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Post by oilers4ever on Nov 5, 2008 7:50:24 GMT -4
Take this for what it's worth (a couple-years old third-hand information). When my oldest was ref'ing, I usually sat in the stands by myself (away from loud parents of players - of which I am one now). In one rink one time, I sat beside a rink staff, who told me he had just come back from a session at the 4plex regarding ice quality. He told me (if I recall correctly) that the temperature (or setting) of the cooling plant was determined each day by the "head office" of the company that owned the 4plex - which was located in Calgary, and therefore that the settings of the cooling plant in Moncton were determined based on the air temperature in Calgary. Now, if that's true (and if I remember it correctly) - it could explain inconsistent ice at the 4plex (which is what my son used to complain about when ref'ing there). Do they actually control the settings from Calgary? Nobody in Moncton has the balls to adjust it to the proper settings? Hey Goon is in Calgary isn't he? Maybe he can drop in there and talk some sense to them
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Post by SteveUL on Nov 5, 2008 9:03:38 GMT -4
Hillsborough is the coldest rink in Southeastern NB for spectators. I would vote for Memramcook as the coldest in S.E. NB but my vote for coldest rink in North America goes to ...Rogersville!! Yes ... I've been there too ... they have air conditioning blowing on you in there. I don't find Memramcook that bad ... although I do find that it is one of the most beautiful old rinks with those glue-lam beams.
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Post by gongshow on Nov 5, 2008 11:48:09 GMT -4
The coldest I've ever played in was easily in Oxford,NS.....when I played in midget Cumberland County had a team in our league and the games were usually either in Springhill or Oxford and both were ridiculous.In Oxford they used to have huge fans built in the walls on one side to help blow out the fumes from the old Diesel fueled tractor they used to flood the ice......obviously between the blades of the fans you could see outside,so basically the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature were the same.
Even playing there you'd get cold let alone standing around in the stands.I think they've since built a new rink there that is supposed to be a decent facility.
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Post by Sébastien on Nov 5, 2008 12:11:42 GMT -4
The rink in Oxford, or what we used to call the Rust Bucket, was really cold, but the coldest rink I have ever been into is the old York arena in Fredericton. I don't know if it's still operational now, but back when I used to play minor hockey there, it was hell (well ok, maybe hell frozen over, but you get the point).
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Post by SteveUL on Nov 5, 2008 12:28:08 GMT -4
I've played Riverview Lower (before recent renovations) where the water bottles were frozen on the bench ... of course it was about -35C outside.
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Post by Arnold Slick on Nov 5, 2008 13:32:09 GMT -4
The coldest rink I ever played in was by far the arena in Stanley, NB which is just north of Fredericton. It must have been about -15 or -20 that day but it felt like a warm, beautiful day outside compared to the temperature inside the arena. Water bottles would freeze within 15 minutes and it's the only time I can remember that parents AND players were all freezing throughout the games. Our team won the tournament that day however so it was all worth it ;D
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Post by Sébastien on Nov 5, 2008 13:35:14 GMT -4
If we go to the opposite, anyone ever went/played in the arena on the military base in Gagetown? Talk about hot, I've never felt anything like it! I've played in the Coliseum, in the Aitken Center as well, and it never got as hot as that (of course we're talking about the rinks being empty as well, hehehe). Sadly, I got pulled that game, but I didn't mind, my eyes were red so much sweat was getting into them!
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Post by habh8er on Nov 5, 2008 13:49:32 GMT -4
This kinda got off topic, but the coldest rink angle seems to be getting some good posts. So I have to get in here too . I always thought the rink in Hampton N.B. outside Saint John was the coldest rink on the planet....that was before I played in the Rothesay-Netherwood Rink on the campus of R-N-High School. Used to be a barn, literally. Then they turned it into an on campus ice facility. We used to play pick-up there at 9AM on weekdays. The frozen water bottles were only the beginning of the story. One of the boys took a shot that hit the post.....I was stunned to see the puck break in half, straight down the middle. Just like a pizza that was cut perfectly in half....I had never before seen this happen in my life, nor had anyone else who was there. Has anyone here ever seen a puck do this....it was totally bizzare.
