Ever thought of building an ice rink?

Ice Rink Manual of the International Ice Hockey Federation

 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF
Ice Rink Manual

Publisher: 1
International Ice Hockey Federation

Chairman of the Project Group:

Philippe Lacarrière

Editors:
Robert van Rijswijk, Secretary of the Project Group
Patrick Kelleher

Layout:
Szymon Szemberg
Robert van Rijswijk
Digital Type AG

Contributing Writers:
Kimmo Leinonen
Szymon Szemberg
Robert van Rijswijk
International Ice Hockey Federation

Mika Kallio
Lemminkkäinen Construction Ldt.

Ari Laitinen
VTT Building and Transport

Prof. F. Roskam
IAKS

Patrick Kelleher
Serving The American Rinks

Photographs:
IIHF Archives, City Press Berlin
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

In the early years ice hockey was played outdoors. Nothing could be more beautiful than when the temperature
was some degrees below zero and the scenery was like on this picture from 1910. But only in a couple of hours
all could change. Snowstorm or heavy rain or a temperature above zero would pretty soon call for a postpone-
ment or cancellation of a game or of an entire tournament. In order for the game to develop, hockey rinks were
needed. Photo: National Archives of Canada
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Table
of Contents

Message from the President .................................................................................... 4

Foreword ................................................................................................................ 5

Chapter 1: You can build an ice rink everywhere

1.1 Introduction of the Manual/IIHF Prototype....................................................... 6

1.2 Introduction to ice hockey................................................................................ 6 3

Chapter 2: Social interest of an ice rink

2.1 Interest of the community ............................................................................... 9

2.2 Activity programs and services ......................................................................... 9

2.3 Ice rinks throughout the world ....................................................................... 13

Chapter 3: Technical guidelines of an ice rink

3.1 General introduction ....................................................................................... 15

3.2 Sizing the ice rinks .......................................................................................... 18

3.3 IIHF prototype definition ................................................................................ 18

3.4 Materials and structural systems for an ice rink............................................. 19

3.5 Mechanical and electrical plant ..................................................................... 25

3.6 Energy consumption optimisation .................................................................. 32

3.7 Environmental effects ..................................................................................... 36

Chapter 4: Economic profile of the IIHF ice rink prototype

4.1 Introduction.................................................................................................... 38

4.2 Construction costs.......................................................................................... 38

4.3 Operational budget ........................................................................................ 40

Chapter 5: Financing

5.1 Construction costs / Investment costs ............................................................ 43

5.2 Operational costs .......................................................................................... 43

IIHF Rules for Ice Rinks........................................................................................... 44

Equipment............................................................................................................. 51

IIHF Member Associations ..................................................................................... 54

 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Ever thought
of building an ice rink?

The rink is the key to all hockey

development
In the beginning, ice hockey had its defi-
nite limits. It could only be played in places where
you had natural ice from December until at the
latest March. And those were the long seasons!
This is why North America, Scandinavia, the former
4 Soviet Union and a handful of other countries had
an early jump in this game.
Today, the International Ice Hockey Feder-
ation has 63 national member federations. Some
of the countries with hockey programs and leagues
include the United Arab Emirates, Israel, South
Africa, Australia and Singapore. In the United
States, there is high level ice hockey played in
cities like Los Angeles, Tampa and Dallas.

The reason, of course, is rinks with artificial

ice. Only some ten years ago, ice hockey in some
of the places mentioned above was a good
joke. Not anymore. Rinks with artificial ice can be
built anywhere, even in the desert or south of the
equator.
The problems associated with building
artificial ice rinks could be summarized in these
two questions:
1. How do we start?
2. Isn’t it far too expensive?

In order to show communities all over the

planet that an ice rink is not one of the seventh
wonders of the world, the IIHF decided to put a
group of experts together to create a rink manual.
The goal of the manual is to help communities
and hockey enthusiasts to build ice rinks in their
neighbourhoods, at reasonable costs.
This manual targets ice hockey clubs with
an ambition to build a community rink, the deci-
sion makers within communities or municipalities,
and construction entrepreneurs.
As the President of the International
Ice Hockey Federation I am proud to present this
manual: ”Ever thought of building an ice rink?“
This is the first manual of its kind in regards to ice
rinks.

René Fasel
IIHF President

The rink – where skill is acquired.

 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF
New Arena Project

An ice rink brings joy to the entire

community
The excitement of gliding on a naturally
frozen surface has fascinated mankind since
pre-historical times and through the centuries. In
recent times, different ice sports, and particularly
ice hockey, were developed and enjoyed by more
and more men and women. 5
The development of refrigeration techno-
logies at the end of the 19th century has offered
many people the opportunity to skate on artificial
ice surfaces, even in the very centre of some cities!
Nowadays, through more advanced tech-
niques and better insulation materials, which
results in more efficient energy use, it is possible
for any country in the world to develop ice sports.
Our working group, appointed by the
International Ice Hockey Federation Council, was
composed of experts from six different countries • That building an ice rink is simply possible any-
and involved in various aspects of the development where in the world.
of ice sports. Contractors, engineers, sports facili- • How to successfully construct, manage, and
ties experts, administrators, operators, sportsmen operate an ice rink.
and media, all participated in the working group. • That building, maintaining and operating an ice
This manual has been prepared in order to rink is financially feasible, provided that the
help the different Federations affiliated with the technical concept has been carefully studied.
IIHF, or ready to be affiliated, to achieve simple
and cheap projects to build ice rinks. This will allow We sincerely hope that this manual will
them to develop a wider program to promote the give the reader some of the information necessary
world’s fastest team sport: ice hockey. to help understand the technical and financial
The goal is to provide the information and aspects of an ice rink. This will also show how the
explanations, which should be utilized by the interest of building a rink could be to the benefit
various groups who are involved or interested in of a wide range of users. Men and women of any
the different aspects of ice rink planning, con- age will be able to enjoy the fun of ice hockey and
struction, maintenance and operations. other ice sports.
An ice rink is a special building that has to
be studied with particular care. The project should Philippe Lacarrière
involve advice from experienced construction com- IIHF Arena Project Leader
panies and engineering firms. IIHF Council Member
The philosophy behind this project was to
inform how, and maybe inspire a community or
group to build an ice rink. This manual should also
help rink projects to avoid some common mis-
takes.
Through the description of an ice rink
prototype, which combines a good economic
figure with a standard architectural design and a
complete installation for social enjoyment, the
purpose of this manual is to show:
• That an ice rink will create a great social interest
for ice hockey and others ice sports within a
community. The rink is for everyone.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
You can build
an ice rink everywhere
Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction of the Manual /
IIHF Prototype
A covered ice rink is not an impossible
dream. How can it be? After all, there are over
2700 rinks in Canada alone! There are rinks in
countries and cities, which never have had snow
or ice.
6 This manual from the International Ice
Hockey Federation intends to show that building
an ice rink is possible anywhere in the world. The
basic element is enthusiasm and some entrepre-
neurship.
We want to target ice hockey clubs and
leisure organisations that have the ambition to
take their program to another level and show
them how to successfully construct, manage and
operate an ice rink. This manual also targets the
decision makers, politicians in the communities and
You can have an ice sheet in the desert in the
United Arab Emirates or, as on this picture, in sunny
California.
Prototype of an IIHF rink
municipalities and presents them with ideas how
to make building an ice rink financially feasible.
The local rink is far from only being a place
where you practise and play ice hockey. Special
social patterns can develop within the confines of
an ice rink, and there are many ”rink rats“ who
have spent long hours at the rink without ever
lacing a pair of skates. Parents who assist their
children, volunteers who sell hot dogs during a
weekend junior tournament or take a shift driving
the ice resurfacer.
By building an ice rink, more than just the
game of ice hockey prospers. In many communi-
ties, the ice rink has become the centre of social life
where many other activities can be performed. An
ice rink can also be used for figure skating, fairs, ex-
hibitions, minor conventions and coaching clinics. By
covering the ice sheet during off-season the arena
can be utilized for other indoor sports such as bas-
ketball, indoor soccer, handball and inline hockey.
There are several examples where an ice
rink has served as a boost for a whole community.
This manual wants to be the inspiration to start
looking and finding ways and solutions in order to
build a community rink.
In this manual we will introduce a prototype
that is not the cheapest possible solution to build
a small ice rink. The prototype is a product of a
marketing approach. It is a concept that offers
modern comfort to visitors, both active and pas-
sive, through modern ice rink construction tech-
niques. The rink should be an appealing place to
all potential visitors. It should be safe, comfortable
and give visitors the opportunity to enjoy their
stay, whether it’s on the ice, in the small but com-
fortable restaurant, in the stands or in the dressing
room. The rink should also be easy to maintain,
with low overhead and investment costs.
The writers of this manual feel that the
prototype reflects all these wishes. The aesthetic
design is the icing on the cake. We hope that you
will be as fascinated as we are about the concept.
1.2 Introduction to ice hockey
Ice hockey is a product of evolution stem-
ming from existing sports, coupled with geo-
graphical and cultural parameters. Further, it is a
team sport enjoyed by millions of players world-
wide and viewed by millions more. It has been
proclaimed the ”fastest team sport in the world“

