For 50 weeks a year, you might not notice anything at all.
It feels like a typical community rink. Beer league hockey. High school games. Occasional youth tournaments. Learn-to-skate programs. Figure skating practice. There was briefly even curling, because where else would you curl?
It smells like one, too. That’s no slight to the maintenance staff – the building’s in great shape. There’s just a distinct smell that only hockey gear and Zamboni fumes can create that must seep into the walls. It helps when the concession stand is running. There are offices, a pro shop, a small game room for kids and a community fitness center, but not much else that you wouldn’t find at your local rink.
If you look around, you’ll start to catch on. NHL team names are painted along the lobby walls to signify championships – but not from Stanley Cups. Similarly, one of the arena’s two ice sheets has logoed banners hanging which celebrate teams that have come through in the past. If you happen to be there to play a game, you might end up in a typical locker room where you sit on a bench, throw your gear on the floor, and hang your clothes from hooks on the wall. Or, you might end up in a scaled-down NHL dressing room, with real stalls, a dedicated changing room, and a small medical room (trainers not included).
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