Kansas City currently has three (and a half) sheets of indoor ice. (I say half because Independence has two sheets, but the sheet in the arena isn’t always available for skating/hockey because of other events).
Two sheets are down at Ice Midwest and may not come back.
According to AEG, Kansas City is an aspiring NHL city.
I thought I’d point out an interesting story in Philadelphia — a city with an NHL team and very active youth hockey programs — and what is happening with their ice rinks.
CITY AND SNIDER HOCKEY CREATE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO PRESERVE FIVE MUNICIPAL ICE RINKS
The owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, Comcast Chairman Ed Snider, is partnering with the city of Philadelphia to not only keep five municipal rinks open — HE’S GOING TO SPEND THE $$ TO ENCLOSE THREE OF THEM!!
These rinks are not necessarily in fancy, well-to-do areas of the city where you would normally find the hockey playing community. Two are North of the city and one out on Market Street near 63rd (and the very cool Tower Theater).
And, this doesn’t include all the other rinks in suburbs like West Chester, Exton and Oaks.
“This agreement is a unique public-private partnership,” said Nutter. “I am pleased that Snider Hockey is able to work with the City to enclose these structures and make them accessible to the community year-round. I applaud Ed Snider and his Foundation for providing a safe haven for our kids that will help to unite these communities.”
“The partnership that Ed Snider and his Foundation have forged with the City of Philadelphia should serve as a model for other NHL franchises and cities,” said Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the National Hockey League. “Snider Hockey has successfully found a way to make the great sport of hockey available to everyone. This is a remarkable story.”
Ed Snider, even though he really doesn’t need to since the Flyers sell out every game, is building his hockey fan base brick-by-brick by investing in his city and youth hockey programs.
In Kansas City, we have three rinks and wealthy people bickering about the sale of one other.