and the object of the game, simply stated, is to
score more goals than your opponent does. The
fact that each team uses six players, including the
goaltender showcases individual skill within a team
concept, which ultimately provides a dynamic sport
experience that is unique from game to game.
While the exact origins of the game can be
debated, it is generally accepted that ice hockey
as is played today, took shape on Canada’s East
Coast between the mid to late 1800’s. A form of
bandy or ”Hurley on ice“ became logical for the
settlers to this new land when confronted with
the harsh winter conditions. Over time, local rules
were implemented and equipment, particularly
skates and the stick, were manufactured specifi-
cally for ice hockey. As popularity for the game
increased over time, the sport began to be ex-
ported to other countries, especially as travel itself
became easier. Many refinements regarding rules
and equipment were instituted around the turn of
the century but modifications still continue today
as ongoing efforts to improve the game both on
and off the ice persist.
The first recorded indoor ice hockey game
took place at Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal
way back in 1875. From those modest beginnings,
the game has transformed into a major modern
indoor sport. The impact of enclosed arenas to
the game is hard to overestimate. Technology has
The Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, Canada. The site of the first ever hockey game, March 3, 1875.
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
recently afforded the sport of ice hockey substan-
tial opportunities to expand globally. No longer a
function of climate, current facility construction
allows ice hockey and skating in general to now
be accommodated virtually anywhere in the world.
It might be significant to note that it has
been historically documented that a contained
covered rink contributed to a common community 7
spirit. This social type of gathering still plays an
important part of today’s society, enabling people
with similar interests to get together and cheer on
their local ice hockey teams for the purposes of
entertainment and civic pride. From an industry
perspective, an indoor arena provides a greater
potential to generate revenue because games can
be played year round, regardless of the weather.
Further, top class events can be planned with cer-
tainty, providing a guarantee of sorts to sponsors,
spectators and even media, including television.
With this in mind, it is not surprising that
the appeal of the game goes far beyond just the
participants. Ice hockey is an extremely popular
spectator sport, whether it is viewed in person
or via a television broadcast. Either way both men
and women of all ages enjoy the fast paced action
that is witnessed during a typical ice hockey match.
Aside from the general traits required to excel at
this sport, such as endurance, strength, balance
and good hand-eye coordination, players show-
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
case a variety of skills specific to the game itself.
This includes not only the ability to skate within
the context of the contact sport that hockey is,
but also to be able to stickhandle and shoot the
puck while in motion.
Because of the mass appeal, the game
lends itself to be marketable from a number of
8 perspectives. Corporations frequently benefit from
their association with this dynamic sport and
can brand its product or service via the game. The
demographics of ice hockey, despite variations
Chapter 1
from country to country, reveal that most arena
patrons are aware of advertising within the build-
ing, and typically have a higher than average
income. When mixed with an exciting product on
the ice, all parties stand to benefit.
Today, corporations go beyond the tradi-
tional static advertising as has been evident within
the rink and on the equipment of the players
themselves. In a sense they exhibit a form of
Modern professional ice hockey is played in 10 000 plus arenas. The action is fast-paced and the competition fierce.
Here, Canada plays Russia in the IIHF World Championship.
vertical integration, actually taking ownership of
the building and/or sport franchise in efforts to
generate a greater awareness of the company
and ultimately additional revenues. Similarly, in
North America, a trend has started with profes-
sional ice hockey teams building skating facilities
locally as a way to develop and nurture a grass-
roots core of players who become spectators and
purchasers of team merchandise. By entering the
rink ownership and operation business, the team
and any associated partners strive for long-term
growth in their local market.
Therefore, where traditionally a skating
facility was viewed primarily as part of the commu-
nity’s infrastructure, not unlike a park or a library,
today’s arena projects are examined in economic
terms with revenue and expense implications.
Naming rights, private boxes, concession, along
with innovative advertising opportunities are just
a few examples.

Social interest
of an ice rink
Chapter 2
2.1 Interest of the community
Ice sports come particularly close to the
ideal of “Sports for All”, a concept envisaging the
promotion of health, communication and quality
of life through sports. These sports stand for health
and enjoyment while being socially and recre-
ationally relevant to both sexes within a wide
age bracket. An arena gives opportunities for the
community to enjoy a great diversity of ice sports.
From skating to figure skating, to ice hockey,
standard and short-distance speed skating, the
range extends to curling and broomball, while
providing opportunities for everyone. An ice rink
always attracts crowds, whether it’s individuals,
schools or clubs, single athletes or teams. As long
as it is supported by diverse, well-organized utiliza-
tion programs and opening hours, an ice rink
encourages many people to identify with skating.
Schools and clubs are the entry-level motivators
generating an interest in skating beyond the level
of basic skills. From here, one development will
lead to recreational sports as a lifelong athletic
pastime, while another may take the enthusiast to
competitive sports in an ice hockey or skating club.
Ice rinks are attractive sports and recre-
ational facilities promoting health and social
activity as a key element of “quality of life”. Expe-
rienced physicians, responsible pedagogues and
social scientists, forward-looking communal politi-
cians, and all stakeholders in the world of sports
have underlined this.
The public interest in ice hockey, figure
skating, speed skating, curling and broomball that
has emerged in many countries has led to the
situation that ice sports today are no longer viewed
as a special or even exclusive kind of athletic
activity. However, all-weather facilities available
during 6-9 months of the year are usually in short
supply. Natural ice surfaces, with their dependence
on climatic conditions, are equally unsuitable for
continued, wide-scale recreational use as they
are for regular training, exciting competitions, or
charming figure skating events. Artificial ice rinks
have therefore become indispensable in today’s
increasingly sports-related recreational environ-
ment, whether to meet older people’s growing in-
terest in ice-skating, the steadily growing demand
for competition venues, or quite simply, spectator
requirements.
During the ice-free remainder of the year,
these facilities also become an ideal site for inline
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
9
Ice rinks are also attractive recreational facilities pro-
moting health and social activity in the community.
skating, and other indoor sports activities. So-
called dry-floor events such as exhibitions, meet-
ings, shows, music events and theatre are other
potential uses.
The possibility of year-round use is a neces-
sary and valuable condition, as it were, for con-
sidering the construction of such a facility. High
capacity utilization can warrant the investment
and the recurring annual operational costs.
2.2 Activity programs and services
Ice hockey
Of course, youth and adult hockey programs
will provide the greatest number of users of a facil-
ity. It is vital to the success of the rink to program as
many hours of usage as possible. Scheduling youth
programs to utilize as many early evening, and
weekend hours, as possible will leave late night
times to be filled with adult hockey programs.
A typical youth hockey program will occupy
weeknight ice from 5 PM to 10 PM, the majority
of Saturday ice from the early morning to the
evening, and most of the day and evening also on
Sunday. Depending upon the country or the time
of the year, youth hockey players may also be able
to skate during a weekday or on holidays.
As previously mentioned, rinks need to
maximize their ice usage. Adult hockey should
be scheduled to fill late night hours throughout
the week. It is not uncommon for adult hockey
leagues to begin at 9 PM, and have games ending
as late at 1AM. Sunday evenings, depending on
availability, are also common times for adult hockey.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
10 The rink is virtually never closed. Young hockey players arrive for
practise.
Another program that has gained promi-
Chapter 2
nence is recreational or open hockey. Ice time is
reserved and players register individually for each
session. Sessions are typically either one hour or
90 minutes in length. Scheduled times can vary
depending upon the community, but late Friday
and Saturday nights, weekday early morning or
”lunch time“ sessions and also Sunday mornings
have been found to be successful. It is also possible
to rent ice time to adult hockey groups, who may
fill odd hours at the facility. In any event, the pick-
up sessions should be scheduled to fill the less
desirable, or ”quiet hours“ in a facility.
Learn to Skate & Learn to Play Hockey programs
The Learn to Skate and Learn to Play
Hockey programs are the foundation of a success-
ful facility. In these programs, casual participants
can be turned into more serious customers that
return to the facility three to four times a week. If
children can demonstrate a minimum proficiency
on the ice, it becomes more enjoyable to return to
the rink and develop as athletes.
These types of program are very important
to keep skaters coming back to the rink. The Learn
to Skate and Play programs, targeting the 5 to
12 year old children, will constantly provide new
skaters for your more advanced programs.
Classes can also be offered to very young
children, ages 3 to 5 years old. These classes can
be offered during weekday mornings when the
older children are in school. Again, this provides
the rink another program to fill those ”quiet hours“
when the rink is under-utilised. These Learn to
Skate classes will also provide a feeder program
to your classes for the older children. Similar pro-
grams may be offered during the “quiet hours”
that target the adult or senior community.
An advantage of the Learn to Skate and Play
programs is that during each session, as many as
8 different classes, with approximately 10 children
Practise makes perfect.
in each class, can be put on the ice at the same
time. Each class may be 30 to 45 minutes in
length. This scheduling will allow the facility to
schedule 3 to 4 class sessions during a 2 hour time
period. The financial benefits of maximizing your
ice utilization can be substantial for the rink.
For these programs, one weekday afternoon
session and a Saturday morning or afternoon session
should be offered as a minimum. The weekday ses-
sion will serve as an after school activity, and could
be operated from 4 to 6 PM. Depending on the
community, this time frame could be very popular.
Saturday sessions provide the opportunity
for all family members to participate. Parents, and
even Grandparents, may have a better chance of
attending weekend sessions. This session should
be offered immediately before or after a public
skating session so that your customers may spend
more time at the facility.
Once a skater progresses through the Learn
to Skate and Learn to Play programs, they will
choose the sport that they will concentrate on,
either figure skating or hockey. It is important for
rinks to have a balance of both programs in order
to maximize the ice usage, and community partic-
ipation, at the facility. In a single sheet facility, it is
difficult to accommodate the needs of all the user
groups, but it is important to create an environ-
ment where all can participate.
Public skating
In many areas, especially those regions
where hockey is not part of the culture, public
skating sessions are important in operating a suc-
cessful ice facility. A public skating session is when
ice time is set aside so that any individual may, for
a fee, skate at the rink. A public skating session is
usually an inexpensive means to introducing cus-
tomers to your facility.
Public skating also allows the rink manage-
ment to introduce customers to other, structured

