THE MAGAZIN E F OR NOR WALK

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www.norwalkplus.com

WINTER 2012 $4.95 U.S. Vol. 7 No. 4

ICE SKATING IN NORWALK Our city is asserting itself as an ice sports center

Reality star visits Fairfield County

AFTER

DESTINATION

SANDY

SONO

Time to rebuild and reevaluate

The popular spot is better than ever

www.norwalkplus.com

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PLUS

NEWS, PICTURESQUE, FASHION, CALENDAR AND MUCH MORE

THE CITY THAT HELPS

by Sherry Shameer Cohen

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PHOTOGRAPHY: SONO ICE HOUSE

The coolest place in Norwalk

Connecticut Oilers Eastern Junior Hockey League Team in practice at the SoNo Ice House in Norwalk

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onnecticut has serious hockey fever, and it is running high in Lower Fairfield County. The recently opened SoNo Ice House on Wilson Street in Norwalk is adding even more fervor to ice sports.

Ice hockey, is growing steadily in popularity in our area and the demand for more rinks in Connecticut is not slowing down any time soon. Fairfield County is home to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, a minor league franchise of the New York Islanders, and with the recent National Hockey League lockout, the Sound Tigers games have been selling out. Even without the dispute between NHL owners and players, locally ice hockey is drawing more participants and spectators than ever. Meanwhile, figure skating is still one of the most watched winter sports, although its popularity tends to dip slightly between the years the Olympics are played. As the demand for more rinks has continued to increase, Norwalk was poised to be the location of a place

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which offers even more opportunities for professionalbound hockey players and figure skaters. When Ryan Hughes, the owner and operator of the North American Hockey School and manager of North American Rink Management, planned the SoNo Ice House, he knew everything that had to be done in order to make it an athletic-edge training center. Hughes, who grew up in Stamford, always knew that hockey and figure skating were popular in this area, but noted that in about 2005 there just weren’t enough rinks to meet the growing need. Three years later, he began to look at locations and, in 2010, he envisioned that the dilapidated building, the site of the former Nash Engineering Co., would be an excellent location for the type of ice complex to serve athletes who play and dance on ice. The SoNo Ice House, a 50,000 square feet complex, has

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two side by side rinks: a 200’ x 85’ rink that is National Hockey League regulation size, and the smaller 60’ x 120’ feet for training. There is also a 5,000 square foot training facility which overlooks the two rinks. The complex is located near other recently built or renovated buildings on Wilson Street, and a stone’s throw from Springwood Park. Norwalk had the Crystal Rink until the late 1980s, recalls Rick McQuaid, a lifelong Norwalk resident and City Clerk. The site of the rink was near the current location of the Norwalk Transfer Station & Recycling Center on Crescent Street. It served as a roller rink during the summer. The Crystal Rink was already “old looking” when he worked there, scraping off the ice and doing other tasks. It served its purpose back then, he said. But as times have changed and the interest in ice sports has grown, the need for an

PHOTOGRAPHY: SONO ICE HOUSE

The founder and managing partner of the SoNo Ice House Ryan Hughes

The Sono Ice House during and after construction

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Hockey History Trivia Monika Moravan, a member of the Society for International Hockey Research, notes that “games similar to hockey were played on the Eastern seaboard” as far back as colonial times. “Natives had their version,” she said, but among former colonists, an “anti-British backlash came in.” Modern hockey took off during the mid-1870s in Canada and the pucks have been flying since. Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber reportedly was recently offered a contract to play minor league ice hockey with the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL. Was this just a publicity stunt? Maybe, but the Canadian-born singer grew up playing hockey.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SONO ICE HOUSE

incomparable facility arose. What’s the fascination? Ice hockey is captivating and thrilling—a fast-paced game that requires multiple skills and strategies. Players have to be quick both physically and mentally and always ready to go anywhere on the ice (except the goalie). A hockey puck can travel at 90 miles per hour after a player skillfully maneuvers around other skaters and sticks. During those three 20-minute periods, there is zero downtime except during a stoppage. A player can join the game “on the fly,” even during the flow of the game, and substitutions can be made without an announcement. Hockey appeals to all ages and to both men and women. Players are so passionate about it that they will travel for ice time and play anytime they can, even before dawn or late at night, and fans will even forgo comfort at older stadiums to see games. Newer venues, such as the Webster Arena in Bridgeport, have just about all the creature comforts to keep adults and kids happy during the game. But it is the game that is driving the need for more rinks. Dave Fischer, Senior Director, Communications at USA Hockey says that when his organization started to record national statistics during the 1991-1992 season, there were 192,125 players. The number of players, rang-

ing from ages six and under to adults, grew to 511,178 in the 2011-2012 season, an increase of 161.97 percent in 20 years. Statistics for Connecticut have been recorded since 1998, showing an increase of 15.95 percent. Add earnest figure skaters, speed skaters, and people who skate just for recreation, and the demand for ice space and time in Lower Fairfield County is high. Doug Palazzari of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum observes that there has been an increasing exposure to it at every level, and it has become “more of a national game than it’s been in the past” with teams throughout the country. “More kids are getting involved,” adds Palazzari, and there are increasing opportunities for them all over the country, including in the warmer South. Thanks to artificial ice, climate is not a factor because ice-cold glycol is run through metal pipes which are laid inside a concrete slab that is kept below freezing point. Rinks can be built anywhere in the world, even in Abu

Dhabi and Ecuador. “No one can build it at the price we could and do it right,” says Hughes. “We weren’t asking for public funding. The only hurdle was the parking spots,” but there was “no way around that.” Still, he says, it was “great to work with the mayor, Zoning, and Parking. They were for us. The hardest part was raising the money from private investors.” Investors need not have worried. Youth ice hockey has flourished nationally and locally despite the country’s economic downturn. Youth ice hockey and figure skating are not inexpensive sports in comparison to Little League baseball or soccer. They require fees from about $75.00 to $165.00 plus equipment. Kids need to replace their equipment every year as they grow. Some skates can cost upwards of $275.00 per pair. Those va-va-voom skating outfits with holograms and sequins can easily run $150.00, but they add to the beauty and grace of figure skating.

