Tired of the cold? Instead of complaining about winter, embrace the ice! Skating rinks in the Chicago region offer a wide variety of activities from basic recreational skating and hockey leagues to intense training for the higher-end ice athlete. If you’re more into observing than doing, Chicago’s two pro teams play every week of the winter.
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GET ON THE ICE
Fox Valley offers something for everyone
foxvalleyicearena.com
630-262-0690
1996 S. Kirk Rd., Geneva
– Although the Chicago area has many skating rinks, local skating professionals we spoke with pointed to the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva as an example of the region’s best, describing the facility as “one of the nicest” and “gorgeous.” With both an official NHL-size and an Olympic-size rink, a fitness center and other amenities, you’ll have plenty to do on and off the ice.
– Because the facility is usually booked solid with hockey games, lessons and other programs, the rink has to squeeze in standard public skate times–11:20 a.m.-1:20 p.m. daily ($7 for adults, $5 for kids). But why just skate when you can Cosmic Skate? Every Friday night, a live DJ and special lighting transform the rink into a discolike atmosphere, enhancing the typical skating experience. Don’t own skates? The rink has hundreds of pairs (hockey and figure styles) for a rental fee of $3.
– Fox Valley is home to the Cyclones hockey club, which enrolls about 500 players, ages 3 to 18. The program offers team competition at three skill levels and a separate adult league. The arena also hosts beginner “tot” programs for kids ages 3 to 6 led by local legend Gus Liatos, a.k.a. “Coach Gus,” who has been coaching hockey for 25 years and has been at Fox Valley for three. His classes are always sold out. “I had my choice of two or three other rinks and I chose this one. It’s state of the art. It’s beautiful.” To generate and maintain kids’ interest in skating, Coach Gus wears a different hat during each lesson. “At that level, you have to be silly like they are. The first skating experience has to be fun.”
– The Skate School program teaches skaters the basics of figure skating, skills for competitive skaters and synchronized skating. The facility has a harness for more advanced skaters to safely practice jumps.
– After a session of skating, stop into Elliot’s for a bite to eat. Restaurant owner Tim Habjan recommends the Italian beef sandwich and a seat by the windows that look onto the ice. “It’s great for parents,” he explains. “They can sit and watch their kids or a hockey game or hockey practice. It’s pretty cool.”
Other rinks recommended by local skate pros
CHICAGO
McFetridge Sports Center
chicagoparkdistrict.com
773-478-2609
3843 N. California Ave.
McFetridge is the only public indoor rink in the city. It has a gym and tennis courts.
(Public skating, hockey and figure skating lessons, late-night adult hockey sessions, annual ice show.)
NORTHERN SUBURBS
Northbrook Sports Center
nbparks.org
847-291-2993
1730 Pfingsten Rd., Northbrook
Northbrook’s twin-rink facility is one of the few facilities in the area that offers a speedskating club.
(Public skating, hockey and figure skating classes, annual ice show.)
SOUTHERN SUBURBS
Arctic Ice Arena
arcticicearena.com
708 403-4231
10700 W. 160th St., Orland Park
Arctic Ice has three rinks and a full-service restaurant and bar.
(Public skating, hockey and figure skating classes, annual ice show, late-night hockey.)
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WESTERN SUBURBS
Center Ice of DuPage
www.centericeofdupage.com
630-790-9696
1 N 450 Highland Ave., Glen Ellyn
Center Ice has daily skating and offers a women’s hockey clinic.
(Public skating, hockey and figure skating classes, annual ice show, late-night hockey.)
WATCH THE PROS
chicagoblackhawks.com
312-943-HAWK
Experience the Chicago Blackhawks
Do you have a future Chris Chelios or Cammi Granato in your family? Take your young skater to see the pros at a Blackhawks game. Make your way to the United Center via Madison Street and grab a pre-game bite while you check out the memorabilia at some hockey hangouts.
HEY, 19
If you need to get there fast from downtown, take the CTA’s No. 19 United Center Express, which begins service two hours before United Center events.
HOCKEY FAN HOT SPOTS
Jersey-clad fans pack the Billy Goat Tavern (1535 W. Madison St.) for beers and the Tavern’s famous cheeseburger while surrounded by photos of players and autographed hockey sticks. For slightly more upscale bar fare, try one of more than 85 beers available at the Beer Bistro (1061 W. Madison St.).
You’ll find more Hawks aficionados at Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House (1052 W. Monroe St.), which features photos of historic Chicago landmarks.
TAKE A FREE SHUTTLE
Free shuttle services run to the United Center from restaurants around the West Loop. “Rain, sleet, snow, it doesn’t matter. If someone’s going to the United Center, we’ll get them there,” says Percy Balenton, who’s been driving a shuttle for three years. Shuttles like Balenton’s have popped up recently throughout the West Loop as an alternative to parking near the stadium, which can cost $30.
SEE THE PROS PRACTICE
Show up about an hour early to watch pregame warm-ups. Players practice taking and blocking shots and passing for about 20 minutes before the ice is prepared for the game. While you’re waiting for the first period to start, wander through the United Center concourse or to Fandemonium, the team’s shop, to check out displays of hockey memorabilia and historic equipment. You can also pick up all kinds of fan gear, including plush hockey sticks and pucks for kids.
CHICAGO WOLVES
The Blackhawks aren’t the only game in town–well, not if you include the suburbs. The Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League play at Allstate Arena in Rosemont through April. Unlike the Hawks, who haven’t won a championship since 1961, the Wolves have won 3 titles in 11 seasons.
Allstate Arena
www.chicagowolves.com
800-THE-WOLVES or 847-724-GOAL
`Rat’ hockey
Many rinks, including McFetridge Sports Center (3843 N. California Ave.), are open until 2 a.m. for pickup games of “rat hockey.” (The name refers to the term “rink rat”–a person, typically a hockey player, who hangs around the ice rink all day.) At McFetridge, you might run into Chicago Bishop Thomas Paprocki, known as the “Holy Goalie,” who plays Thursday nights. Of McFetridge, Paprocki says: “The ice is excellent. It’s one of the best surfaces I’ve played on.” His team, The Lawyers, sustained some injuries earlier this year and is not performing very well. But, Paprocki notes, “We won the championship three out of the last five years.”
NIGHT ICE
Skate under city lights
Chicago’s scenic downtown rink, McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, is open until 10 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. The rink, in Millennium Park, offers a great view of Chicago’s skyline. Skating is free, rentals are $7
millenniumpark.org
312-742-1168
Sources: The arenas, Chicago Blackhawks, Tribune reporting
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