Ice rink
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Rockefeller Center ice rink |
An
ice rink is a frozen body of water where people can
ice skate or play winter sports. Some of its uses include a playing
ice hockey,
figure skating exhibitions and contests, and ice shows.
Many ice rinks consist of, or are found on, open bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, canals, and sometimes rivers; these can only be used in the
winter in climates where the surface would freeze to a strong enough thickness.
Artificial rinks can also be made in cold climates by enclosing a level area of ground, filling it with water, and letting it freeze.
Snow may even be packed to use as the containment material.
In any climate, an arena ice surface can be installed in a properly built space. This consists of a bed of sand, or occasionally a slab of
concrete, through (or on top of) which pipes run. The pipes carry a chilled fluid (usually either a salt brine or water with
antifreeze) which can lower the temperature of the slab so that water placed atop it will freeze.
Modern rinks have a specific procedure for preparing the surface:
*With the pipes cold, a thin layer of water is sprayed on the sand or concrete to seal and level it (or in the case of concrete, to keep it from being marked).
*This thin layer is
painted white or pale blue, for better contrast; markings necessary for hockey or
curling are also placed, along with logos or other decorations.
*Another thin layer of water is sprayed atop this.
*The ice is built up to a thickness of 2-3 centimetres by repeated flows of water onto the surface.
Periodically after the ice has been used, it is
resurfaced using a machine called an
ice resurfacer. For
curling, the surface is 'pebbled' by allowing loose drops of cold water to fall onto the ice and freeze into rounded peaks.
Between events, especially if the arena is being used without need for the ice surface, it is either covered with a heavily insulated floor, or melted by heating the fluid in the pipes.
A highly specialized form of rink is used for
speed skating; this is a large
oval (or
ring) much like an athletic track. Due to their limited use, speed skating ovals are found in much fewer numbers.
Those skilled at preparing arena ice are often in demand for major events where ice quality is critical. The level of the sport of hockey in
Canada has led its icemakers to be particularly sought-after. One such team of professionals was responsible for placing a
loonie coin under center ice at the
2002 Winter Olympics in
Salt Lake City, Utah; as both Canadian teams (men's and women's) won their respective hockey gold medals, the coin was christened "lucky" and is now in the possession of the
Hockey Hall of Fame.
Ice Hockey
Main article: Hockey rink
There are basically two rink sizes in use (as below), although there is a great deal of variation in the dimensions of actual ice rinks. Historically, earlier ice rinks were smaller than today.
National Hockey League (NHL) - Canada & USA
Official NHL rink size 85' x 200' (25m908 x 60m960) with 11' (3m353) radius corners.
International/Olympic Ice Hockey
The official Olympic/International rink size is 30m x 60m (98'5" x 196'10").
*
Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof collapse (
January 2,
2006)
*
Skating Rinks Database of 2,700 Rinks in the
U.S.
