Coolest Rink you have played in ?

[DLIGHTNING 0]

Share your stories about the coolest rink you have played in. And what made it unique.

I played at Maple Leaf Gardens once that was cool but Last month I played in La Collese in Laval , Where the Chiefs play. Really old rink such and old time hockey feeling to it. Mario played his minor hockey there.

Strangest thing was the visitors bench had one big door in the middle and one tiny door on the right side that would not even fit a tyke through ? Mind games , I think so !

[Deathmoves 0]

Kometa Brno training facility in Czech! Played at the rink for 2 weeks while at hockey school/camp. The ice was perfect and the rink was huge! Loved it! :D

Edit: The changing rooms had heated floors!

[DLIGHTNING 0]

Is the Ice on European rinks better than North American Rinks ?

[driz86 0]

I skate at Munn ice arena fairly regularly which is cool to me personally. I've played at the Palace of Auburn hills, but for the rink itself I'd say the NHL skate At Birch Run which was the only rink at the time sponsored by the NHL.

[Deathmoves 0]

Is the Ice on European rinks better than North American Rinks ?

I'm not sure, i have never been to North America. I think European rinks are bigger tho. Correct me if i'm wrong.

[iceholes 0]

Pepsi in Amherst, near Buffalo as an adult... 4 sheets great facility.

ESL center in Rochester, they bring beer to your locker room after a game if you want..

and as young kid we played som Boston area teams and skated on the Garden!

[Fletch 219]

I skated at Staples Center in LA a couple years ago, and I skated at the Pond in Anaheim last week. I am skating at Staples again next month.

It's always fun to play at those places.

[Irish6491 0]

Ive played in the United Center in Chicago which was cool because I think besides MSG it is the biggest arena in the US. Id have to say my favorite place Ive ever played in was Lawson Arena at Western Michigan University. What a great rink I couldn't even imagine playing there for a game vs Michigan and having the Lawson Lunatics going crazy

[DLIGHTNING 0]

Is the Ice on European rinks better than North American Rinks ?

I'm not sure, i have never been to North America. I think European rinks are bigger tho. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah , Euro rinks a are wider , Where are you from ? Great to hear from europeans on these boards.

[Jim A 4]

a bit of a change of direction..on this one..

i've skated in a few NHL arenas...but the coolest setup ever.

Molson sponsored an inline hockey tournament series in 1996 and took it outdoors..portable rink (Rollerdome)...

we played on Clearwater Beach in the middle of spring break for a week to help promote the event, ....

so..wakeup..play hockey on the beach..have some lunch/beers..hop in the water..repeat...

then they went to Ybor City ...

of course winners rec'd free Molson in the bar

[DLIGHTNING 0]

Awesome , that would be sweet ! Any Bikini girls watching the game ?

[Deathmoves 0]

Is the Ice on European rinks better than North American Rinks ?

I'm not sure, i have never been to North America. I think European rinks are bigger tho. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah , Euro rinks a are wider , Where are you from ? Great to hear from europeans on these boards.

DLIGHTNING i am from the Uk. But i really like playing hockey in Europe. Now that i have been to czech republic i want to go to other places like russia, Ukraine and Slovakia. Love there attitude towards hockey! "Play hard, Work hard or piss off!" Simple as!

Where you from DLIGHTNING?

[hip check 0]

Coolest rink was also the coldest... It was in a little farming community in Ontario. It literally was an old barn. A nasty, drafty place that had a tiny wood-burning stove in each dressing room - complete with a small woodpile, no showers - heck - no washrooms. Everyone put there boots around the stove after the game to warm them up before leaving...

Best of all it had two big wooden posts supporting the roof coming down into the ice surface just inside each blueline - right in the middle of the ice surface! It was a nasty rink for defensemen skating backwards, or forwards with their heads down or looking back for a pass... The posts were 'in play' as I recall.

I only played there once as a little kid of 6-7 years old - like 28 years ago, if my memory serves me right - but I'll never forget it. I never wanted to play there again, but I'd love to have had photos of it now. It's been torn down for years. I'll have to ask my dad where it was and what it was called.

[Hooah4 12]

Played at the Wachovia center once. The ice sucked. It was hot and humid down on the ice and it stank. Of course it was after the Flyers played Tampa. Cool thing is there were ice bags all over the place where Brashear and Dingman were stiing.

We had to change in the performer dressing rooms. We tought it was cool until someone brought it up tha Gene Simmons' DNA was probably all over the floors and couches.

[Rustybender 0]

Coolest rink I've played in (I'm talking coldest here,) was a city owned rink. It used to be an outdoor rink. Then the city put a roof over it. Some time later they put walls around it. The walls were one board think. You could look outside through knot holes. Whatever the temperature was outside, it was at least as cold inside.