Public skating is an inexpensive means of introducing
customers to your facility.
programs that are offered at the facility. Use the
consumer’s general interest in skating to entice
them into more visits to the rink. Public skating
will allow your entire community to enter your
facility, and give you an audience to market to.
Most public skating sessions average two
hours in length. In many communities, weekend
evening sessions on Friday or Saturday nights have
become traditional. Starting at 7 PM or 8 PM and
lasting until 10 PM or 11 PM, both youth and adults
can skate and socialize. As an added feature, a
“theme night” program might be instituted. Rock
or Popular music Fridays may attract a crowd.
Weekend afternoon sessions are popular
with families. Parents are able to skate with their
children, or group outings and events can become
part of the facilities programming options. Many
facilities now offer Birthday party programs that
are connected to afternoon public skating sessions.
It is best to start weekend afternoon sessions at
12 pm or 1 PM and finish at 3 PM or 4 PM.
These are the suggested minimum public
skating times. Every area has a different need and
this should be evaluated continuously. There are
other public sessions that work quite well in some
regions, including:
✔ Early Sunday evenings. This session, from 6 PM
to 8 PM, could become a family, or ”end of the
weekend“ event.
✔ Weekday mornings. Make these sessions avail-
able for school groups, adult or senior citizen
groups.
✔ Weekday afternoons. An after school skate,
from 3 PM to 5 PM with music that caters to
the 10 to 14-year-old crowd.
✔ A weeknight session. This session, 7 PM to
9 PM, will work around your learn to skate
classes, and may help bring more adults to the
facility.
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
Figure skating
In a typical rink, figure skating programs fill
ice time that hockey programs cannot, or will not,
utilize. Early morning, mid- and late afternoon
hours have become standard for most figure
skaters. As an individual sport, it is easier to fill
these odd hours with 10 to 15 individuals, as
opposed to a team of 15 to 20 hockey players. 11
As figure skaters develop and become
more advanced, they spend more time on the ice.
It is common for advanced skaters to practice
Chapter 2
twice per day, 5 or 6 times each week.
A new figure skating activity, synchronized
team skating, is gaining prominence around the
world. This program should be received with open
arms by the rink industry. A synchronized skating
team can put 15 to 20 skaters on the ice for a
practice session, incorporating more skaters into a
program.
Figure skating clubs operate to take care of
the skaters coming out of the Learn to Skate pro-
gram. They can also take care of marketing and
promotion of figure skating programs and events
for the facility.
The serious skaters will not hesitate to
skate on weekday mornings before school, from
6 AM to 9 AM. If the demand is there, some
mornings can go longer or begin even earlier. The
rinks that can successfully fill these odd hours
with skating programs have a better chance for
success.
The advanced skater may begin as early as
1 PM during a weekday afternoon, depending
upon their school schedule. Otherwise, 3 PM to
6 or 7 PM, several days each week should be
made available for the figure skating programs.
Some nights go longer and some nights may end
Percentage of weekly
ice usage
 Figure Skating 23 hrs
 Learn to Skate 8 hrs
 Learn to Play 2 hrs
 Pickup Hockey 4 hrs
 Youth Hockey 30 hrs
 Adult Hockey 18 hrs
 Public Skating 30 hrs
 Private Rental 17 hrs
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

at 5 PM. It is also important to schedule your
figure skating afternoons around the Learn to
Skate and Learn to Play programs. This way, the
beginner skaters can view the more advanced
programs, and understand the next level of
participation at your facility.
12 Other ice sports
There are other ice sports that may or may
not fit with a particular facility or community.
Speed skating, curling and Broomball are three
Chapter 2
School field trips can be very popular. The
rink may create relationships where schools may
bring large groups to the facility during the facili-
ties “quiet hours” throughout the school day. The
rink is selling ice time that it may normally not be
used, and it provides the rink with an opportunity
to market their programs to potential participants.
In a similar manner to school groups, com-
panies and other community organisations such
as youth organisations and church groups may
also be interested in skating at the rink. It is impor-

activities that may complement a rink by filling tant for the rink management to seek out as many
”quiet hours“ in the facility. of these opportunities as possible. Private birthday
parties, as explained in the public skating section,
Community programs are becoming more popular events as well.
It is important to bring as many members
of the community to the facility as possible. With
this in mind, there are several programs which rink
management can use to bring the public to the
rink.

Sample weekly schedule

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
6 AM Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
7 AM Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
8 AM Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Figure Skating Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
9 AM Private Rental Adult Public Skate Private Rental Adult Public Skate Private Rental Learn to Skate Youth Hockey
10 AM Private Rental Adult Public Skate Learn to Skate Adult Public Skate Private Rental Learn to Skate Figure Skating
11 AM Private Rental Adult Public Skate Learn to Skate Adult Public Skate Private Rental Learn to Play Figure Skating
12 PM Public Skating Public Skating Pickup Hockey Public Skating Pickup Hockey Public Skating Public Skating
1 PM Public Skating Public Skating Pickup Hockey Public Skating Pickup Hockey Public Skating Public Skating
2 PM Private Rental Private Rental Adult Learn to Skate Private Rental Public Skating Public Skating
3 PM Private Rental Learn to Skate Private Rental Private Rental Public Skating Public Skating
4 PM Figure Skating Learn to Skate Figure Skating Figure Skating Public Skating Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
5 PM Figure Skating Learn to Play Figure Skating Figure Skating Public Skating Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
6 PM Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Learn to Skate Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
7 PM Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Public Skating Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Youth Hockey
8 PM Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Public Skating Youth Hockey Public Skating Public Skating Adult Hockey
9 PM Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Youth Hockey Public Skating Public Skating Adult Hockey
10 PM Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Public Skating Public Skating Adult Hockey
11 PM Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey
12 AM Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Adult Hockey Private Rental Private Rental
1 AM Private Rental Private Rental
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

2.3 Ice rinks throughout the world

Australia.......................... 20 Latvia ................................ 4

Austria ............................ 24 Lithuania ........................... 2

Belarus ............................ 10 Luxembourg...................... 1

13
Belgium ........................... 12 Mexico ............................ 12

Bulgaria............................. 3 Namibia ............................ 2

Chapter 2
Canada ....................... 2703 Netherlands .................... 20

China .............................. 15 New Zealand..................... 6

Chinese Taipei ................... 1 Norway ........................... 29

Croatia .............................. 2 Poland............................. 20

Czech Republic .............. 112 Portugal ............................ 1

Denmark ......................... 17 Romania............................ 4

DPR Korea......................... 2 Russia ............................ 84*

Estonia .............................. 3 Slovakia........................... 40

Finland .......................... 202 Slovenia ............................ 7

France ........................... 128 South Africa ...................... 6

Germany ....................... 149 Spain................................. 9

Great Britain.................... 58 Sweden......................... 285

Greece .............................. 2 Switzerland ..................... 82

Hong Kong ....................... 3 Thailand ............................ 1

Hungary ............................ 4 Turkey ............................... 5

Iceland .............................. 2 Ukraine ............................. 7

Israel ................................. 4 United Arab Emirates......... 3

Italy................................. 49 USA ............................ 2500

Japan .............................. 57 Yugoslavia......................... 2

Kazakstan.......................... 5
* Apart from the 84 indoor rinks, Russia also has
Korea .............................. 15 951 outdoor rinks.
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Technical guidelines
of an ice rink
Chapter 3
3.1 General introduction
Ice rink facilities share all the same con-
cerns: energy usage, operating costs and indoor
climate. Ice rink design and operation are totally
unique and differ in many ways from standard
buildings. Thermal conditions vary from -5 ºC on
the ice surface to +10 ºC in the stand and +20 ºC
in the public areas like dressing rooms and offices.
High humidity of indoor air will bring on corroding
problems with steel structures, decay in wooden
structures and indoor air quality problems like
fungi and mould growth etc. Obviously there are
special needs to have technical building services
to control the indoor climate and energy use of an
ice-rink facility. Advanced technology can reduce
energy consumption by even 50 % and thus de-
crease operating costs in existing and proposed
ice rink facilities while improving the indoor climate.
Energy costs and concern about the envi-
ronment sets high demands for the technical
solutions, without effective solutions the opera-
tional (energy, maintenance, replacement) costs
will increase and short service life time of such a
system is expected from the environmental point
of view. Potentially a lot of savings can be made if
the facilities are got operating as energy-efficiently
as possible. This will require investment in energy-
saving technology and in raising energy awareness
on the part of ice rink operators.
The basic technical elements of a well-working
facility are:
• Insulated walls and ceiling
• Efficient refrigeration plant
• Mechanical ventilation
• Efficient heating system
• Air dehumidification
1) Insulated walls and ceiling makes it possible
to control the indoor climate regardless of
the outdoor climate. In an open-air rink the
operation is conditional on the weather (sun,
rain, wind) and the running costs are high.
Depending of the surroundings there might
also be noise problems with the open-air rink –
traffic noise may trouble the training or the
slamming of the pucks against the boards may
cause noise nuisance to the neighbourhood.
Ceiling only construction helps to handle with
sun and rain problems but may bring about
maintenance problems in the form of ”indoor
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
rain“: humid air will condensate on the cold
inner surface of the ceiling and the dripping
starts. The ceiling is cold because of the radiant
heat transfer between the ice and the ceiling i.e.
the ice cools down the inner surface of the ceil-
ing. Though there are technical solutions to mini-
mize the indoor rain problem (low emissive coat-
ings) the ceiling only solution is still subjected 15
to weather conditions and high running costs.
2) The refrigeration plant is needed to make
Chapter 3
and maintain ice on the rink. Refrigeration
plant includes the compressor(s), the condens-
er(s), the evaporator(s), and rink pipes. The heat
from the rink is ”sucked“ by the compressor via
the rink pipes and the evaporator and then
released to the surrounding via the condenser.
The heat from the condenser can be used to
heat the ice rink facility and thus save consider-
ably energy and money. Refrigeration plant is
the main energy consumer in the ice rink facil-
ity. Compressors, pumps and fans needed in
the refrigeration system are normally run by
electricity and their electricity use may cover
over 50 % of the total electricity use of an ice
rink facility.
3) Mechanical ventilation is necessary to be
able to control the indoor air quality and
thermal as well as humidity conditions in-
side the ice rink. Ventilation is needed both in
the public spaces (dressing rooms, cafeteria,
etc.) and in the hall. If you ever have visited a
dressing room when the ventilation is off you
will realize the necessity of the proper ventila-
tion; the stink of the outfit of the hockey players
is unthinkable. Inadequate ventilation will cause
also health problems in the hall. To be energy-
efficient air renewal must be well controlled.
This means that the ice rink enclosure should
be airtight so that there are no uncontrollable
air infiltration through openings (doors etc.)
and roof-to-wall joints. Air infiltration will in-
crease energy consumption during the warm
and humid seasons related to refrigeration and
dehumidification and during the cold seasons
this is associated with space heating. This leads
us to the fourth basic demand: the ice rink
facility must be heated. Unheated ice rink is
freezing cold even in warm climates and
humidity control of the air becomes difficult.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Cooling coil

