What do you look for in a rink?

[Squirrel 0]

1. Spacious Dressing Rooms

2. Nice Canteen (I've seen in some complexes even a bar)

3. Decent Zamboni and driver (no drunks haha :P )

4. Showers that don't take half an hour to heat up

5. Pro Shop

6. No figure skating haha j/k

[seanmccann 3]

- Ability to go into the dressing room over 1 hour in advance

- clean

- large shower area

- drinkable water/cold water for drinking

- large bench

- nice stands for spectators

- quickness from dressing room to bus area

- "medium" ice

- good temperature in arena

- heat for spectators

Not many rinks in Alberta have pro shops.

The following are some of the major places I go to on basically a weekley basis.

- Red Deer, Alberta Collicut Centre

- Sherwood Park, AB - Millenium Place

One of the worst rinks is Rexall Place in Edmonton. Their ice is great, benches great, but their dressing rooms are the size of my bedroom. You have to check in to get in and they let you in 45 minutes before ice time.

[sherwood21 0]

In order, from most important to least:

1. Good ice, nothing else matters if the ice feels like mush/a rock.

2. Dressing rooms. I love a rink where you have all the space in the world to get dressed. Enough shower heads and nice toilets are awesome too. Also a big fan of carpeted floors, nothing gets it done like they do.

3. Benches. You need the room to feel comfy, not squished. I like to have lots of room in front of me, and lots of room behind me.

4. Cleanliness. I can't stand a dirtball arena, being the neat freak that I am.

I am with Sean on this one, Rexall's dressing rooms are brutal...unless you get the visitors dressing room ;). We get them for the Hockey Canada video shoots and they are so nice.

[Bruin88 0]

good lighting ,i dont feal right if the rink is dark but when its real bright i get a good vibe and i play better ,thats the most important thing i look for in a rink. i also like loud boards so when you miss the net or nail someone you can really hear it and the hits especially pump me and the team up. i also like a nice high roof that makes the ice look better and i feal lik ei have more room.

[top_shelf_24 0]

A good, well-stocked pro shop is always nice.

And not one with $450 synergys :)

I'm not sure if guys from GTA here are familiar with the Markham Area but the new Angus Glen Community Centre there is really nice.

It also has these stick holder things that I thought were a good idea, since theres always that one guy on your team who knocks all of the sticks over when he reaches for his.

[kosydar 0]

If I had a choice (which would be very nice, I only have 1 rink within 1 1/2 hours of me), I'd say the employees make a huge difference. When it comes down to it, there is nothing that will effect your experience every time at the rink more than the employees. Good employees will make sure the ice is in good shape, the bathrooms are clean, the locker rooms are locked if requested, basically every little thing. It also helps a lot if they are friendly and personable. I'm friends with a few of the zam drivers, and a couple of them I don't like. Overall, I enjoy my experience at the rink more on the days when the good people who I like are working than on the days when the incompetant retards are.

[colonials22 0]

Crazy legs, is this complex going to be in north new jersey?

[Jbone 0]

If I ever designed a rink, I would have a warm up area above the rink with a glass floor so the people above could watch the players but tint the bottom side so it doesn't distract the people playing. I really like the video taping idea that's a cool idea.

[Jason Harris 31]

If I ever designed a rink, I would have a warm up area above the rink with a glass floor so the people above could watch the players but tint the bottom side so it doesn't distract the people playing. I really like the video taping idea that's a cool idea.

That's a pretty cool idea. Not the most affordable, but cool nonetheless.

[Crazy legs 0]

Awesome ideas everyone!

To answer the question above about location, right now it's all about finding suitable land for the complex. I wish I could tell you more, but I'm not the guy with the $$$ or the lawyers. Just a hockey player involved in the design for the hockey side of things, and want to have a player freindly rink. I'll keep everyone posted as soon as I get the information

[LkptTiger 1]

4.  Showers that don't take half an hour to heat up

Yeah, that's a biggie. The home rink for the team I played for last season was just terrible (Hyde Park in Niagara Falls, for those in WNY). We'd always send somebody into the dressing room about half-way through practice to turn the showers on. Despite this, they were still cold...