The boards were made of concrete, and instead of plexiglass, there was chain link fencing.

It's been renovated a bit. The chain link fences are gone, but the concrete boards are still there.

[Dougie8 0]

Coolest rink was also the coldest... It was in a little farming community in Ontario. It literally was an old barn. A nasty, drafty place that had a tiny wood-burning stove in each dressing room - complete with a small woodpile, no showers - heck - no washrooms. Everyone put there boots around the stove after the game to warm them up before leaving...

Best of all it had two big wooden posts supporting the roof coming down into the ice surface just inside each blueline - right in the middle of the ice surface! It was a nasty rink for defensemen skating backwards, or forwards with their heads down or looking back for a pass... The posts were 'in play' as I recall.

I only played there once as a little kid of 6-7 years old - like 28 years ago, if my memory serves me right - but I'll never forget it. I never wanted to play there again, but I'd love to have had photos of it now. It's been torn down for years. I'll have to ask my dad where it was and what it was called.

That arena sounds like it would have been fun to have a scrimmage at.

Bank passes off of the pole, I would love to see someone run into a pole into the middle too! B)

[DLIGHTNING 0]

Is the Ice on European rinks better than North American Rinks ?

I'm not sure, i have never been to North America. I think European rinks are bigger tho. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah , Euro rinks a are wider , Where are you from ? Great to hear from europeans on these boards.

DLIGHTNING i am from the Uk. But i really like playing hockey in Europe. Now that i have been to czech republic i want to go to other places like russia, Ukraine and Slovakia. Love there attitude towards hockey! "Play hard, Work hard or piss off!" Simple as!

Where you from DLIGHTNING?

Toronto Ontario Canada

[DLIGHTNING 0]

These rinks sound unreal , I love them !

I once played at a rink that had fence instead of glass , everytime you would be on the boards your jersey would get stuck ! And when you would try to shoot the puck down the ice and if it hit the fence it would just drop !

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Is the Ice on European rinks better than North American Rinks ?

I'm not sure, i have never been to North America. I think European rinks are bigger tho. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah , Euro rinks a are wider , Where are you from ? Great to hear from europeans on these boards.

DLIGHTNING i am from the Uk. But i really like playing hockey in Europe. Now that i have been to czech republic i want to go to other places like russia, Ukraine and Slovakia. Love there attitude towards hockey! "Play hard, Work hard or piss off!" Simple as!

Where you from DLIGHTNING?

I am from Ireland, my wife from Northern Ireland. My mother in law just came out for christmas, and brought me a belfast giants Jersey. I have angelstad #24 on the back to keep the Caps connection (I now live in Washington DC area, since april 2000 and am a caps fan, angelstad played only 2 games for the caps, but was a soldier in portland, and played in belfast last year, so got his name on my jersey. Can't open it until sunday though)

[Shagel 0]

im playing in the fleet center this summer..best rink ever rihg now would have to be mohawk 4 pad in Hamilton

[wickedwrister 0]

Joe Louis Arena. Perfect ice.

[Miserable 6]

1980 Rink in Lake Placid. Spent the first 10 minutes of the game just looking around.

[wristshot19 0]

My home ice groing up in S. Bend, Indiana. It is/was an old Studebaker steel mill. Crappiest building but if the ice was in good shape then it was the fastest rink around.

My second favorite is Lawson Ice Arena at WMU. I just used to love the whole environment there.

[warrior37 0]

ive played in various odd rinks in ontario, with short boards, like 3 feet behind the net, once where the wall was the boards, fence glass, uhhhh one of the belle tire rinks in fraiser is shitty, short boards with no glass i put a kid over once lol....wickedwrister, does jackson optimist still have like a 16 inch step to the bench?...ive played at the joe, palace, yost, lawson, munn, windsor arena, sarnias big rink is hot, toledos echl rink sucks...ill think of more

[thejackal 46]

Share your stories about the coolest rink you have played in. And what made it unique.

I played at Maple Leaf Gardens once that was cool but Last month I played in La Collese in Laval , Where the Chiefs play. Really old rink such and old time hockey feeling to it. Mario played his minor hockey there.

Strangest thing was the visitors bench had one big door in the middle and one tiny door on the right side that would not even fit a tyke through ? Mind games , I think so !

That Laval rink...dont even get me started on their shitty locker rooms. It must've been -5 in there when I played there 2 yrs ago. I hated that rink. On the other hand my fav rink of all time is the Verdun Auditorium, for the same reasons as you.