Rink piping

Coolant
pump
Heat recovery Energy consumption is in the key role when
speaking of the life cycle costs and above all the
environmental load of the facility during its life
cycle. The key to the effective utilization of the
Refrigeration Liquid energy resources in new as well as in retrofit and
unit pump
refurbishment projects is in the consciousness of
Figure 1. Refrigeration plant, indirect cooling system. the energy-sinks and the various parameters affect-
16 ing the energy consumption.
The construction, plant system and opera-
tion define the energy consumption of an ice rink.
4) Ventilation offers also a means to heat the ice The construction characteristics are the heat and
Chapter 3

rink. Heating the ice rink with air necessitates
the use of re-circulated air and that the venti-
lation unit is equipped with heating coil(s).
Remarkable energy-savings can be achieved
when using waste heat of the refrigeration
process to warm up the air.
5) The dehumidification plant is needed in well-
working facility to dry the rink air. Excess mois-
ture in indoor air will cause corrosion of metal
structures, rotting of wooden structures, fungi
and mould growth, increased energy consump-
tion and ice quality problems.
moisture transfer properties of the roof and walls,
as well as air infiltration through cracks and open-
ings in the building envelope. The structure of the
floor is also important from the energy point of
view. Plant characteristics include the refrigeration,
ventilation, dehumidification, heating, lighting and
ice maintenance systems. The operational charac-
teristics are the length of the skating season, air
temperature and humidity, ice temperature, supply
air temperature and fresh air intake of the air-han-
dling unit as well as the control- and adjustment
parameters of the appliances. Figure 3 shows the
energy spectrums of typical training rinks and
figure 4 illustrates the energy flows of a typical
small ice rink.

Insulated exterior envelope Heating

• Enables to build an ice rink anywhere in • Maintains acceptable thermal
the world conditions
• Air tight envelope to avoid moisture • Use heat recovered from the
problems refrigeration plant (condenser heat)
as much as possible

Mechanical ventilation Dehumidification Refrigeration plant

• Provides good indoor
air conditions
• Demand-controlled ventilation
saves money and energy
• Dehumidification prevents moisture
problems (fog, soft ice, damages to
the building)
• Dry ventilation air before entering the
building
• Needed to make and maintain ice
• Pay attention to the energy
efficiency of the plant (high COP)

Figure 2. The construction, plant system and operation define energy consumption of an ice rink.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Electricity Heat

 Compressor 47%
 Brine pumps & condenser fans 14% 17
 Ice-surface lighting 12%
 Lighting 2%
 HVAC appliances (pumps, fans, controllers, etc.) 9%

Chapter 3
 Other consumption  Space heating 67%
 (cafe, cleaning, outdoor lights, etc.) 12%  Warm water 17%
 Dehumidification 4%  Melting the snow 16%
Figure 3. Main electricity and heat consumption components of a typical training facility.

In an ideal situation the heating demand of
the ice rink is totally covered with recovered heat
from the refrigeration process. In practice extra
heat is still needed to cover the needs of hot tap
water and heating peaks. Moreover a backup
heating system is needed to meet the heating
demands when the compressors are not running
for example during dry floor events (concerts,
shows, meetings, etc.).

Electricity
Energy losses
900 MWh
600 MWh

Heat 200 MWh

Cooling energy
Recovered 1300 MWh
heat 800 MWh

Surplus heat
1000 MWh

Figure 4. While producing cold, the ”ice plant“ provides heat that can be utilized in space heating and hot
water production. Still there is a great deal of extra heat that could be made good use of for example in a
nearby indoor swimming pool.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
3.2 Sizing the ice rinks
There are several ways to classify ice sport
venues and in this manual the definition will be
done on the basis of fixed seating capacity, size of
the food service supply and multi-purpose possi-
bilities.
18 There fore the sizing of the ice sport venues are
divided into three categories as follow:
• Small ice rinks with seating capacity up to 2000
• Medium size ice arenas between 2000 and
Chapter 3
6000 seats with some multi-purpose features
• Modern multi-purpose ice arenas with over
6000 fixed seats with a wide scale catering offer
and many possibilities for multi-purpose use
Small ice rinks can be done without any
fixed seating or any foodservice capability, although
the modern small ice rinks are without exception
also concentrating on getting additional revenues
through special hospitality programs.
Figure 5. Small ice rink, capacity less than 2000 seats.
Figure 6. Multi-purpose arena, capacity over 8000 seats.
It is strongly than recommended that the
first studies for a new ice rink will be done on a so
called modular base, which allows in later years
possibilities for optional enlargements. These later
modifications could be like an additional ice pad,
enlarged spectator stand or a restaurant.
In order to make the optional features pos-
sible for later realization, the designer team should
take into consideration some technical features like:
• Sizing of refrigeration unit
• Main structural support system, where for ex-
ample the columns and foundations on one side
of the building are from beginning planned to
take later on extra load from additional structures
• Envelope structure, like external walls, should
be at least partly removable
In this manual we are only concentrating
on a small ice rink by defining an IIHF prototype
ice rink with about 500 fixed seating and a small
restaurant.
3.3 IIHF prototype definition
Minimum required space, IIHF prototype ice
rink
In a small ice rink there is a minimum space
needed for following use:
• at least one standard IIHF ice pad, size of 30 m x
60 m surrounded by a dasher board and glass
protection with 1,5 m minimum space outside
of the dasher board
• four dressing rooms incl. toilets, showers and
lockers for personal items
• two coach rooms
• referees and linesmen dressing room incl. toilet
and shower
• two drying rooms
• entrance hall, ticketing
• medical room
• equipment service room (skate sharpening, stick
storage etc.)
• storage space
• technical room for mechanical and electrical
system
• tribune for 500 spectators
• public toilets
• small restaurant
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Required minimum space for each type of room in a IIHF prototype ice rink:

Room Surface area Typical surface texture

nett Flooring (water proof)* Ceiling Wall finishing
Main hall - Dasher board with surrounding 2100 m2 Painted concrete slab Metal sheet of roofing Outside walls, painted
Small restaurant 132 m2 wooden surfacing Wood lining Painted brick walls or concrete
Players dressing room (4 x) 30 m2 8 mm rubber surfacing * Wood lining Painted brick walls or concrete
Referees and lines-men room 18 m2 8 mm rubber surfacing * Wood lining Painted brick walls or concrete
Drying room (2 x) 4 m2 Painted concrete slab Concrete (underneath) Painted brick walls or concrete
Medical room 15 m2
8 mm rubber surfacing * Plasterboard Painted brick walls or concrete 19
Equipment service room 8 m2 Painted concrete slab Concrete (underneath) Painted brick walls or concrete
Technical room 50 m2 Painted concrete slab * Metal sheet of roofing Plasterboard
Ice resurfacing machine 50 m2 Painted concrete slab * Metal sheet of roofing Painted brick walls or concrete
2
Coat-rack for public ice skating 20 m 2 mm plastic surfacing Metal sheet of roofing Plasterboard

Chapter 3
Dressing rooms for public ice skating (2 x) 10 m2 8 mm rubber surfacing * Wood lining Painted brick walls or concrete
Entrance hall, ticketing 70 m2 ceramic tile floor Plasterboard Plasterboard
Office 20 m2 2 mm plastic surfacing Plasterboard Plasterboard

This requires a total building surface area of 3700 m2.

3.4 Materials and structural systems

for an ice rink
First of all, most important to know about
ice rinks and ice arenas are to understand their
different features compare to any other kind of
buildings. These special features are due to: Mast-supported grid Rigid frame
• High inside temperature differences in same
indoor climate from -4 °C to +24 °C, where at
the same time these internal climate zones must
be controlled and stay stable
• Differences in indoor climate also cause humidity
problems that must be under control
• Air tightness is more important feature of the Arched frame Mast-supported grid
building envelope than thermal insulation
• Large glazing of the facade should be avoided
due to energy costs by operating the facility and
the most optimised ice rink could be done by a
fully closed casing

However, like in all other kind of buildings,

Arched girder Cable supporter
there are structural possibilities for almost all kinds
of systems with numerous materials. Main struc- Figure 7. Structural systems.
tural systems used for the ice rinks and arenas are
normally:
• Arched girders
• Grids with mast columns
• Frameworks
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
Below you will find existing examples of
small rinks with these different roof structures.
Hartwall Jaffa Arena Training Rink
Eura, Finland
20 Facts
• Building year: 2000
• Building area: 2520 m2 (70 x 26 m)
• Ice pad size: 58 x 28 m
Chapter 3
• Seats: 400
• Skating season: 8 months (August–March)
• Ice charge: 44–72 €/hour
• Personnel: 2
• Heating consumption: 710 MWh/year
• Electricity consumption: 710 MWh/year
• Water consumption: 2200 m3/year
Layout
The layout of the rink is simple, the stand
and the players boxes are on the opposite sides of
the rink, four dressing rooms are at the end of the
hall. On top of the dressing rooms there are office
rooms, lecture room and cafeteria. The space under
the spectator seat is used as storage. Technical
room is placed in a separate container outside of
the rink.
Structures
The rigid frame structure of the rink is
made of glue laminated timber. The roofing and
the walls are made of polyurethane elements. To
improve the energy efficiency of the rink the air
tight polyurethane elements are equipped with
low emissivity coating laminated on the indoor
surface of the elements. The elements have also
acoustic dressing which improves the acoustic
atmosphere of the rink. The facades are made of
bricks and profiled metal sheets.

