Alexandra Palace is back in business

LONDON, UK – Hockey fans and players in the capital were celebrating tonight as one of London’s iconic ice rinks re-opened for business after a reported 2.3 million pound refurbishment.
 
Hockey players and fans mixed with other skating groups and local officials in a gala opening night at Alexandra Palace in the north of the city. Dancing on Ice star’s Susie and Andrei Lipanov took centre stage in the event however most hockey fans had their eye on a hockey skills display by Haringey Junior Ice Hockey club.

 
As the juniors trained in front of former England Rugby star Jeremy Guscott and the BBC London News team, their penalty shot competition was filmed live as a feature on the evening news broadcast.    
 
Senior hockey side Haringey Greyhounds decided to mothball during the 2010/11 season and return as the rebranded North London Hounds in 2011/12. The junior club however, opted to play on and have battled for months, playing away games in the first half of the season to ensure the Haringey name stayed alive.
 
“It is fantastic to be back at the Palace” explained Haringey under 14’s coach Lester Brenner, who was there to organise the kids and make sure they did not fire any pucks at the camera crew.
 
“There have been setbacks and we have had to postpone a couple of fixtures but the Palace management have really tried to get us back on the ice as soon as possible“
 
Indeed Alexandra Palace management got a nasty shock when they inspected the pad underneath the ice during the refurbishment. The concrete had heaved and cracked over the twenty odd years of operation, and needed major work to rectify it. Engineers dug out nearly fifteen foot under the existing pad to solve the problem and now the facility boasts a completely new (and more importantly flat) pad.
 
“One great thing about the ice now is that all the pucks wont slide to one end of the rink at the end of training” joked Brenner. “But seriously it is great that the council have invested in the rink and we think that the refurbishment will help us attract more kids to the sport, along with our lurid signage that we will be putting on the walls”
 
The suspected lack of longevity and potential for hockey has been a haunting stumbling block in Haringey in recent years. The building that houses the rink has been a constant source of speculation for alternative usage, and this brand new investment certainly gives many people hope that hockey has a long and successful future in this part of North London.
 
“There have been rumours of a bowling alley company coming in and replacing the rink with a bowling alley” admitted Brenner, who is also involved running the London Legion recreational ice hockey club out of the Palace.
 
“Thanks to the council the rink is now ready for many more years of service, and the rink management are really behind the junior hockey club and have agreed to invest in stick and puck sessions at the end of skating sessions for which we will provide the coaching”
 
“Added to which, we are starting a brand new learn to play hockey scheme and we are putting our coaching team onto public sessions to try and pick up kids who can skate well, to get them involved in hockey”
 
Training out of the Sobell Centre ice rink in Islington with its quarter size ice pad has proved difficult for the Hounds, and they play their first home game of the season this weekend against Invicta on Saturday.
 
“The rink was looking shoddy” said Haringey under 14’s player Solomon Smith, who celebrated his thirteenth birthday on the gala night. “The ice is much better to skate on than before and the whole rink looks beautiful”
 
“The rink is so much better and it doesn’t have as many dark patches” said 13 year old goalie Oliver Brenner, who has played at the Palace for the last six years. “With the improved lightning I think I will save more shots”
 
Visitors to the rink will see the new shiny white boards that have been installed around the rink, along with new glass behind the team benches. The boards also have the ability to have plexi-glass fitted on to them should any additional investment be found. The roof has a new foil coating that should improve insulation however the old school NHL pennants and Greyhounds pennants have yet to be erected (and there is no confirmation that they will be).
 
The changing rooms have all been refurbished with new fittings and showers, and have generally been spruced up and given a coat of paint. All of this ensures that any visit to the venue as a player will be a much improved experience, not least because of the new ice. Photographers will love the ultra-bright lighting that will help them take the perfect action picture; however spectators will have to sit in the slightly cleaner than before, red plastic seats.
 
Recreational sides London Devils, London Legion and London Rangers amongst others are expected to quickly return to the venue over the next two weeks; however there is no confirmation yet from neither the rink nor the North London Hounds, that ice slots have been agreed for senior league hockey next season.
 
More details about Haringey Junior Hockey Club can be found on their website: www.haringeyhockey.co.uk
 
Please enjoy the selection of photos from the gala opening night below:




 
  Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com