RALEIGH, N.C. – Doug Warf, President of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that construction is underway on two new street hockey rinks at Apex Community Park. The rinks are the result of a partnership between the team and the NHL’s Industry Growth Fund, through which $550,000 was provided to fund the project.
“Participation in hockey is growing exponentially in the Triangle and across North Carolina,” said Warf. “This project significantly enhances accessibility by providing another facility where kids and adults can try or compete in our sport.”
The two 160-by-75-foot street hockey rinks feature aluminum prefabricated dasher board systems, player benches, penalty boxes, scorekeeper boxes, chain-length fencing, mateflex sport court tile and scoreboards. One rink will be outfitted as a multipurpose court, offering hockey, futsal, and basketball, while the other will strictly be for hockey. The Town of Apex in partnership with the Hurricanes will offer youth and adult programming, from try-hockey-for-free to organized league hockey, along with tournaments, camps, clinics and pick-up hockey. The rinks are scheduled to be open for programming this spring. Renderings of the rinks can be seen here.
Established in 2013 as a part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) and supported by the NHL’s 32 Clubs, the NHL Industry Growth Fund was created to support and accelerate the development of NHL and Club business initiatives and projects that promote long-term fan development and increase participation at all levels of hockey with an emphasis on youth. A committee of three NHLPA representatives and four NHL owners oversees the IGF and focuses on building hockey awareness and avidity both in local Club markets and on a national level (in the United States and Canada) by subsidizing League-wide programs and local Club initiatives, reaching diverse audiences and offering unique hockey opportunities for players and fans.
Over its first decade, the IGF has dedicated more than $180 million to develop programming, create initiatives, host events and provide education that drives awareness and brings hockey to communities across North America.
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