Poll
Question:
See title. Whose ice is worst?
Option 1: Lynah Rink
votes: 1
Option 2: Milano Cortina Olympic Stadium
votes: 5
Option 3: Winter Classic in Miami
votes: 5
Option 4: Other option I forgot
votes: 1
Just curious.
Cincinnati, 1996 Un-Frozen Four
I'm going with the Buffalo Aud during the '75 Stanley Cup. Fog, bats, etc.
Quote from: Jeff Hopkins '82 on January 10, 2026, 09:10:40 PMI'm going with the Buffalo Aud during the '75 Stanley Cup. Fog, bats, etc.
bats???
The ice wasn't bad at all tonight, except for the one spot where they had issues.
Casey said that they could only do so much mid-season. I think when they start fresh for next season things should be fine.
Quote from: andyw2100 on January 11, 2026, 12:02:00 AMThe ice wasn't bad at all tonight, except for the one spot where they had issues.
Casey said that they could only do so much mid-season. I think when they start fresh for next season things should be fine.
Most likely, yeah. It looked way better than November in either case.
I'm just fucking around, as I am wont to do, because the thought crossed my mind.
That one game they played outdoors in Las Vegas in the 90s?
Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, host of the ECAC final four during 2011-2013, was one of the worst ice surfaces in recent times.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poor ICE.
Quote from: ursusminor on January 11, 2026, 01:33:00 PMThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poor ICE.
Walked right into that one...
I'm not sure comparing the surface at Milano Cortina to pond hockey makes the point he was going for...
--
The players themselves said they were happy with the quality of the ice.
Canadian James Livingston, who plays for the Wipptal Broncos, said he was sure his compatriots in the NHL would be fine.
"I mean we all grew up playing on ponds back in Canada, so I'm sure that whatever gets thrown at them, they're gonna adapt and they're gonna enjoy it," he told The Associated Press. "And they are playing for their country. So, I think it will be a great competition."
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Quote from: stereax on January 10, 2026, 09:49:39 PMQuote from: Jeff Hopkins '82 on January 10, 2026, 09:10:40 PMI'm going with the Buffalo Aud during the '75 Stanley Cup. Fog, bats, etc.
bats???
Yep.
https://youtu.be/uvzp32zYtCY (https://youtu.be/uvzp32zYtCY)
Quote from: Jeff Hopkins '82 on January 11, 2026, 11:31:36 PMQuote from: stereax on January 10, 2026, 09:49:39 PMQuote from: Jeff Hopkins '82 on January 10, 2026, 09:10:40 PMI'm going with the Buffalo Aud during the '75 Stanley Cup. Fog, bats, etc.
bats???
Yep.
https://youtu.be/uvzp32zYtCY (https://youtu.be/uvzp32zYtCY)
Reminds me of the bird (https://x.com/amandacstein/status/1629575702478503936?t=A3K_E6VvrSNFbiYMK1aIcw&s=19) at the (https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2023/1/23/23566920/devils-in-the-details-1-23-23-the-bird-at-the-rock-edition) Devils' rink (https://twitter.com/ryannovo62/status/1623703453187862529?s=46&t=VI1LHDfho0qe3d1-NzZ4sw) a year or two back.
Quote from: imafrshmn on January 11, 2026, 01:43:20 AMBoardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, host of the ECAC final four during 2011-2013, was one of the worst ice surfaces in recent times.
On the other hand, at least the sight lines, seats, concessions, and bathroom facilities were crappy.
Quote from: Beeeej on January 12, 2026, 05:23:07 PMQuote from: imafrshmn on January 11, 2026, 01:43:20 AMBoardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, host of the ECAC final four during 2011-2013, was one of the worst ice surfaces in recent times.
On the other hand, at least the sight lines, seats, concessions, and bathroom facilities were crappy.
Not to mention the neighborhood. I mean...strip clubs at the exit of the parking garage.
From Reuters:
The new Santagiulia ice hockey arena in Milan, which will stage the top matches at the Winter Olympics next month, drew a vote of confidence on Saturday after it finally opened its doors with a test event featuring Italy's top teams.
Don Moffatt, who is in charge of the ice at the rink, said he and the organisers were "very happy and satisfied with the field of play" and dismissed any concerns after a brief delay to the action on Friday night when a small hole close to one of the goals had to be repaired.
Quote from: Snowball on January 12, 2026, 09:09:56 PMFrom Reuters:
The new Santagiulia ice hockey arena in Milan, which will stage the top matches at the Winter Olympics next month, drew a vote of confidence on Saturday after it finally opened its doors with a test event featuring Italy's top teams.
