What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Interesting Fact

Re: Interesting Fact

Brenthoven said:
You ever play on an outdoor rink? It's awesome. While I admittedly didn't play real hockey (played boot hockey), the outdoor rink was where it was at. Frigid cold, the air burning your lungs as you played, starry skies, etc.

And even the bad things: shovelling the snow off the ice between "periods" during snowfall, lugging out the nets for the game(s), the smelly warming house after the game, etc.

I miss it. :(
Click to expand...

I remember getting out the fire hoses and flooding the rinks late at night too. There's nothing like skating on hard ice that looks like glass the morning after a good flood.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

Federal League said:
For what it's worth, there aren't many outdoor rinks at all in Massachusetts that I know of. There's obviously a lot of pond hockey and backyard rinks, but I've only heard of maybe 1 or 2 outdoor rinks that actually have any sort of organized hockey on them, which I assume is what this stat is referring to. From reading this thread and watching Mighty Ducks, I assume it's a different case in Minnesota, but being from Massachusetts, this stat didn't surprise me at all.
Click to expand...

Didn't BC have a practice at an outdoor rink last year? Or maybe it was the year before? (I think I remember reading that in the Globe) Where was that rink?
 
Re: Interesting Fact

The only places i've ever skated (on skates or even boot hockey way back when) was outside.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

I can't believe that people play actual leagues on outside rinks, juvenile or not. It seems to be a big Minnesota thing. Lower Michigan doesn't really do outdoor rinks at all. I mean sure we have a lot of skating rinks in the parks and on lakes, but if it's a local run rink it's not going to be open consistently because it won't be covered and the ice is terrible.

On the other hand, the amount of year-round indoor rinks (in metro detroit and GR area) is massive. I 100% seriously had never seen or heard of a seasonal indoor ice rink before I came to the UP and Minnesota. We just don't do many weather assisted rinks that close in the warm season, almost all of them are open year-round.

What are ice prices around Minnesota any way? Almost all the rinks in the metro Detroit area run between 90-110 prime time and 70-90 on the early and late times.

Oh and here is an interesting fact... YOU MADE OUT WITH YOUR SISTER.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

I live in Albert Lea, which is a small 18,000 person town in Southern Minnesota, and we have 12 outdoor rinks alone. And yes, they are all boarded, have nets, and have warming houses and lights. So I do not see how this stat can have any validity at all. I mean, the town of Clarks Grove about 5 miles from here has 400 people and has 3 outdoor rinks. There's 4 outdoor rinks within a mile of my apartment when I'm at college in Duluth. They don't cost much, you just put up the boards and throw some water on it. Stuff freezes up on its own. And what's this business about having to pay for ice time? It's an outdoor rink, why would you have to pay for it? Doesn't make sense to me.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

Yager said:
I can't believe that people play actual leagues on outside rinks, juvenile or not. It seems to be a big Minnesota thing. Lower Michigan doesn't really do outdoor rinks at all. I mean sure we have a lot of skating rinks in the parks and on lakes, but if it's a local run rink it's not going to be open consistently because it won't be covered and the ice is terrible.

On the other hand, the amount of year-round indoor rinks (in metro detroit and GR area) is massive. I 100% seriously had never seen or heard of a seasonal indoor ice rink before I came to the UP and Minnesota. We just don't do many weather assisted rinks that close in the warm season, almost all of them are open year-round.

What are ice prices around Minnesota any way? Almost all the rinks in the metro Detroit area run between 90-110 prime time and 70-90 on the early and late times.

Oh and here is an interesting fact... YOU MADE OUT WITH YOUR SISTER.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I don't know too many outdoor ice hockey leagues. It's mostly broomball/boot hockey leagues. I can ask my buddies what the league fee is for their boot hockey league (outdoor rink in cake-eating country).

