Anaheim Ice

Exterior view of Anaheim Ice.

Coordinates: 33°50′02″N 117°55′03″W / 33.833907°N 117.917424°W / 33.833907; -117.917424 Anaheim Ice, formerly known as Disney Ice, is an indoor ice rink complex in Anaheim, California. It is known for being one of the major works of architect Frank Gehry. It is the practice and training rink of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League, and also hosts youth hockey, figure skating events, and public skating. Additionally, it serves as the home rink for the University of Southern California club hockey team,^[1] and will be the site of the 2010 PAC-8 Hockey Conference Tournament, hosted by USC.^[2]

History

Disney Ice was commissioned by Disney's then-CEO Michael Eisner, who said, "I was looking for the next generation of American architects -- and he was on the list of architects who were pushing the envelope. We bought a hockey team. We needed a practice rink."^[3] The facility resembles a pair of huge quonset huts, and has a wooden interior with laminated beams and braces, producing "a nautical effect that recalls the inverted ship shape of Gehry's Disney Concert Hall".^[4] It opened in 1995.

When the Anaheim Ducks (then known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) were sold to Henry Samueli and his wife Susan in 2005, Disney Ice was also sold to the Samuelis, who renamed it Anaheim Ice. Anaheim Ice offers Public Skating Sessions, Pick-Up Hockey Sessions, Learn to Skate Classes, various Hockey Programs, and Birthday Packages.

References

1. ^ USC Ice Hockey website
2. ^ PAC-8 Conference Tournament Facebook page
3. ^ American Masters: Frank Gehry, PBS
4. ^ Muschamp, Herbert (1994-09-18). "Architecture View: Disney Takes the Ice to the Players". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E6DE153BF93BA2575AC0A962958260. Retrieved 2007-01-17.