Unique hockey rinks of the world

[cutchemist42]

I thought a thread showcasing unique hockey rinks not built of the current cookie-cutter model would be interesting, so here's my first one.

Ingalls RInk, home of the Yale Bulldogs

Click to read more...

 

[Killion]

Interesting design. Sort of looks like a Viking Longboat hull... I was somewhat disappointed when Quebec City scaled back its plans for their new arena, as the initial concept featured heavy duty wooden post & beam supports, a moat surrounding the building which when frozen of course wouldve no doubt been used to stage pick-up games, free-skating, figure skating shows and events.

 

[ot92s]

awesome thread...

Alfond Arena home of the black bears. can''t wait to hear who the new coach will be!

 

[ot92s]

Not sure if this counts but Norheaster's Mathews Area is older than Fenway Park, kind of an honor to play there would think...

 

[Hoser]

Not sure if this counts but Norheaster's Mathews Area is older than Fenway Park, kind of an honor to play there would think...

In fact Matthews Arena is the oldest arena in the world, as far as I know. It was the Bruins' first home, before the Garden was built. (It was known as Boston Arena then.)

 

[Hoser]

I've always thought that Vaillant Arena, the home of HC Davos, is a beautiful structure:

So too is the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. A dead ringer for the old Capital Centre; or rather, the Capital Centre was a dead ringer for the Scandinavium, as the latter was built about four years before.

One of the most unique had to be the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (better known to people under the age of 20 as Mellon Arena). SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) has always purported to have "the world's first fully-retractable roof", which is complete BS. The Pittsburgh Civic Arena was the first, almost 30 years before SkyDome, and it opened a LOT more than SkyDome's roof:

Unfortunately as the facility became more decrepit the hydraulic system used to open the roof didn't work anymore, and I don't think it was ever opened in the last 15-20 years of the building's existence.

 

[Fire Shero*]

I've always thought that Vaillant Arena, the home of HC Davos, is a beautiful structure:

So too is the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. A dead ringer for the old Capital Centre; or rather, the Capital Centre was a dead ringer for the Scandinavium, as the latter was built about four years before.

One of the most unique had to be the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (better known to people under the age of 20 as Mellon Arena). SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) has always purported to have "the world's first fully-retractable roof", which is complete BS. The Pittsburgh Civic Arena was the first, almost 30 years before SkyDome, and it opened a LOT more than SkyDome's roof:

Unfortunately as the facility became more decrepit the hydraulic system used to open the roof didn't work anymore, and I don't think it was ever opened in the last 15-20 years of the building's existence.

Aug. 1994 was the last time the Civic Arena opened its roof. I think they added the F seats the following season which were attached to the roof and it could not open anymore.

 

[VanIslander]

Victoria Skating Rink, opened in Montreal in 1862:

It holds the distinction of having hosted the first-ever recorded organized indoor ice hockey match on March 3, 1875. The ice surface dimensions set the standard for today's North American ice hockey rinks. It was also the location of the first Stanley Cup playoff games in 1894 and the location of the founding of the first championship ice hockey league, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1886. Frederick Stanley, the donor of the Stanley Cup, witnessed his first ice hockey game there in 1889. In 1896, telegraph wires were connected at the Rink to do simultaneous score-by-score description of a Stanley Cup challenge series between Montreal and Winnipeg, Manitoba teams, a first of its kind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Skating_Rink

 

[ot92s]

Wow...how sweet is the scandanavium? What a beauty.

 

[adsfan]

Not sure if this counts but Norheaster's Mathews Area is older than Fenway Park, kind of an honor to play there would think...

Counts in my book! My daughter used to work at the Huntington Theatre. I went there and said "Cool, you are just down the block from Symphony Hall". Then I looked out back and said "Is that a hockey arena?". She couldn't believe it when I came back the next time with a camera to get a picture of the outside.

Yes, it is the oldest operating hockey arena in the world. It started in 1910 and was the first home of the Bruins. It was renovated around 1980. It was home to a lot of teams, Harvard, Boston University etc... until they built their own rinks and moved out. Looks like the players benches are on opposite sides, like the Old Boston Garden.

 

[Franck]

The Olympic Cavern Hall in Gjøvik is located inside a mountain, just as the name suggests:

The Jaca Ice Pavilion is another interesting design:

Wow...how sweet is the scandanavium? What a beauty.

It's actually a pretty terrible place to watch hockey, the arena interior in general and the arrangements of the seats in particular is really bad.

There's been talk about either having it go through a large-scaled renovation or have it replaced by a new, state-of-the-art arena for about a decade now. I doubt Scandinavium will be around for much longer, at least in it's current form.

 

[ot92s]

The Olympic Cavern Hall in Gjøvik is located inside a mountain, just as the name suggests:

The Jaca Ice Pavilion is another interesting design:

It's actually a pretty terrible place to watch hockey, the arena interior in general and the arrangements of the seats in particular is really bad.

There's been talk about either having it go through a large-scaled renovation or have it replaced by a new, state-of-the-art arena for about a decade now. I doubt Scandinavium will be around for much longer, at least in it's current form.

Oops i was looking at vaillant when i wrote scandanavium. I meant vaillant(sp?) Was a beauty.

 

[Killion]

Thats awesome. Love the Scandanavian in particular, the exterior & concourses of the Jaca; the Cavern which is really really unusual & unique. Deceptive. Thanks for posting those photographs.

 

[danishh]

the ottawa civic center, home of the ottawa 67s of the OHL, former home of the ottawa civics and nationals of the WHA and the ottawa senators of the NHL, is interesting in that it is built under the stands of a football stadium.

 

[pdd]

The University of Michigan's Yost Ice Arena, formerly known as Yost Field House:

 

[Inkling]

The Scandinavium looks a lot like the Calgary Saddledome as well.

 

[Kane One]

Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ:

I've never seen an arcade and columns on the outside of an arena. Absolutely beautiful.

Edit - Apparently Yost Arena has it. But still. Awesome.

It looks like a place where Ancient Greeks or Romans would go to play hockey.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Not sure if this counts but Norheaster's Mathews Area is older than Fenway Park, kind of an honor to play there would think...

Went there a few of years ago, saw Boston University play. BU had Nick Bonino (from Farmington, Connecticut, now with Ducks) and Kevin Shattenkirk (from Greenwich, Connecticut, now with Blues).

Very cool old barn.

 

[cutchemist42]

I'm really loiking the mini- 2 level stadiums like Maine's!

 

[cutchemist42]

The old Boston Gardens has almost an overbearing look to it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Victoria Skating Rink, opened in Montreal in 1862:

The garlands dominate that picture, but I think the most striking thing is the fact that there are no boards... or seats. I guess people just kicked the puck back onto the ice?

 

[Kane One]

The garlands dominate that picture, but I think the most striking thing is the fact that there are no boards... or seats. I guess people just kicked the puck back onto the ice?

And look at the goal post. There used to be no crossbar and no net. Nets were added because there were often disputes about whether or not the puck went in between the posts.

I'm not exactly sure on your question, but I think the play would be called dead and there would be a face-off just like how there is today, but at this time, there were no designated face-off locations.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm not exactly sure on your question, but I think the play would be called dead and there would be a face-off just like how there is today, but at this time, there were no designated face-off locations.

On a related note, this is also the reason that they sliced the ends off of the hockey-ball and made it into a flat puck that was less likely to come off the ice and hit an onlooker in the face.

 

[bibitte2]

Victoria skating rink

I love the old image of the Victoria Skating Rink.....

I have the 1889 program of the First Lord Stanley presence at the Montreal Winter Carnival....nice vintage stuff...