Training Rink
Hämeenkyrö, Finland
Facts
• Building year: 1997
• Building area: 2590 m2 (68 x 38 m)
• Ice pad size: 58 x 28 m
• Seats: 600
• Skating season: 8.5 months
• Ice charge: 59–104 € / hour
• Personnel: 1–2
• Heating consumption: 395 MWh/year
• Electricity consumption: 490 MWh year
• Water consumption: 1100 m3/year
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
21
Chapter 3
Layout
The four dressing rooms with showers are
under the seat along the long side of the hall. At
the other end of the hall there is a cafeteria and a
training room.
Structures
The arched girder structure of the rink is
made of glue laminated timber. The roofing and
the walls are made of polyurethane elements. To
improve the energy efficiency of the rink the air
tight polyurethane elements are equipped with
low emissivity coating laminated on the indoor
surface of the elements. The elements have also
acoustic dressing which improves the acoustic at-
mosphere of the rink. The facades are made of
profiled metal sheets, clapboard and lime bricks.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Monrepos Arena Training Rink

Savonlinna, Finland

Facts
• Building year: 1999
• Building area: 2420 m2 (67 x 36 m)
• Ice pad size: 58 x 28 m
22 • Seats: 400

• Skating season: 12 months

• Ice charge: – summer 59– 83 € / hour
Chapter 3

– other time 38–73 € / hour

• Personnel: 3
• Heating consumption: 760 MWh/year
(76 m3 oil)
• Electricity consumption: 720 MWh/year
• Water consumption: 3500 m3/year
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Layout 3.4.1 Structural system as used in the

Four of the six dressing rooms with showers
are under the seat along the long side of the hall
and the other two dressing rooms at the end of
the hall. On top of these two dressing rooms there
are office rooms, lecture room, cafeteria, TV stand
and air conditioner. Technical room (refrigeration
unit) is placed in a separate container outside of
the rink.
Structures
The mast-supported grid constructure of
the rink is made of glue laminated timber. The
roofing and the walls are made of polyurethane
elements. To improve the energy efficiency of
the rink the air tight polyurethane elements are
equipped with low emissivity coating laminated
on the indoor surface of the elements. The ele-
ments have also acoustic dressing which improves
the acoustic atmosphere of the rink. The facades
IIHF prototype
The roof structure consists of steel trusses
supported each by two concrete columns. At
support points the bottom boom of the truss bears
on an elastomeric bearing pad bolted to the sup-
porting concrete column. The whole roof structure
of steel (see roofing 3.3.2) is floating on top of the
concrete framework. The concrete columns are
mounted ridged to the concrete foundations.
Regarding to the region of the planned
new ice rink, the horizontal loads of the roof
structure, like snow are highly affecting when
choosing the most economical structural system.
If the snow loads are not remarkable, the steel
trusses could easily cost efficiently be spanned
over the spectator stand and the dashed board, 23
using the span length like 40 to 45 meters and
concrete column raster of 6 to 8 meters. A mini-
mum free space between the ice surface and the

are made of profiled metal sheets.
In this manual we will concentrate on a
structural system of a grid supported by columns
and the materials for this structural system can be
divided into four main categories:
• Steel structures
• Wood structures
• Reinforced concrete structures
• Mix material structures of steel, wood and/or
concrete
Chapter 3
bottom of steel trusses should be at least 6 meters.
In order to avoid serious problems with
humidity, like corrosion etc. the mechanical and
electrical plant must be equipped with a dehu-
midification system.
3.4.2 Envelope, roofing
The main function of an ice rink envelope
is air tightness and not particularly thermal insula-
tion. The envelope structure can be done most effi-
ciently to fulfil only that one main characteristic.

Materials and structural system

Steel support Wood support Reinforced concrete Mix material
combinations
+ long span length + long span length + global availability
+ global availability + non corroding + non corroding + long span length
+ pre-fab system + pre-fab system + pre-fab system + fire protection
+ cost + fire protection + fire protection + pre-fab system
- corroding - global availability - cost + cost
- fire protection - cost - beam span length - corroding
- maintenance - maintenance - acoustic feature - decaying
- decaying - flexibility in use - cost
- maintenance
Figure 5. Material features of main supporters.

If the idea of a modular system is found Most used roofing structures consist of following
possible and reasonable, the best flexibility in use layers:
with either steel or wood frame structures. How- • Profiled, load bearing steels sheets
ever through careful and skilled engineering the • Vapour barrier
later changes of the supporting structure are also • Thermal insulation (10 cm to 15 cm rock wool)
possible with all other materials and systems. • Water insulation
In the design phase all structural capabili-
ties of the building for later enlargement should Cladding, external
be defined in combination with the size of the metal sheet
plot, traffic situation and possible changes in the
Thermal insulation
surrounding.
By becoming aware of the special features
of an ice rink, there are several possibilities to Vapour barrier
optimise the ice rink construction costs that will
Load bearing metal sheet
also lower the later operational costs.
Figure 6. Typical roof structure.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
3.4.3 Envelope, walls
The outside wall structure of an ice rink is
commonly also based on the idea of air tightness
and the simplest walling is done by using different
metal sheet panels. These panels are simple, pre-
fabricated sandwich elements, that have inside
a core of thermal insulation of rock wool or
24 polyurethane and both sides covered with metal
sheets.
These panels also allow later changes of
the envelope very easily and with rather low addi-
Chapter 3
tional costs.
These metal sheet panels are delivered
with a long range of length up to 8 meters each,
in large scale of different colours and surface
treatment. A harmful aspect by using these metal
sheet panels is a rather poor resistance against
mechanical exertion like hits of the hockey pucks
inside or vandalism.
Therefore it is recommended to use in a
lower partition of outside wall sandwich elements
of concrete and replace them over 2.5 meter
height with metal sheet panels.
metal sheet panel
prefab concrete sandwich concrete unit
Figure 8. Typical wall structure.
3.4.4 Ice pad structure
Perhaps the most special structure in an ice
rink is the ice pad. The ice pad consists of ground
layers below the pad, thermal insulation, piping
and pad itself. New technologies have made pos-
sible the use of new materials and technical solu-
tions in these structures, where at the same time
the energy efficiency and construction costs could
be optimised.
The most common surfacing materials is:
• Concrete
However sand surface is cheapest and fairly
energy economical because of the good heat
transfer characteristics but the usability is limited
to ice sports. Asphalt surfaces are suitable for
some special needs, for example in the case that
the facility is used for tennis off the ice sport
season. Asphalt is cheaper than concrete but the
refrigeration energy requirement is higher.
100 mm Ice
30 mm
30 mm
Concrete
120 mm
Cooling pipes
Insulation
100 mm
Heating pipes
for ground Gravel fill
frost protec- 500 mm
tion
500 mm Foundation soil
500 mm
Figure 9. Typical ice pad construction.
Rink pipe material (plastic/metal) and space
sizing are questions of optimisation of investments
vs. energy. The cooling pipes are mounted quite
near the surface, in a concrete slab the mounting
depth is normally 20–30 mm and the mounting
space between the pipes is 75–125 mm. The rink
pipes are connected to the distribution and col-
lection mains, which are laid along the rink short
or long side outside the rink. Rink pipes are laid in
U-shape and they are mounted to the surfacing
layer by simply binding the pipes directly to the
concrete reinforcement or to special rails.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

U-shaped rink piping

U-shaped rink piping

Distribution and collection

mains along the short side Distribution and collection
mains along the long side

Figure 10. Collectors along the short side of the ice rink. Figure 11. Collectors along the long side of the ice rink.
25

3.5.1 Refrigeration plant

Figure 12. Plastic rink piping connections to the distri-
bution and the collection mains (thermally insulated).
3.5 Mechanical and electrical plant
The effective utilization of the energy re-
sources has become an important aspect in the
design of new facilities. There are many different
energy conservation measures that can be incor-
porated in the planning stage. In planning the
hardware configuration and construction of an
ice rink, it is important to consider the types of
activities, special requirements and interest of the
various user groups in question. Table 1 summarise
the main indoor air design values, which can
be used in designing technical building services. It
is important to set these values already in the
pre-design stage in order to control the demands.
Chapter 3
Refrigeration plant is fundamental to the
ice-rink facility. Much used, but true, phrase is that
the refrigeration unit is the heart of the ice rink.
Almost all of the energy-flows are connected to
the refrigeration process in one way or another. It
is quite normal that the electricity consumption of
the refrigeration system accounts for over 50 % of
the total electricity consumption and the heat loss
of the ice can be over 60 % of the total heating
demand of an ice rink.
In the design stage, when choosing the re-
frigeration unit one has to consider the econom-
ics, energy usage, environment, operation, main-
tenance and safety.
The design of the refrigeration plant can be
either so-called direct or indirect system. In a direct
system the rink piping works as the evaporator,
whereas an indirect system is comprised of sepa-
rate evaporator (heat exchanger) and the ice pad
is indirectly cooled by special coolant in closed
circulation loop. The energy efficiency of the direct
system is in general better than the efficiency of
the indirect system. On the other hand the first
cost of the direct system is higher than that of the
indirect system. Moreover indirect systems can’t
be used with for example ammonia in several
countries because of health risks in the case of
refrigerant leaks. Table 2 summarises the advan-
tages and disadvantages of the different systems.

