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STARRINKS.COM NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2014 / 17 , "There's so much pent-up demand for hockey here. As word started getting out about the new Ford Ice Center, all of a sudden you start hearing about people who, before, weren't being served geographically and they want to get back into hockey." -Craig MacDonald, Hockey Director Before the Predators moved to the area, there was only one two-sheet facility in Nashville. Another two-sheet rink was built in the early 2000s, but it still wasn't enough. "The (hockey) market blew up," said Butler, attributing it to both the growth of Nashville and the popularity and success of the Predators. "But they still only had four sheets of ice." Ford Ice Center brings two NHL-size rinks to town. It's complete with eight locker rooms, four party rooms, an upstairs ballet room, a yoga studio, a proshop and a concession stand that Butler says is more of a restaurant. Heaters keep both sets of bleachers extra warm — a "must-have for the Southern folks" — and a full dehumid- ification system pulls moist air out rather than a simple air conditioner, creating bet- ter ice. Ford Ice Center is also very cost- efficient. It is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)- certified building. "Really it's the whole package," Butler said. "And I believe it's going to see a lot of success." Big-Name Attraction Olympic figure skating gold medalist and hall of famer Scott Hamilton has become a familiar face at Predators games. He set- tled in the suburbs of Nashville a number of years ago and quickly became a season- ticket holder at Bridgestone Arena. With the announcement of Ford Ice Center's opening, Hamilton wasted little time get- ting involved. He brought in silver medal- ist Bill Fauver as the academy's skating director and the pair will focus on making Scott Hamilton Skating Academy a very grassroots effort. "It's going to be a program that just kind of makes skating fun again," said Butler. "Skating lost its edge, it seems, and (Hamilton and Fauver) want it to go back to when they were kids and it was fun. "They are going to slowly build a grass- roots skating academy to bring people out who haven't skated before." Ford Ice Center also brought in big names from the hockey side. With its direct relationship with the Predators, Ford Ice Center hosted the team's pros- pect camp, which included a tourna- ment with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers. The tournament drew large crowds for the September grand opening. "We had our ribbon-cutting along with free public skates and free learn- to-skates," Butler said. "We really had a festival atmosphere and then we jumped into games with some of the best rookies in the league. , Continued on page 18