McQuaid says, “The first day I walked into it, I was stunned.” Hughes “hasn’t skimped anywhere…. It’s all first class.”

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FROM AMATEUR TO PRO Hughes’s ambition was to make the SoNo Ice House the premier hockey center in Fairfield County. This was no small feat. The Connecticut Hockey Conference consists of 38 youth hockey organizations and 775 teams statewide. There are already more than 60 ice rinks in Connecticut and SoNo Ice House is competing with other rinks in nearly every town and city in Lower Fairfield County, not to mention professional minor league sports. McQuaid says, “The first day I walked into it, I was stunned.” Hughes “hasn’t skimped anywhere….It’s all first class.” The SoNo Ice House serves a range of hockey players, including the Connecticut Oilers, members of both the Eastern Junior Hockey League ( EJHL Jr. "A"), and the Empire Junior Hockey League (EmpJHL, Jr. "B"). This is critical to young people who are serious about hockey because the Empire Junior Hockey League ranks high in college placement. Because of the SoNo Ice House’s professional grade training center, the Oilers teams can accelerate faster than in typical youth hockey.

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“We have the only rink in the area that is considered cross ice,” notes Hughes. Cross ice is recommended for training by the NHL. It is highly beneficial to very young athletes because there is no stoppage during the play and they develop into better skilled players faster. They strategize and react more quickly than in a regular game as they skate, handle the stick, and shoot without downtime. In addition, The SoNo Ice House has the only RapidShot Hockey Training System in New England. This patented, franchised computerized training system automatically passes and collects the regulation hockey pucks and measures a player’s accuracy, speed, and reaction time. Players can shoot up to 800 pucks per hour. Hughes was also very particular about the trainers. He hired Jay Mountain, who has trained many college athletes and NHL players, including goalie Jonathan Quick, a Milford, Connecticut native, who won his first Stanley Cup championship in June 2012 and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the 2012 playoffs. Besides the SoNo Ice House, seasoned amateur hockey players can advance to professional status at other venues in our area, of course. Jamie Palatini, Communications Manager of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, an affiliate of the American Hockey League, says that the Tigers organization works with youth hockey players who can practice at the Webster Arena. School children—even those in elementary school—get invitations to attend games and participate by leading the national anCONTINUED ON PAGE 64

Some ice hockey slang

barn hockey rink/arena bender a terrible player who always seems to have his ankles bent between the pipes – in the net brain bucket or bucket helmet gongshow a rough, intense game. hat trick scoring three goals in one game light the lamp score a goal so the siren flashes sin bin the penalty box tender another name for the goalie

© Michael Pettigrew | Dreamstime.com

Safety has made strides as well. Ice isn’t as forgiving as turf and skating is one of the most physically demanding sports, often played at high speeds. Figure skating is a sport that is hard on the body, but the U.S. Figure Skating organization has created programs to help prevent injury. Edward N. Kaufman, R.N., BSN, BOCO of Yale Surgical Co. in New Haven customizes hockey helmets for players with physical conditions such as a bone flap on the skull.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE them. The Sacred Heart Pioneers also play there. And More for Everyone Else But SoNo Ice House isn’t only about hockey. Local aspiring figure skaters are welcome to learn and sharpen their craft there. Figure skating is as beautiful as it is inspiring, but finding a premium place to train is a challenge. The SoNo Ice House is doing its part to fix the problem. “We have some of the best coaches and top young athletes,” says Hughes. The saying, “If we build it they will come” applies to committed athletes who will relocate, if necessary, to train with leading coaches.

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The SoNo Ice House offers U.S.

parents who do not want to risk dam-

Figure Skating’s Skate With Us Basic

age to their homes and want minimal

Skills program for children who are

fuss, this is an answered prayer, and

three to seven years old. This is the of-

a terrific way to introduce children to

ficial program created by the national

the thrill of ice sports and extend their

governing body for this type of skating

social activities outside school.

and is designed for those who want to

McQuaid says that there are

skate just for recreation or train for

plenty of opportunities for local busi-

the Olympics.

nesses to advertise and “get behind it.” Ice

Hughes also believes that his rink will

House has public skating, something

Additionally,

the

SoNo

help boost more business for local ho-

that McQuaid notes is a terrific activ-

tels and restaurants.

ity for parents and kids to get involved in together.

“I subtitled my life ‘Six Degrees of Hockey Separation,’” quips Canadi-

Rinks, including the SoNo Ice

an journalist and ice hockey historian

House, also have facilities for birth-

Monika Moravan because “hockey cre-

day parties. The packages are far less

ates connections.” With the SoNo Ice

expensive than many other local ven-

House, there will be thousands more

ues with activity centers for kids. For

and with face time, not Facebook. ■