennsylvania in Philly that is a time machine. It was constructed in the early 70s, so it has the architecture that is cold and prison like. Penn only has club level hockey so the place is mostly unused. But the vintage concessions, the odd press box that overhangs the stands and the fact that the Flyers used this place as their primary practice rink for their first 15 +/- years is cool. The occasional NHL team will still skate here when they need a place to use when in Philly and the WFC isn't available.

Was designed and built around the time of Lake Placid Olympic rink and has that same feel to it.

In 2019 they spent $2M to update the place a little. New boards (they still had the original ones) and new glass. I assume some mechanical upgrades too.

But the benches are on opposite sides. The penalty boxes have concrete separators and the zamboni enters at the red line door - under the press box.

 

[bunnyman666]

7 minutes ago, MTH said:

There is a rink at the University of Pennsylvania in Philly that is a time machine. It was constructed in the early 70s, so it has the architecture that is cold and prison like. Penn only has club level hockey so the place is mostly unused. But the vintage concessions, the odd press box that overhangs the stands and the fact that the Flyers used this place as their primary practice rink for their first 15 +/- years is cool. The occasional NHL team will still skate here when they need a place to use when in Philly and the WFC isn't available.

Was designed and built around the time of Lake Placid Olympic rink and has that same feel to it.

In 2019 they spent $2M to update the place a little. New boards (they still had the original ones) and new glass. I assume some mechanical upgrades too.

But the benches are on opposite sides. The penalty boxes have concrete separators and the zamboni enters at the red line door - under the press box.

 

You are not wrong about it looking like a prison! It is very reminiscent of a college that was built in the late 60s in the next town over from me, for that matter! Most institutional architecture from that era really all looks the same, whether it be a school, prison or governmental building. 
 
That certainly qualifies as a very funky rink! 

[MTH]

Meanwhile their basketball arena is world famous and called the 'cathedral of college basketball':

[WillyGrips13]

3 hours ago, MTH said:

In Red Bank, NJ (Kevin Smith area) there is a funky fantastic rink. It's the Red Bank Armory. The building was once used as an armory and retains much of the classic looks and charm.

Inside it's labyrinth of walkways to the lockers. The rink just fits inside the place. They kept the former suspended running track around 3/4 the rink for the fans to watch from. They actually overhang the rink a little. So the parents yell down to their kids. At the one end, there are small stands with glass protecting them.

The youth program is called the Generals (perfect for the Armory) and is very good. The rink is the best in the state. Princeton's Hobey Baker Rink is also top in the state and a museum with an active rink, but the extremely small locker rooms that are shared make it second to the Armory.

I don’t know what’s more impressive, all these odd or interesting rinks near you, or the fact that you have photos at the ready of all if them. 

I feel like I’ve been at the rink above once. When we lived on Long Island, my girlfriend played on an adult women’s team that traveled to play opponents. I remember going to Jersey* and being in a brick building. Of course, that was more than fifteen years ago. Nice place.

*

Nice uniforms in the last picture. Who’s the genius that thought powder blue vs gray would be a good idea? Both jerseys have the same pattern, too. 

[MTH]

I think that game with the gray and blue jerseys is a police vs fire department annual game. It's an amazing game to watch, I'm told. Same for the NYPD vs NYFD games are.

These pictures were off google. While I do take tons of pictures of these joints, it's easier to grab off Google.

I'm sure I've been to several others that are unique and funky. I'll think of them later.

[MTH]

Here's a funky rink:

Ice House in Hackensack, NJ. several sheets of ice, pro shop, snack bar... blah blah. What's funky? Well it's shoehorned in the city of Hackensack adjacent to the river with an abandoned military submarine parked in it:

It's the USS Ling.

But what puts the funk in this funky rink is that in the summertime, the lobby of the rink is full of homeless folks. You think your gear smells bad? Nope. At the same time, I think these people are smart as heck for taking advantage of the cool conditions and ample bathrooms inside. While there, watch some crap tastic men's league hockey too. What fun!

[bunnyman666]

@MTH That one takes the cake!!!! Crikey!!!

Edited August 4, 2021 by bunnyman666