Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/927264
USICERINKS.COM JANUARY.FEBRUARY.2018 / 15 of people who wouldn't normally come into an ice arena be subjected to all the amenities that this facility can provide." First Strides One of the efforts that excites MacIsaac is "First Stride." Starting in January, the program will introduce nearly 6,000 public school children to the game. They'll come to the MB Arena three times per week to learn about health, wellness and science, technology, engineering and math—and how to skate. The Blackhawks are footing the bill in hopes of introducing hockey to kids who might not otherwise try it. They've done similar programs in the past. Local students learned to play floor hockey in gym thanks to G.O.A.L., which stands for Get Out and Learn. The arena is also home to a handful of local high school, adaptive and AAA teams. Arena General Manager Andrea Hahn has been in the hockey industry for more than two decades. The community focus attracted her. She loves how committed the space is to hockey and ice time, as well as the variety of off-ice amenities available. "We have the capability of being so many great things in the community that really are unrelated to ice," Hahn says. "We have three multipurpose party rooms, a health and wellness gym, a rapid shot machine that is kind of like a batting cage for hockey." "We have a high-end executive hockey operations conference room. It's part of the Blackhawks private area, but it has a viewing deck over the Blackhawks practice rink that we will also open up corporate meetings. We've booked several of those." Conscious Construction From rubber flooring where it isn't typically installed, to a special shooting and stickhandling area, the arena got its inspiration from other facilities across the country. MacIsaac traveled to Pennsylvania, Texas and California to see what worked and what didn't. The arena's party rooms are deliberately multipurpose. The spaces can host classrooms, birthday parties or business meetings. The furniture is adaptable, so when nobody's teaching, occupants can just pull the tables out and move them off to the side for a different setup. "We want to maximize this building from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. in the morning with as many user groups as possible," says MacIsaac. "That's a goal that Rocky set out, and we were able to accomplish." In that vein, the facility is uniquely accessible to people with disabilities. Just a few weeks after opening, the MB Ice Arena hosted a sled hockey tournament. While many rinks need to be retrofitted to accommodate players in sleds, both sheets at the Chicago facility have clear boards and a full set of sled benches. According to Hahn, the arena is 100 percent accessible as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, including all 22 locker rooms and rink viewing areas. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Jonathan Toews were among some of the high profile guests at MB Ice Arena's opening.