Action Air temperature of Ice temperature, ºC Max. relative humidity Min. fresh air intake
the rink space ºC of the rink space (%) l/s/occupant
Rink (at 1.5 m Tribune
height) (operative)
Hockey
- game +6 +10.+15 -5 70 4...8 / spectator
- training +6 +6. +15 -3 70 12 / player
Figure
- competition +12 +10.+15 -4 70 4...8 / spectator
- training +6 +6. +15 -3 70 12 / skater
Other +18 +18 - - 8 / person
Indoor air design values for small ice rink (rink space).
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Direct system Indirect system

+ Energy efficiency + Use of factory made refrigeration units
+ Simple + Small refrigerant filling (environmentally positive)
+ Suitable to any refrigerant
- Not possible with certain refrigerants (ammonia) - Lower energy efficiency than with direct system
- Installation costs
- Need of professional skills in design and in installing
Features of direct and indirect refrigeration plant.
26

In most cases the refrigeration plant com- When estimating the energy economy of
Chapter 3

prises the refrigerant circuit refrigerates an indirect the system it is essential to focus on the entire
system i.e. the floor by a closed brine circuit rather system and not only on one component alone.
than directly. The refrigerant used in the compres- The refrigeration plant is an integral part of the ice
sor loop should be environmentally accepted, for rink, Figure 12.
example natural substances like ammonia (NH3)
and carbon dioxide (CO2) or HFC refrigerants such Design and dimensioning aspects
as R134a, R404A and R407A. The tendency is to The refrigeration plant is dimensioned ac-
favour in natural substances of HFCs. In choosing cording to cooling load and the required evapora-
the refrigerant the country-specific regulations must tion and condenser temperatures. For a standard
be taken into account. The operational aspect is single ice rink approximately 300–350 kW of refrig-
to equip the compressor with reasonable automa- eration capacity is adequate.
tion, which enables demand-controlled running The refrigeration capacity is normally sized
of the system. In addition, the safety factors should according to the heat loads during the ice making
be incorporated in the design of the machine process. The dimensioning cooling load during
room. the freezing period is comprised of the following
From the energy point of view it is a matter components:
of course that the compressor unit should be as • Cooling the ice pad construction down to the
efficient as possible, not only in the design point operating temperature in required time. Needed
but also under part-load conditions. cooling capacity depends on the temperature of
the structures at the beginning of the freezing and
the required freezing time (normally 48 hours).
• Cooling the temperature of the flooded water
Indoor climate to the freezing temperature (0 ºC) and then
• air temperature
• ceiling temperature and material
freezing the water to form the ice and to cool
• air humidity the temperature of the ice to the operating tem-
• ice temperature perature. The freezing capacity depends on the
temperature of the water, the operating tem-
Automation QCO perature of the ice and the required freezing
Condenser time (48 hours).
Compressor QEL
• Heat radiation between the rink surface and the
Evaporator
surrounding surfaces. Cooling capacity depends
on the surface temperatures during the freezing
QEV
period.
Pad structure Refrigeration unit
• ice thickness • evaporating and condensing • Convective heat load between the rink surface
• slab thickness and thermal temperatures and the air. Cooling capacity depends on the air
properties • efficiency
• pipe material and sizing • compressor type
and rink surface temperatures both the air
• cooling liquid properties • sizing stream velocity along the rink surface during the
• frost insulation • refrigerant freezing period.
• frost protection heating
• Latent heat of the condensing water vapour
Figure 12. Refrigeration unit and related energy flows. from the air to the rink surface. Cooling capacity
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

depends on the air humidity (water vapour pres-

sure) and the surface temperature of the rink
during the freezing period.
• Radiation heat load on rink surface during the
freezing period (lights etc.).
• Pump-work of the coolant pump.

27
3.5.1.1 Refrigeration unit
Refrigeration unit is comprised of many
components: compressor(s), evaporator, condenser,

Chapter 3
and expansion valve and control system.
The function of the compressor is to keep
the pressure and temperature in the evaporator
low enough for the liquid refrigerant to boil off
at a temperature below that of the medium sur-
rounding the evaporator so that heat is absorbed. Figure 13. Two screw compressors.
In the compressor the vapour is raised to high
pressure and high enough temperature to be
above that of the cooling medium so that heat
can be rejected in the condenser. After the con-
densation the liquid refrigerant is throttled in the
expansion valve back to the pressure of the evap-
orator. In other words the compressor ”pumps“

Outdoor cooling coil

Ventilation unit

Refrigeration unit

Ice pad Evaporator

Condenser

Floor heater

Cooling pipes
Compressor
cooling

Dehumidification

Hot water storage

Ground frost protection

Figure 14. Refrigeration plant with heat recovery: preheating of hot water, floor heating and air heating.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
heat from the rink to the surroundings, which is
similar process to a normal fridge.
There are different types of refrigeration
compressors on the market of which recipro-
cating compressors and screw compressors are
the most common types. In most cases the com-
pressors are electric driven. The refrigeration unit
28 consists normally of at least 2 compressors to
guarantee flexible and economical use of the unit.
Chapter 3
3.5.1.2 Ice pad
Another interesting aspect in the energy-
chain is the heat resistance between the ice and
the brine, which has effect on the energy con-
sumption. The underlying energy-thinking in the
heat resistance is, the bigger the resistance is the
lower the brine and evaporation temperature of
the compressor should be in order to produce the
same cooling effect as with smaller resistance. The
lower the evaporation temperature is the bigger
the power need of the compressor. Heat resist-
ance consists of five different parameters: (1) the
so-called surface resistance of the ice surface,
which is a combination of ceiling radiation and
convection as discussed earlier. (2) Heat resistance
of the ice, mainly dependent on the ice thickness.
(3) Likewise the ice, the concrete slab or any other
surfacing material constitutes heat resistance
based on the thickness of the layer and the
heat conductivity of the material involved. (4) Pipe
material and pipe spacing in the floor. (5) Surface
resistance between the pipe and fluid.
The function of secondary coolants is to
transfer heat from the rink to the evaporator in
the refrigeration unit. The profile of the perfect
coolant would be: environmentally friendly, non-
toxic, low pumping costs, high efficiency (good
heat transfer characteristics), and non-corrosive,
Secondary coolant
Glycols
• Ethylene glycol
• Propylene glycol
Salts
• calcium chloride (CaCl2)
Formats
• Potassium formats
• Potassium acetates
Secondary coolants.
cheap and practical. Quite a variety of coolants
are in use, table 2 summarize the most common
of them.
In the construction of the ice pad the
ground frost insulation and in some cases ground
heating is necessary (condenser waste-heat can
be used for heating). Ground frost will build up
also in warm climates where frost normally is not
a problem. If the ground is frost-susceptible and
the frost may cause uneven frost heave of the ice
pad. The pad will be damaged by the frost and
frost heave makes it more difficult to maintain the
ice and will impede the utilisation of the facility
to other sports (tennis, basketball) over the ice-
free period. Moreover, un-insulated pad increases
energy consumption of the refrigeration.
3.5.2 Air conditioning
It is highly recommended to use mechanical
ventilation in ice rink facilities to ensure healthy
and safe indoor air conditions. The air-handling
unit(s) provides fresh air to the ice rink and other
premises and it is also used for heating purposes
and even to dehumidify the ice rink air. Fresh air
intake is necessary to maintain good air quality.
Air quality is affected by the emissions of the
people, the building materials and the ice resur-
facer especially when the resurfacer is run by com-
bustion engine (gas or gasoline).
The building is divided into two thermal
zones: the ice rink and the public areas. The sim-
plest and safe way is to equip the facility with two
ventilation units, one for the rink area and one for
the public areas.
The energy-saving factor in ventilation can
be found in the demand-controlled fresh-air intake
and in optimising the airflow rates according to
the needs for minimizing the fan power.
Remarks
High pumping costs, low efficiency, easy to handle
Low pumping costs, high efficiency, unpractical
Low pumping costs, high efficiency, corrosive, expensive
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Damper Fan Filter

Ice Rink

T = + 10°C
 = + 60%
CO2 = 1000 ppm

29

Chapter 3
Damper Filter Cooling/ Heat recovery Heating Fan
dehumidification coil coil
coil

Figure 15. Schematic diagram of an ice rink air-conditioning system with dehumidification and heat recovery coils.

