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18 / MAY.JUNE.2015 RINKMAGAZINE.COM are he or she is going to let their kids play. "Having them here and hav- ing Nationwide here has been tremendous for the city's growth in the sport and the entire com- munity is proud of that." Hey Now, You're an All-Star This year, Nationwide had the pleasure of hosting one of hockey's biggest celebrations, the NHL All- Star Game. "Whether you were a fan or you were working the event, it was such a unique and great experience to be a part of," said Huffman, who has previously worked NHL Winter Classics. "Tying in the game and players with just the fanfare of the event as a whole was awesome for everybody. There was noth- ing but good things to say from everyone." Huffman said the brunt of his duties were completed at the beginning of the week, painting logos and building ice for the skills competition and game. After that, it was all about maintenance "It was a fun week that really flew by," he said. "There was so much going on but it turned out to be a great event." NARCE Nation RINK Magazine faithful now associate Nationwide Arena with the ice industry's premier annual event, the North American Rink Conference and Expo. For the sec- ond straight year, Nationwide welcomes NARCE participants for on-ice courses and testing just a few blocks away from the hotel and convention center. "It's so accessible for the event," Huffman said of the relative location to the Hyatt Regency and NARCE trade show. "Talking with guys last year, every- thing ran so smoothly that we are thrilled to have them back again." J 2000 9,400 YEAR OPENED (SEPTEMBER) RINK BREAKDOWN ICE RESURFACERS: TWO ZAMBONI 500 ONE ZAMBONI 540 all propane-fueled REFRIGERATION SYSTEM: R22 TENANTS: Columbus Blue Jackets, six AAA teams and two high school teams (St. Charles and Upper Arlington). , Continued from page 17 800,000 SQUARE FEET 2 200' x 85' NHL-SIZE RINKS 12,000 60,000 18,500 750 M A I N R I N K P R AC T I C E R I N K SEATING CAPACITY LIGHTING: 350 Musco. Recently installed LED lights in practice rink. were working the event, it was such a unique and great experience to be PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NATIONWIDE ARENA Six talent dressing rooms, three tournament locker rooms and a visiting NHL dressing room. LOCKER ROOMS MILES OF PIPE TONS OF STEEL GALLONS OF PAINT SQUARE FEET OF GLASS BUILT WITH: SPECIAL FEATURES: Two 80-foot party suite towers for use during hockey games and family shows. Each tower represents three suites that can seat 24-48 people; 70-foot glass-enclosed atrium; 135-foot light tower will illuminate during an event. Featured Rink Nationwide Arena | | Columbus, Ohio