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16 / JANUARY.FEBRUARY.2018 USICERINKS.COM PHOTOS: MB ICE ARENA 2017 YEAR OPENED 2 200' x 85' NHL-SIZE RINK CONCRETE TYPE OF RINK FLOOR 125,000,000 SQUARE FEET LIGHTING IN ARENA LED LOCKER ROOMS Featured Rink MB Ice Arena | | Chicago RINK BREAKDOWN FUN FACT: The Blackhawks practices are always open and free to the public. SEATING CAPACITY PER RINK (ADDITIONAL STANDING ROOM) 285 TENANTS: Chicago Blackhawks, Little Blackhawks, First Stride, Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey, Hornets Sled Hockey, Inner City, Education, Hockey on Your Block, Chicago Stallions, Chicago Mission, St. Ignatius College Prep SKATING/HOCKEY PROGRAMS: Stick and puck, public skate, rat hockey, learn-to- play hockey, youth hockey, adult league, learn-to-play adult classes "I can't say if there's any other building in the country that has that. I know that was something that was important to us. We wanted to be able to host events in the sled hockey world, as well as disabled [hockey] festivals," says Hahn. "And we wanted to…have them capable of using the whole functioning facility." Taking Flight The Blackhawks seem to be grateful for the new facility, as well. In the first few weeks after opening, MacIsaac has had a lot of players and staff ask him for directions. "'Excuse me, where's the change area?' Or, 'How do I get back to the kitchen?' Or, 'How do I get to the lounge?' Or, 'How do I get to the weight room?' It's all new and there's so much real estate, in terms of space that they aren't really accustomed to," says MacIsaac. "For me, that was rewarding because we'd really been landlocked, and this was an opportunity to expand our footprint." Before the $65 million arena opened, the Blackhawks practiced in Johnny's IceHouse West, a privately-owned facility. The team also shared space with the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, which was feeling tight as they wanted to expand. "We build our own facility, and now we have our own locker rooms and we're able to build a little bit bigger," says MacIsaac. "So, meeting rooms are a little bit bigger. The locker rooms are just a little bit bigger. The weight area's a little bit bigger. This is my 26th year of pro hockey. To be able to provide that to our athletes is wonderful." He also wanted to make Chicago a coveted destination for prospective players. "Ultimately, we want to win hockey games, and if we've got a beautiful arena, why don't we have a beautiful practice arena?" says MacIsaac. "When we're recruiting players, we're able to take them to the United Center. We're able to take them to our new offices. And we're also now able to take them to our beautiful new community arena, MB Financial Ice Arena, because of the generosity of the Wirtz family and Rocky." J