3.5.3 Dehumidification Ice rink air Maximum relative air

The moisture loads are due to the occu- temperature, °C humidity, %
5 90
pants (skaters, audience), outdoor air moisture, 10 80
evaporating floodwater of the ice resurfacing and 15 70
combustion driven ice resurfacer. The biggest 20 60
moisture load is the water content of the outdoor Air temperature and humidity criteria to avoid fog.
air which enters the ice rink through ventilation
and as uncontrolled air infiltration leakage through
Temperature, °C Relative humidity, %
openings (doors, windows), cracks and interstices Rot 50–5 >90–95
in constructions caused by pressure effects during Mould 55–0 >75–95
operation. Air temperature and humidity criteria for rot and
Excess air humidity increases the risk of rot mould damages of wooden structures.
growth on wooden structures and corrosion risk
of metals thus shortening the service lifetime of
the construction components and materials, which Temperature, °C Relative humidity, %
means increased maintenance costs. High humidity >0 >80
levels cause also indoor air problems by enabling Corrosion criteria for metals.
the growth of mould and fungus on the surfaces
of the building structures. In the following tables
maximum allowable ice rink air humidity rates
are presented to avoid indoor air problems and Systems that cool the air below its dew
depraving of constructions. point use normally mechanical refrigeration. Air is
There are two primary ways to remove passed over a cooling coil causing a portion of the
moisture from the air: cool the air below its dew moisture in the air to condense on the coils' sur-
point to condense the water vapour, or pass the face and drop out of the airflow. Cooling coil can
air over a material that absorbs (chemical dehu- also be integrated in the ventilation unit and in the
midification) water. ice refrigeration circuit.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Cooling system

Cooling coil

Supply fan order to avoid fog and ceiling dripping problems.

Moreover heat is needed for hot water produc-
tion (ice resurfacing, showers), and in some cases
for melting waste-ice that is the consequence of
the ice resurfacing process.
Humid air Dry air to
from ice rink ice rink
Waste-heat recovery
30 Compressor waste-heat recovery can cover
almost all of the heating demand of a training rink
Figure 16. Condensing dehumidification process. in most operating situations. When designing the
heat recovery system, the relatively low temper-
Chapter 3

ature level should be taken into account. The

Chemical dehumidification is carried out
through the use of absorbent materials, which are
either solids or liquids that can extract moisture
from the air and hold it.
Desiccant dehumidification system, figure
14, consists of a slowly rotating disk, drum or
wheel that is coated or filled with an absorbent
(often silica gel). Moist air is drawn into the facility
and passed across one portion of the wheel
where the desiccant absorbs moisture from the
air. As the wheel slowly rotates, it passes through
a second heated air stream. Moisture that was
absorbed by the desiccant is released into the
heated air, reactivating the desiccant. The warm
moist air is then exhausted from the facility.
3.5.4 Heating
Heating system is needed to maintain
comfortable thermal conditions for both the play-
ers and the audience. Heating is also advanta-
geous in controlling the humidity of the ice rink in
Exhaust fan Electric or Regeneration
gas heater air in
Hot moist air out
DESICCANT
Desiccant
WHEEL
wheel
Humid air Supply fan Warm dry air
from ice rink to ice rink
Motor
Figure 17. Desiccant dehumidification process.
temperature level of the waste heat is normally
around 30–35 °C, small portion of the waste heat,
so-called super heat, can be utilized at a higher
temperature level. Waste heat can be utilized in
the heating of the resurfacing water, in the heat-
ing of the rink, heating the fresh air, to pre-heat
the tap water and to melt the snow and ice slush
of the resurfacing process.
3.5.5 Electric system
Electricity is needed to run the facility: in
the refrigeration, in lighting, in air conditioning, in
cafeteria etc. Electrical installation comprises a
distribution and transformer central. Emergency
lighting and guide lights must work also on occa-
sions of power cuts. Emergency power can be
supplied by diesel-fuelled generators or by battery
back-up system. In most cases it is worthwhile
avoiding the reactive power by capacitive com-
pensation.
Lighting
Lights are traditionally grouped according
to their operational principle to incandescence
and burst illuminates. In general incandescent lamps
are suitable only to general lighting (except maybe
the halogen lamps). Characteristics to incandes-
cent lamps are high demand for electricity com-
pared to the illumination, short service lifetime,
good colour rendering and good controllability.
Burst illuminates feature high efficiency, long ser-
vice lifetime but poor controllability.
Recently, many products have been devel-
oped that may be incorporated at the design
stage. One such a product is the compact fluores-
cent lamp, which can be used instead of incan-
descent lamps. The superiority of the fluorescent
lamps is a result of high-luminous efficacy (more
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Type Applicability Power range Life

Compact fluorescent lamps General lighting 5–55 W 8000–12 000 h Good energy efficiency
Standard fluorescent lamps General lighting 30–80 W 20 000 h Good energy efficiency
Rink lighting
Metal halide lamps Rink lighting 35–2000 W 6000–20 000 h Good for rink lighting
High pressure sodium lamps Rink lighting 50–400 W 14 000–24 000 h Poor colour rendering
Induction lamps Rink lighting 55–165 W 60 000 h Long life, expensive (so far)
Halogen lamps Special lighting 20–2000 W 2000–4000 h Excellent colour rendering,
good dimming capabilities
Available lamps for ice rink facility. 31

light per watt) and long life expectancy compared that can be emphasized such as information and

with the standard incandescent lamps. The elec-
tronic ballast connected with the standard fluo-
rescent lamp technology will decrease the operat-
ing cost 25 % compared with standard systems.
The use of occupancy sensors to automatically
shut lights off and on is a sure way of reducing
electrical use. The ice-surface lighting system is
advantageous to design such that the illumination
can be changed flexibly according to the need.
Chapter 3
security systems, Figure 7.
3.5.8 Water and sewer system
Water is needed in showers, toilets, and
cafeterias, cleaning and as flood and ice resur-
facing water etc. Warm water system must be
equipped with re-circulation to ensure short wait-
ing times of warm water and to prohibit the risk
of bacterial growth. Because of the legion Ella risk

3.5.6 Acoustics and noise control

Minimum acoustical quality of an ice rink
should enable clear and understandable speaking
even amplified spoken words and music. Therefore
Property Facility Safety and Information
environmental acoustics must also be included in management management supervision system
the design process. The importance of the acoustics
is emphasized in multi purpose rinks. The most Booking Maintenance Alerts Audio - Visual
significant acoustical parameter is the reverbera-
tion time, which should be low enough (< 3 s).
Too high background noise level caused by venti-
lation and compressors (inside) or traffic (outside) Server
has also negative effects on the acoustical indoor
environment. In some cases it is also necessary to
take into account the noise caused by the ice rink
Web browser È Mobile
facility to its surroundings. Outdoor condenser user interface Internet user interface
fans and even the sounds of an ice hockey game
may cause disturbing noise.

Server
3.5.7 Building automation and information
systems Bus connection Wireless connection
Modern automation systems enable de-
mand-controlled operation of different systems,
such as ventilation rates, ice rink air temperature Refrige- Pumps
Lights Meas-
and humidity, ice temperature, etc. An automa- & Controls Lights
ration urements
fans
tion system enables functional and economical
use of the different systems of the ice rink. Besides
these traditional benefits of the building energy Figure 18. Advanced information and automation systems of an
management system, there are other functions ice rink.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
the hot water must be heated at least up to
+55 ºC. Waste-heat from the refrigeration plant
can be utilized to lower the energy consumption
of hot water for example to heat the resurfacing
water and to pre-heat the hot water.
In the sewer system of an ice rink there are
two special systems to be taken care of, namely
32 the rink melted water drainage and the melting
pit of waste-ice. Surface water drains for melted
water from ice defrosting is required outside and
around the rink.
Chapter 3
3.6 Energy consumption optimisation
Energy consumption of the refrigeration
unit is subjected to the heat loads of the ice. Ceil-
ing radiation is generally the largest single compo-
nent of the heat loads. Other ice heat-load com-
ponents are: the convective heat load of the ice rink
air temperature, lighting, ice maintenance, ground
heat, humidity condensing from the air onto the
ice, and pump-work of the cooling pipe network.
The amount of heat radiated to the ice is
controlled by the temperatures of the ceiling and
ice surface and by proportionality factor called
emissive. Materials that are perfect radiators of
heat would have an emissive of 1, while materials
that radiate no heat would have an emissive of 0.
In new facilities, using low-emissive material in
the surface of the ceiling can reduce the ceiling
radiation. Most building materials have an emissive
rate near 0.9. The most common low-emissive
material used in ice rinks is aluminium foil. It is the
low emissive property (emissive as low as 0.05) of
the aluminium foil facing the ice that makes this
system so effective. Moreover, the low-emissive
surface reduces heating demand and improves
the lighting conditions of the rink.
The temperature level of the ice rink air
has a significant effect on both the electricity con-
sumption of the refrigeration unit and on the
heating energy need. The higher the air tempera-
ture is, the warmer the ceiling is, which increases
the ceiling radiation as well as the convective heat
load of the ice. The convective heat load is relative
to the temperature difference between the air
temperature and ice-surface temperature and the
air velocity above the ice. The most effective way
to reduce convective heat load is to keep the ice
temperature as high as possible and the air tem-
perature as low as possible.
The other operational parameters, besides
the ice rink air temperature, which affects the
electricity consumption of the compressor and
the heating energy consumption is the ice tem-
perature and ice thickness. Rising of 1°C of the ice
temperature gives 40-60 MWh savings in electric-
ity and 70-90 MWh savings in heating per year in
year-round operation. The thickness of the ice
tends to increase in use. Increasing ice thickness
brings about higher electricity consumption of the
refrigeration unit and makes the maintenance of
the ice more difficult. Recommended ice thickness
is about 3 centimetres. The thickness of the ice must
be controlled weekly in order to maintain the
optimal thickness.
Ice resurfacing is one of the highest heat
loads of the ice after the ceiling radiation and con-
vection. This load, imposed by the resurfacing of
ice with flood water in the range of 30 °C to 60 °C
and 0.4 to 0.8 m3 of water per one operation, can
account for as much as 15 % of the total refriger-
ation requirements. A lower floodwater volume
and temperature should be used so reducing the
refrigeration electrical use and the cost of heating
the water.
The humidity of the ice rink air tends to
condense on the cold ice surface. This phenomenon
is mainly dependent on the outdoor air conditions
and can be overcome by dehumidification of the
ice rink air. Condensation is normally not so im-
portant from the energy consumption point of
view. Instead, humidity problems may occur from
a dripping ceiling or as fog above the ice. Humidity
problems are one indication of the possible mois-
ture damage in the structures and thus must be
taken seriously.
Lighting forms a radioactive heat load on
the ice, which is relative to the luminous efficacy
of the lamps.
Warm soil under the floor is a minor heat
load on the refrigeration, which can be dealt with
sufficient insulation between the soil and the
cooling pipes.
The system pump-work is a heat load on
the refrigeration system due to the friction in the
cooling pipes and in the evaporator. Pump-work
is affected by the cooling liquid used (there are
several alternatives), pipe material and hydraulic
sizing of the pipe network and the evaporator.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Helsinki

