Maintaining a professional ice rink needs a wide variety of equipment to keep it in working order, and hockey rink parts run the gamut. While a backyard rink can get away with being topped up with a homemade Zamboni and common household tools, a professional ice skating rink needs more heavy-duty tools for the job.
If you are trying to learn which pieces of equipment are essential, we got you covered! This hockey rink parts guide is going to cover the absolute essentials needed to keep an ice hockey rink in working order.
What Hockey Rink Parts Do I Need?
What pieces of gear should you prioritize investing in? Let’s take a look at the essentials!
Ice Resurfacing Machine
The most important part of your ice rink is the ice itself. You’ll want to invest in gear that will help to keep your ice surface nice and smooth.
A professional ice rink is a lot different from a backyard ice rink with natural ice. It’s not as simple as adding a few layers of hot water to freeze over. You’ll want to invest in a tool that works for professional ice resurfacing. The most popular tool for the job for large indoor arenas is the classic Zamboni.
A Zamboni is a large vehicle that can drive over the surface of your rink to easily resurface it. This is great for quick maintenance during breaks in a hockey game, or after high traffic use of the rink. (In fact, the National Hockey League requires that ice is always resurfaced before a game, between periods during a game, and after the game.)
A Zamboni has a long blade that scrapes off a layer on the surface of the ice. The shaved ice and snow are then gathered by the Zamboni. The machine also dispenses water, to wash the ice as it goes, to form a new solid smooth layer on the rink surface.
A Zamboni can easily resurface an entire rink in no time, giving you the perfect surface for a smooth skate. They are essential for keeping your indoor ice rink in great condition.
Refrigeration System
An indoor hockey rink is no backyard ice rink! Unfortunately, they do not have the benefit of naturally cold outdoor temperatures to prevent the ice from melting like an outdoor rink. Indoor ice rinks need to invest in a high-quality refrigeration system to keep their ice from melting.
An indoor ice skating rink is made of careful layers. There is typically a sand/gravel base, covered by concrete, insulation, a chilled slab, and then, the ice surface. The chilled concrete slab will be fitted with pipes from your refrigeration system, working to keep the ice cold beneath its surface.
Your ice rink will need room for this system, with regular maintenance to maintain it. If cared for properly, you should have no problems keeping your hockey rink nice and cold.
Ice Rink Boards
Everyone loves the thrill of a hockey player smashing into the boards as they chase that puck. If you have an indoor hockey rink, it’s important that the boards you choose to fit your rink with can withstand being hit.
Atheltica has a ton of different options when it comes to looking for hockey boards and other shielding solutions. You’ll want these boards to surround the entire playing surface. They will work to keep players and crowds in your stands safe from any action happening on the ice.
Some rinks may opt to go for dasher boards that are fitted with netting instead of glass or acrylic boards. We do recommend investing in acrylic shielding, though, for long-lasting, safe protection for your rink.
If you do have acrylic ice rink boards, you’ll want some equipment to keep them maintained. Over time your boards can get dirty and become hard to see through. Some simple glass rink polish should do you good, paired with a polishing tool or microfiber towel. You can easily buff out stains and marks to keep a clear field of vision of the ice this way.
Spray Paint Applicator
If you’re using your ice rink for hockey, you’re going to need a way to paint down lines used during play. The lines on your hockey rink will typically require black, red, and blue paint, and can be applied with specialized spray paint applicators.
You’ll need to regularly paint and freeze layers of colored ice to keep these lines nice and bright! Once you have an applicator, you can easily mark off faceoff circles, your defending zone, neutral zone, and attacking zone areas, and your goal line.
These tools can be great for an outdoor hockey rink, or an indoor rink! Anyone playing hockey will know a tool like this is essential to the game.
Smaller Accessories
There are some smaller accessories you can invest in for quick fixes and maintenance to your rink.
Let’s say you notice some small bumps and marks on your ice, but don’t want to haul out your entire Zamboni. In instances like this, handheld tools are great for quick repair.
Many people favor an ice scraper to quickly remove imperfections from your ice surface. You can also look for an ice chopper if you need to really get into your ice surface.
It’s also a good idea to keep shovels and scrapers around too if you want to clear away snow and ice created by frequent skating. It’s good to have backup tools if you need a quick fix!
In Conclusion
If you’re building a hockey rink, these are the tools you need to keep it in tip-top shape! If you’re looking to build and maintain an indoor ice rink, we’re happy to offer our own products and expertise. Contact us here if you’d like to hear from us, and get started.
