On Fri, 17 Feb 1995, Greg Berge wrote:
 
> Are the dimensions of the ice surface now standard for
> all new buildings?
 
From the 1995 NCAA Ice Hockey Rules:
 
1.2.a.  As nearly as possible, the dimensions of the rink shall be 200
feet [61.0m] long and 100 feet [30.48m] wide.  The corners should be
rounded in the arc of a circle with a radius of 20 feet [6.1m].
 
My comments:
 
Apparently, the NCAA (and USA Hockey) is pushing towards the Olympic-sized
rinks.  The American Society for Testing and Materials has been working
on ice arena standards for about a decade.  The current proposal allows
for either 85 or 100 foot widths, as not everyone wants the larger ice
(including the NHL).  The majority of new community arenas are continuing
to be regulation sized (85 foot width), with most new Olympic-sized rinks
being added as the second sheet of a two sheet facility.  There are also
a few facilities that have built both arenas at the larger dimensions.
While part of the reluctance to build larger surfaces has been cost (a 15
foot width can cut a lot out of an already tight budget), a lot also has
to do with custom.  I have been impressed with the large number of
Olympic-sized rinks being built in recent years and I believe that more
will be built as the NCAA and USA Hockey push for the larger surfaces.
Also, Northern Michigan is considering enlarging the spectator surface
(it is a two surface facility) at Lakeview Arena to Olympic-sized.
 
 __________________________________________________________
*                                                          *
* Robb Dunn                         University of Michigan *
* Project Administrator                   Sport Facilities *
*                                      Research Laboratory *
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* [log in to unmask]            Cal '93, Michigan '94 and '97 *
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