I guess growing up, outdoor rinks were the choice to play (due to cost, mostly, and the freedom to play pickup games for free). Even now, I'm somewhat surprised when someone from a northern state tells me about the lack of rinks. Call me spoiled, it's deserved, I guess I just didn't know any better.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

Anyone remember who was the last High School in Minnesota to play outside? I remember reading about it in sports illustrated years ago.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

I can safely say that I have never seen an outdoor rink with boards, lights, and a "warming house" as you all call them, in lower Michigan. I doubt there are more than I can count on my hands, and I don't think I can count past 5 any way. I think the weather is a huge obstacle with that. Michigan weather is imfamous for those 10 degree days followed by 60-70 degrees THE VERY NEXT DAY. It is hard enough to get a couple weeks a year to skate on lakes even.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

I believe there is 1 in Traverse City...full boards, lights, the whole shebang...but I agree with Yager...lower Michigan...a whole lot of nothing for outdoor rinks...even indoor rinks...

The closest indoor rink is about 25 miles away...and it's hard to get ice time...then the next one is over 40 miles away, and that one is almost impossible to get ice time...

Edit: Asked parents...my hometown use to maintain one, lights...but no boards, no warming hut...(just a covered pavilion)...mainly just for open skating, but some hockey took place occasionally (not many high schools even have hockey teams around me)
 
Re: Interesting Fact

This is why MN > MI.

Warming house here: enclosed building, with bathrooms, the attendant usually had a tv (rabbit ear antennae) and/or radio, etc. And the attendant actually got paid more than min wage (I know, I worked a couple for some PT work for about 4-5 years).

Also, thanks to my job (and a good friend's job) we ran the rink. The whole neighborhood knew we played boot hockey on Fri/Sat nights, open to close. You can show up and play, or if you want to "free skate" you get the pond-like ice. Not the rink. :D

Ah, good times.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

I think I've probably skated on 20 or so sheets of outdoor ice in the Metro between St. Louis Park, Edina, and Hopkins....

Over Christmas I skated on an outdoor sheet in Evergreen Park, IL. Every time I skate there I'm amazed that we have to pay to use outdoor ice...
 
Re: Interesting Fact

Odd, metro detroit is overrun with rinks. We've got a nice selection. I am on the very outskirt of metro detroit and I've got at least 6 or 7 within 10 miles, all of which are at least two rinks inside, which reminds me, I had never seen a single indoor rink until the UP.

I have been to Minnesota way too many times to ever be able to count it and I 100% say that it does not beat Michigan, specifically Metro Detroit. It's the place that is missing only one thing, an economy.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

techcodemonkey said:
I'm from Michigan...only been in MN once...and I can completely agree with this statement...
Click to expand...

Well, talk to FM and Diva and maybe you all can get a group to get to the Final 5 in spring. It's awesome. Trust me, and the others who will back me up on that.


MinnesotaNorthStar said:
I think I've probably skated on 20 or so sheets of outdoor ice in the Metro between St. Louis Park, Edina, and Hopkins....

Over Christmas I skated on an outdoor sheet in Evergreen Park, IL. Every time I skate there I'm amazed that we have to pay to use outdoor ice...
Click to expand...

Paying for outdoors is stupid, unless you're in a league (refs, etc). Although, that would explain the closures of a lot of rinks in my area. I'd be happy to add on some dough to my taxes if I knew it went to keep those rinks staffed/open.
 
Re: Interesting Fact

F5 is definitely an option...especially considering my 21st birthday is the Tuesday the week of F5...it could be EPIC...
 
Re: Interesting Fact

techcodemonkey said:
F5 is definitely an option...especially considering my 21st birthday is the Tuesday the week of F5...it could be EPIC...
Click to expand...

I gotta ask. For the MN-MTU series, were you in the front row next to Gina? I heard a rumor that was you. I was the moron that "invaded" the section both nights in a MN jersey ("Kill Me Now" whiteboard guy).
 
Re: Interesting Fact

Brenthoven said:
Paying for outdoors is stupid, unless you're in a league (refs, etc). Although, that would explain the closures of a lot of rinks in my area. I'd be happy to add on some dough to my taxes if I knew it went to keep those rinks staffed/open.
Click to expand...
It was skating only. They had boards, painted lines and face off dots, and a roof (no walls though)...but one of the rules said no hockey.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top