Don Moffatt, who is in charge of the ice at the rink, said he and the organisers were "very happy and satisfied with the field of play" and dismissed any concerns after a brief delay to the action on Friday night when a small hole close to one of the goals had to be repaired.
Watching the Flyers broadcast tonight. They said that although the ice has been approved, there aren't any locker rooms yet. Not sure that wasn't facetious, but it might really be true.
Quote from: Jeff Hopkins '82 on January 12, 2026, 09:12:07 PMQuote from: Snowball on January 12, 2026, 09:09:56 PMFrom Reuters:
The new Santagiulia ice hockey arena in Milan, which will stage the top matches at the Winter Olympics next month, drew a vote of confidence on Saturday after it finally opened its doors with a test event featuring Italy's top teams.
Don Moffatt, who is in charge of the ice at the rink, said he and the organisers were "very happy and satisfied with the field of play" and dismissed any concerns after a brief delay to the action on Friday night when a small hole close to one of the goals had to be repaired.
Watching the Flyers broadcast tonight. They said that although the ice has been approved, there aren't any locker rooms yet. Not sure that wasn't facetious, but it might really be true.
It is true, apparently.
Quote from: Snowball on January 12, 2026, 09:09:56 PM[...] a brief delay to the action on Friday night when a small hole close to one of the goals had to be repaired.
Lynah.
Quote from: Jeff Hopkins '82 on January 12, 2026, 09:07:39 PMQuote from: Beeeej on January 12, 2026, 05:23:07 PMQuote from: imafrshmn on January 11, 2026, 01:43:20 AMBoardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, host of the ECAC final four during 2011-2013, was one of the worst ice surfaces in recent times.
On the other hand, at least the sight lines, seats, concessions, and bathroom facilities were crappy.
Not to mention the neighborhood. I mean...strip clubs at the exit of the parking garage.
I took my then 9 or 10-year-old son the year we got waxed by Harvard and then beat Colgate in the now defunct consolation to get into the NCAAs. Before one of the games we ended up at a sketchy pizza joint that likely had to bribe the food inspectors to stay open. Quite the experience.
Quote from: stereax on January 12, 2026, 09:14:28 PMQuote from: Snowball on January 12, 2026, 09:09:56 PM[...] a brief delay to the action on Friday night when a small hole close to one of the goals had to be repaired.
Lynah.
I did a Sunday night public skate at Lynah about 8 years ago. I was a amazed at how much nicer NCAA quality ice is. I had started skating for exercise that year or the year before. There is only one rink open to the public in our area that is even close to that quality. You feel like the water is a different element when you step on good ice.
Quote from: marty on January 13, 2026, 07:38:24 AMQuote from: stereax on January 12, 2026, 09:14:28 PMQuote from: Snowball on January 12, 2026, 09:09:56 PM[...] a brief delay to the action on Friday night when a small hole close to one of the goals had to be repaired.
Lynah.
I did a Sunday night public skate at Lynah about 8 years ago. I was a amazed at how much nicer NCAA quality ice is. I had started skating for exercise that year or the year before. There is only one rink open to the public in our area that is even close to that quality. You feel like the water is a different element when you step on good ice.
I was just making a quip because we've had delays several times this season to fix soft ice lol.
Hopefully the Olympic ice is of decent quality.
Renovations scheduled for the RPI's Houston Field House:
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rpis-houston-field-house-renovations-110000118.html
QuoteLang said practices must be disrupted because players can skate for only about 40 minutes before the Zamboni is needed to resurface the ice. During games, he noticed the ice is fine for the first 10 minutes of a period. During the final 10 minutes, there's snow buildup and pucks jump around.
Quote from: ursusminor on January 13, 2026, 11:49:28 AMRenovations scheduled for the RPI's Houston Field House:
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rpis-houston-field-house-renovations-110000118.html
QuoteLang said practices must be disrupted because players can skate for only about 40 minutes before the Zamboni is needed to resurface the ice. During games, he noticed the ice is fine for the first 10 minutes of a period. During the final 10 minutes, there's snow buildup and pucks jump around.
When I reset my seating at Houston in the summer of 2024 I noticed the "ice mat" (https://www.calmac.com/how-icemat-ice-rinks-work) which looked quite a bit different to the linked version. Until then I had no idea that the refrigeration was above the concrete. During the games the fans cannot detect this. Apparently the players can tell the difference.