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Post by Dalkiel on Nov 5, 2008 13:56:25 GMT -4
I've played Riverview Lower (before recent renovations) where the water bottles were frozen on the bench ... of course it was about -35C outside. Before renovations.......the good 'ole days ;D
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Post by Dalkiel on Nov 5, 2008 13:57:36 GMT -4
The old Alisson Gardens was always a good rink as well minus the tarps directing water from the leaking roof into the stands
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1fan
Blue-Chip Prospect
Posts: 428
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Post by 1fan on Nov 5, 2008 14:39:44 GMT -4
I wonder why they are having trouble with the ice at the 4plex, you would think with the money they spent they would have good ice. I agree with other posters that some of the best ice in southeastern new brunswick is in the old rinks. I grew up playing in Petitcodiac which never was a great facility, but loved playing on the ice surface, I also loved the ice in Riverview and at the Arthur J Leblanc That's exactly my point.....with the money they spent and with todays technology, its amazing that they can put such a piss poor ice surface. The Fourplex has the technology to have great ice. The problem is with the company that runs the fourplex...not the rink staff, not the equipment. The staff is told specifically how much ice they are allowed to put down (not as much as they would like). They are also limited to how often they can do warm or hot floods etc. The quality of the ice is a combination of several things and unfortunately the plus $200 dollars and hour including the flood time doesn't get you the ice quality you want. Private sector rinks suck! If they were to let the staff build the ice the way the know it should be...this thread wouldn't exist. Maybe we should all complain....price doesn't suit the product.
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Post by Optimus Reim on Nov 5, 2008 14:49:21 GMT -4
You could complain all you want. There opinion is have fun trying to find ice. Its a supply and demand thing. If you want ice after 5 during the week its just about impossible unless you want to play at 1045 or later. I know Riverview is booked solid. Been trying to get ice there for 3 years. (maybe they just dont like me. LOL) The J Louis is the same and in Dieppe there is nothing. They have increased the prices from 196, 205 to 215 this year. But if you want to play you gotta pay. Hillsborough has a bit of ice but its tought to find goalies that want to go out there in the middle of the winter at 930 or 945 at night.
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Post by Dalkiel on Nov 5, 2008 15:26:26 GMT -4
That's exactly my point.....with the money they spent and with todays technology, its amazing that they can put such a piss poor ice surface. The Fourplex has the technology to have great ice. The problem is with the company that runs the fourplex...not the rink staff, not the equipment. The staff is told specifically how much ice they are allowed to put down (not as much as they would like). They are also limited to how often they can do warm or hot floods etc. The quality of the ice is a combination of several things and unfortunately the plus $200 dollars and hour including the flood time doesn't get you the ice quality you want. Private sector rinks suck! If they were to let the staff build the ice the way the know it should be...this thread wouldn't exist. Maybe we should all complain....price doesn't suit the product. Thanks for the insight, not satisfied but you do make sense.....private sector rinks suck. I miss the Dud and Carroll....those rinks were awesome, so much character and of course that's where I grew up playing hockey. They both a good ice....say 8/10. As far as finding a decent ice time....yeah Hillsborough is your best bet and its not that hard to find goalies to go out at 9:30, I live in the grand metropolis of Riverview and for the last 5 years go out twice a week.
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Post by Optimus Reim on Nov 5, 2008 15:35:10 GMT -4
I had a hell of a time to get goalies out in Hillsborough. We played twice a week out there and it was just about impossible. But Brian and the guys out there are awesome. But I got ice in town and its a lot easier to find goalies now.
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Post by Sébastien on Nov 5, 2008 16:19:27 GMT -4
The old Alisson Gardens was always a good rink as well minus the tarps directing water from the leaking roof into the stands I very much enjoyed the old Alisson Gardens as well. Man, it was old, old as can get, but it had character! I enjoyed everything about it, even the locker rooms filled with piping that you would sometimes discover were way too hot to touch. The new rink they have in there, is basically a tin-box with an ice-surface in it. It wasn't the same playing in there compared to playing in the old Gardens.
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