Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in the Hudson River Valley

Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Albany
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Columbia
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Dutchess
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Greene
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Orange
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Putnam
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Rensselaer
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Rockland
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Ulster
Ice Skating and Ice Hockey in Westchester

• Do not skate or walk on ice unless a sign is posted by your town Park or Recreation facility designating the ice as a safe-skating area.


• Never walk on any frozen water or water surface unless official signs are posted as to the safety of these areas.


• Children should never be left unattended near any ice or frozen water.


• If you hear cracking while on ice, lie down immediately and try to distribute your weight.


• Teach your kids to learn how to fall properly to avoid injuries.


• All hockey skaters should wear proper safety equipment, including helmet, knee and elbow pads.


• If you witness someone falling through ice, never attempt to make a rescue by yourself. Call for help.


• Do not body check. According to the Centers for Disease Control, ice hockey is the second leading cause of winter sports injury among children, and most injuries are a result of body checking.

Learn more about Ice Skating Safety at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

History of Ice Skating in New York

Ice Skating beyond Central Park
Meanwhile, other bodies of water were used for ice skating throughout the park system. In Brooklyn, skating sites existed at McCarren Park, Prospect Park, Sunset Park, and Commodore Barry Park. In fact, ice skating was so popular in the 19th century that a tradition of "raising the red ball" on Brooklyn streetcars was created to indicate favorable skating conditions at Prospect Park.

Building a Manmade Rink in Queens
The first facility devoted to ice skating was the New York City Building, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, originally constructed for the 1939-40 World's Fair. The rink was used for ice shows during the Fair, and afterward was converted to an ice and roller skating rink that operated from 1941 to 1946.

Although the New York City Building was temporarily used as a site for the fledgling United Nations, October 1946 to 1950, the Building once again became an ice and roller skating rink in 1952. The New York City Building became a major World's Fair site again during the 1964-65 event when Olympic figure skating champion Dick Button organized "Ice-Travaganza" performances within the facility. After the Fair ended, the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park rink became the first year-round skating facility in the park system.

The Ice Skating Rink in Central Park
In 1949, philanthropist Kate Wollman donated funds for a new kind of "artificial rink" to be built in Central Park. Ms. Wollman gave $600,000 toward the construction of Wollman Rink as a memorial to her parents, Mr. J. Wollman and Mrs. Bettie Wollman, and her four brothers.

The Wollman Rink opened in 1950 and is located in the southern part of Central Park. Its creation ushered in a new era of ice skating unbound by fickle weather conditions. As the Parks Department publicity materials boasted, the new rink guaranteed access to safe skating for New Yorkers "who have been deprived of the pleasure of regular, uninterrupted outdoor ice skating throughout the winter half year because of vagaries of our climate."

With midtown Manhattan as its dramatic backdrop, Wollman Rink was a success from the day it opened; over 300,000 skaters glided across the ice in its first year of operation. The facility features three-quarters of an acre (28,000 square feet) of ice and 16 miles of 1 1/4 " wrought iron pipe.

Wollman Funds Additional Rinks
Another rink funded by Kate Wollman, Lasker Rink and Pool on Central Park's northern end, serves as a pool in the summer months. Wollman also contributed major financial help towards a similar outdoor ice skating rink in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. This Rink was constructed in 1961 on the site formerly known as Music Island, where concerts were performed in the 19th century.

Ice Skating Continues to Grow
Once ice skating proved useful in attracting people into the parks in the winter months, other rinks opened throughout City boroughs.