Ingalls Rink
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If
there’s one thing that you find in traveling with a college
hockey team, it is that no two rinks are alike. Each arena, whether
old or new, large or small, urban or rural, has its own distinctive
attributes. But there may be no rink in all of college hockey as
distinctive as Yale’s own David S. Ingalls Rink. In
fact, the New
York Times recently named it the rink with the "Best Design" across
all of America.
The multi-million dollar renovation of Ingalls Rink is complete. Phase I included renovations to the existing press box on the home side of the rink, the addition of a new press box on the visitors' side of the rink, refurbished exit doors on the south and east elevations, and the addition of lighting in the soffit that lines the ceiling along the perimeter walkway around the rink. A new ice surface was placed for the opening of the 2008 season. The previous rink slab was removed and was replaced with a lower slab. A new entrance to the ice was been built behind the visitors' bench, near the varsity visiting team locker room. Outside the rink, a 14,000 square-foot underground addition on the Mansfield Street side now houses both Yale varsity hockey teams along with lockers for other teams who use the rink. During Phase II, the interior of the underground addition was fitted out. The men's and women's varsity locker rooms, a new strength and conditioning room and public locker rooms were included in this addition. Phase III, included extensive work to the interior of the main building. A “hockey heritage area” was added inside the main entrance on the upper and lower levels. This area showcases Yale’s hockey history dating back to the first intercollegiate hockey game in America -- Yale vs. Johns Hopkins in 1896. The lower area renovations include new bathrooms, a concession are and a renovated Schley Room for receptions. All of the renovations were designed to preserve Ingalls' distinctive architecture and charm while adding substantial capacity for all who use the facility. Named after former Yale men's ice hockey captains David S. Ingalls '20 and David S. Ingalls Jr. '56, the rink was designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen '34 and built in 1959. Gifts from the Ingalls family provided the bulk of the funding for its construction.
HISTORY Since hosting its first intercollegiate game on December 3, 1958, when the Bulldogs faced Northeastern, the rink has been an architectural marvel. Designed by noted architect Eero Saarinen ’34, the arena gets its distinctive exterior look from a humpbacked roof, supported by a 300-foot backbone. As a result, the building has been compared to a Norse helmet and a brontosaurus, but neither of those names stuck like the Yale Whale, the arena’s most common colloquialism.
But while passersby know Ingalls Rink for its unusual exterior, what is most impressive about the arena is what goes on inside it every day. The rink, named for David S. Ingalls ’20, a two-time Eli captain, hosts not only the Yale men’s and women’s varsity hockey teams, but also Yale College Intramural hockey, the Yale Figure Skating Club, Yale Youth Hockey, University skating, and many other recreational skating groups. A busy staff oversees an ice surface and other amenities in the arena that are in almost constant use. Because of the extensive ongoing activity, the University has been continually upgrading the facility over the past two decades. A major renovation that spanned from 2008 to 2009 has preserved that tradition while also dramatically adding to the usable space in the facility. It now contains a strength and conditioning center, numerous locker rooms, equipment rooms, an athletic medicine center, a varsity player lounge, coaches offices and a reception room (named after the Schley Family) that houses Yale team photos dating back to 1895. There are new historical displays, a championship banner and concession stands and bathrooms. All of these improvements have made Ingalls Rink a very popular place among skaters and fans. The arena is often filled to its capacity, 3,500 including standing room, for varsity games.
“There are very few sports venues today that allow you to watch a game while feeling like you are going back in time. Ingalls Rink – with its stunning architecture, intimate charm and rich history – is one of those unique facilities,” said Teddy Werner ’98, former voice of Yale hockey on WYBC Radio.
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“On its own, Ingalls rink is a building full of tradition
and character. However, if you have been to Ingalls on a
Friday or Saturday night in the winter, you have seen and felt the
Whale come to life," said former Yale player Ray Giroux ’98,
a former Yale All-American hockey player.
Whether you call it Ingalls Rink, the Yale Whale or just Home, the
arena has become a New Haven and college hockey institution. And it
is sure to remain a marvel both inside and out.