[snipe-show12 0]

the things i like most in a rink is hard fast ice.

bouncy boards, and big dressing rooms.

music in-between stops is a nice feature to.

[Dougie8 0]

I look for HUGE dressing rooms with nice bathrooms.

i like good hard ice and soft boards.

I like to have good ref's

I like to have a sports store in the lobby

I like good rough opponents

[Hate it or Love it the Underdogs on top]

[Dangles 0]

1. Good lighting is key.

2. Clean dressing rooms - lots of shower heads.

3. Lots of "plug-ins" for stereo..blowdryer etc..

4. Clean, clear glass. Not scratched up with puck marks.

5. Water bottle racks on benches.

6. Wide-selection concession/cafe.

7. Heat for spectators

8. When a puck hits the boards, it doesn't make the sound of an earthhquake

9. Dressing rooms far apart. (not next door basically)

[Chadd 916]

1. Good lighting is key.

2. Clean dressing rooms - lots of shower heads.

3. Lots of "plug-ins" for stereo..blowdryer etc..

4. Clean, clear glass. Not scratched up with puck marks.

5. Water bottle racks on benches.

6. Wide-selection concession/cafe.

7. Heat for spectators

8. When a puck hits the boards, it doesn't make the sound of an earthhquake

9. Dressing rooms far apart. (not next door basically)

Blowdryer in a hockey locker room, you have to be kidding.

[kosydar 0]

You guys never had a kid whose mom would blow dry his hair in the lobby after practice?

[Squirrel 0]

1.  Good lighting is key.

2.  Clean dressing rooms - lots of shower heads.

3.  Lots of "plug-ins" for stereo..blowdryer etc..

4.  Clean, clear glass.  Not scratched up with puck marks.

5.  Water bottle racks on benches.

6.  Wide-selection concession/cafe.

7.  Heat for spectators

8.  When a puck hits the boards, it doesn't make the sound of an earthhquake

9.  Dressing rooms far apart.  (not next door basically)

Blowdryer in a hockey locker room, you have to be kidding.

They're was a kid in tryouts last year who would wash his hair and dry it before every ice time. Kinda weird if you ask me ;)

[pantherfan 0]

Cosistant ice becuase sometimes my ice is not cold enough and recently a pipe burst and the ice was coverd in 1"of water

[Dangles 0]

Blowdryer in a hockey locker room, you have to be kidding.

Maybe it's for changing blades.

[Chadd 916]

Blowdryer in a hockey locker room, you have to be kidding.

Maybe it's for changing blades.

That would be a waste iof time.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Here is my pet peeve that I'd love to see someone fix.

Set up ice rentals (I'm talking for pick up hockey...not leagues) with a 15-30 minute space between them.

You show up for an 8:00 skate. If there is someone on before you (especially if it's kids practice) by the time they get off the ice...then the flood it's 8:05-8:07...then...a warm up...you're looking at 8:15 before you can really start playing.

When we play at Copps...they have 30 minutes between reantals...so the 8:00 group is off at 9:00...then they flood. The ice is ready by 9:15...and we are allwoed on...we can have a warm up done and actually be into a game by 9:30...we get a full hour of ice. Compared to the 45-50 minutes at smaller rinks.

I know the idea is to keep it moving to make more money. But, especially in this day when alot of rink are 2, 3 or 4 pads...why not stagger it. The guys playing would appreciate it, and you'd proabbly still have every booking full.

[Reaper 0]

Blowdryer in a hockey locker room, you have to be kidding.

Hey, when it's -35 degrees Celcius you want that hair dry when you go from the rink to the car.

[Reaper 0]

BTW, this is where I play the majority of my games.

Don Hartman Arena - Northeast Sportsplex

Good place to play and watch games. The lounge upstairs is situated between the rinks and has glass walls on each side overlooking the ice surfaces.

The only possible beef that I have is that the dressing rooms could be a touch bigger (like 3 spaces bigger).

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Big rooms where you have A LOT OF PLACE to put on your equipment.

Sure, the quality of the ice goes at first but big rooms are always nice to have.

[Miike 1]

A good, well-stocked pro shop is always nice.

The proshop they're putting in the new arena out my way is only selling like "Flarrow" stuff. Im really hatin' it. I find it stupid.