Blackhawks giving back to community with new practice facility
Motion Sports and Safety Products is honored that the Chicago Blackhawks have decided to use the Skate Helper Skate Aid in their new community ice arena. The Chicago Blackhawks announced that the team’s new, privately funded, $65 million facility will be known as the MB Ice Arena – Chicago Blackhawks Community Rink. In addition to serving as the practice home for the Blackhawks and visiting National Hockey League teams, approximately 94 percent of the facility’s use will be for the community, youth and adult hockey leagues.
“For the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, there is an unconditional commitment to give back to the community,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “If we were going to build a rink for the team, why not build two and include the community. The Wirtz family and the Chicago Blackhawks organization are proud of what this facility will mean to Chicago’s youth, and we are honored to have our longstanding partner, MB Financial Bank, join us as the first of what we anticipate will be many other Chicago businesses to participate in this exciting endeavor and support the outstanding programs at this new facility.”
The new arena, set to open in late November, will house two regulation sized NHL rinks and will feature 22 team and public locker rooms, medical and rehab facilities, a public fitness training center and a media center. The facility’s amenities include a restaurant and coffee shop, a rooftop deck and additional space for public functions. The building also includes several classrooms that will host programs for Chicago Public School students on the importance of health, wellness, nutrition, physical fitness and STEM education.
“For the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, there is an unconditional commitment to give back to the community,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “If we were going to build a rink for the team, why not build two and include the community. The Wirtz family and the Chicago Blackhawks organization are proud of what this facility will mean to Chicago’s youth, and we are honored to have our longstanding partner, MB Financial Bank, join us as the first of what we anticipate will be many other Chicago businesses to participate in this exciting endeavor and support the outstanding programs at this new facility.”
Public skate at Chicago Blackhawks Community Rink
The new arena, set to open in late November, will house two regulation sized NHL rinks and will feature 22 team and public locker rooms, medical and rehab facilities, a public fitness training center and a media center. The facility’s amenities include a restaurant and coffee shop, a rooftop deck and additional space for public functions. The building also includes several classrooms that will host programs for Chicago Public School students on the importance of health, wellness, nutrition, physical fitness and STEM education.
“There are countless ways in which our vision and values are aligned, including the need to build strong and vibrant communities where we live and work,” said Mitch Feiger, CEO and President of MB Financial, Inc. “The Blackhawks commitment to going beyond just serving as a practice rink to become a multi-service facility for Chicago’s youth, was the biggest draw for our involvement. We are incredibly proud to partner with the Blackhawks on this gift to the City of Chicago.”
The state-of-the-art MB Ice Arena will also serve as a hub for youth hockey development programs, recreational leagues and high school teams. The Chicago Mission AAA Hockey Club, a local elite youth hockey program, will call the USA Hockey-sanctioned facility its home, as will the Chicago Jets, Chicago Stallions, St. Ignatius College Prep and the Little Blackhawks Learn to Play program, an initiative from the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association.
For more information about the new facility, please visit http://www.mbicearena.com.