Miami

München

33
Figure 19. Studied ice rink locations: Helsinki (Finland), Munich (Germany) and Miami (USA).

3.6.1 Case studies of energy consumption
Energy consumption of a standard small
ice rink depends mainly on the thermal conditions
both inside (air and ice temperature) and outside
(climate). In the following the effect of climatic
conditions on the energy consumption of a stan-
dard ice rink facility is studied. The differences
of the energy consumption, both electricity and
heating, between the same prototype ice rink
is studied in three locations: Helsinki (Finland),
Munich (Germany) and Miami (USA). The techni-
cal description of the prototype ice rink is given in
the previous section.
Chapter 3
1. Electric energy consumption
The electric energy consumption of the ice rink
consists of ice refrigeration, rink lighting, air
conditioning and heating systems (fans and
pumps), public space lighting, different appli-
ances, cleaning etc. The refrigeration process
consumes some half of the total electricity use
of a small ice rink. In warm and humid condi-
tions the dehumidification of the rink air plays
also a big role in the energy consumption. The
electricity consumption of the dehumidification
system depends on the selected system: desic-
cant dehumidifiers consume mainly heat energy,

Miami Munich Helsinki

160

140
ELECTRIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION, MWh

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
y

ch

ril

ay

ne

st

r
be

be

be

be
ar

ar

l
Ju

gu
Ap
ar

Ju
nu

ru

em

to

m
Au
M

ve

ce
b

Oc
Ja

pt
Fe

De
No
Se

Figure 20. Electric energy consumption of the ice rink facility with (dashed lines) and without dehumidification.
In the case of the dehumidification the ice refrigeration system is supposed to be used for the dehumidification.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Electricity spectrum

 Refrigeration plant 57%

 Rink lighting 9%
 Rink ventilation 6%
 Dehumidifier (condensing) 6%
 Other 8%
 Public areas 14%
34
Figure 21. Electric consumption spectrum of the prototype ice rink in Munich. Annual electricity consumption is
960 MWh with mechanical dehumidification (900 MWh without dehumidification).
Chapter 3

which can be produced with gas or some other

fuel but also electricity is possible, mechanical
dehumidifiers (separate heat pump or ice refrig-
eration system) use usually electricity.

2. Heating energy consumption melted in a special melting pit before draining

Heating energy need is the sum of the heating
need of the ventilation and infiltration air as
well as the cooling effect of the ice and the
conductive heat flows through the exterior en-
velope. The heat loads of the occupants, lights
and other equipment are taken into account
when determining the heating energy need of
the ice arena. In many cases the waste ice
(slush) of the ice resurfacing process must be
it and melting requires also heating. In some
cases the waste ice can be just driven outside
or even be re-used for example to build ski tracks.
Depending of the climatic conditions the heat
flows can be either negative or positive. For ex-
ample in Miami the outdoor climate is so hot all
around the year that the ventilation, air infiltra-
tion and conductive heat flows heat the ice rink
space and actually the only cooling load is the

Miami Munich Helsinki

180

160

140 Condenser
heat
HEAT ENERGY, MWh

120

100
Heating
need
80

60

40

20

0
y

ry

ch

ril

ay

ne

ly

st

r
be

be

be

be
ar

Ju

gu
ua

Ap
ar

Ju
nu

to

m
Au
M
br

ve

ce
Oc
Ja

pt
Fe

De
No
Se

Figure 22. Heating energy need of the ice rink and heat from the refrigeration condensers (dashed lines) in different
climates (Miami, Munich and Helsinki).
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Energy spectrum of heating need

 Space heating 57%

 Air leakage 3%
 Dehumidification 11%
 Slush melting 10%
 Public areas 10%
 Hot water 7%
 Rink ventilation 2%
35
Figure 23. Spectrum of heating energy need of the prototype ice rink in Munich. Annual heating need is 1100 MWh.
Most of the heating need can be covered by free condenser heat of the ice refrigeration.

ice. The cooling effect of the ice is still bigger
than the heat loads and thus the rink must be
heated even in Miami.
The ice refrigeration produces continuously
large amount of heat and this heat can be uti-
lized in heating: directly to space heating and
supply air heating, pre-heating of hot water for
ice resurfacing and showers, slush melting,
ground heating (frost protection) under the
ice pad and in the dehumidification processes.
Condenser energy can save a great portion of
the annual heating costs.
Chapter 3
3. Dehumidification
The local weather conditions determine the
dehumidification need and this affects also the
energy use of the facility. This can be seen in
figure x, where the moisture removal need is
much higher in Miami where the climate is
hot and humid compared to the colder and
drier climates in Munich and in Helsinki. The
dehumidification need is also affected by the
ventilation need, air tightness of the building
envelope and moisture load of the occupants.

Miami Munich Helsinki

60

50
MOISTURE REMOVAL, kg/h

40

30

20

10

0
y

ch

ril

ay

ne

ly

st

r
be

be

be

be
ar

ar

Ju

gu
Ap
ar

Ju
nu

ru

em

to

m
Au
M

ve

ce
b

Oc
Ja

pt
Fe

De
No
Se

Figure 24. Moisture removal of the dehumidification system in order to maintain the required indoor air conditions
(temperature +10º and relative humidity 65 %).
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

4. Water consumption Greenhouse gas emissions Acidifying emissions

Water consumption is formed of the ice resur- g/m2, CO2 esq g/m2, CO2 esq
facing water and sanitary water. Shower and 3 000 000 7500
toilet use dominate sanitary water consumption. Environmental loads of an ice rink in Finland based by
In some cases treated water is used for cooling life cycle analysis (LCA) of the rink (50 years) excluding
the condensers of the ice refrigeration plant. This transport.1
is the case especially during the summer oper-
36 ation even in cold climates. Direct use of treated
water should be avoided as far as possible for
this purpose because of high operation costs.
Chapter 3

3.7 Environmental effects

Most of the environmental loads and im-
pacts of an ice rink during its life cycle are due to
the transport and the energy (electricity and heat)
and water use. It is impossible to give exact or
general figures of the loads for example because
of the variety of energy production profiles in
each case. In the following some results of the en-
vironmental load calculations in Finland are given.

Miami Munich Helsinki

250

200
WATER CONSUMPTION, m3

150

100

50

0
ry

ry

ch

il

ay

ne

ly

st

r
be

be

be

be
r

Ju

gu
a

ua

Ap
ar

Ju
nu

em

to

m
Au
M
br

ve

ce
Oc
Ja

pt
Fe

De
No
Se

Figure 25. Water consumption including the ice resurfacing water and sanitary water without the possible con-
denser flush water of the ice refrigeration. Water consumption rate is the same for all the studied three cases.
Annual water consumption is 2500 m3.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

 Transport by cars 65%

 Energy and water 30%
37
 Construction 4%
 Equipment of the players 1%

Chapter 3
Figure 26. An example of the use of the natural
resources of a junior ice hockey team in Finland based
on MIPS calculation. MIPS - material input per service,
kg/active skating hour.2

In the analysed case 91% of the green-

house gas emissions and 74% of the acidifying
emissions were due to energy usage during the
life cycle (50 years).1

The ecology of an ice rink can be improved by

• Using reusable and renewable materials and
components in construction
• Minimizing the energy use (heat recovery, effi-
cient appliances, renewable energy sources)
• Minimizing the distance between the rink and
the users (town planning)
• Enabling public transport (storerooms for the
equipment by the rink)

1
Vaahterus T., Saari A. Environmental Loads of a Finnish indoor training
ice-skating rink in the Context of LCA. Helsinki University of Technology,
Publications 194, Espoo 2001. ISBN 951-22-5465-4, ISSN 1456-9329.
(In Finnish).
2
Kiekko-Nikkarit Ry.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
Economic profile of the
IIHF ice rink prototype
Chapter 4
4.1 Introduction
There are a lot of construction projects for
new buildings of any use running all around the
world continuously. The operation of these com-
ing facilities is based on earlier experience of the
investors. From this point of view, the decision-
making is rather simple, even if the decision makers
38 are not professionals in the construction business.
Ice rinks are special type of buildings and
should be treated as such. Unfortunately, there
are still plenty of new ice rinks and arenas being
Chapter 4
developed without the input of specialists. In these
projects, there is the potential for major problems
during the process of construction and operation.
In order to have a proper cost and operation
structure for a new ice rink project, the special
features of an ice rink must be known, under-
stood and taking care of.
A modern ice rink needs special tools to
control the indoor climate, especially the temper-
ature and humidity factors. These features are not
comparable to common buildings. If one does not
take these elements into into consideration they
might cause remarkable problems in a very short
time. This means within 2 to 3 years. Too high
humidity of the indoor climate can easily cause
serious corroding problems in steel structures and
decay in wooden structures.
Saving costs in the wrong area will lead to
serious damage in a short period of time. Even in
a country like Finland, where some hundred ice
rinks have been built in last thirty years, some
Public skating and equipment rental are good ways to boost your
income.
wood framed ice rinks have major decay damage
only 4 years after the completion, due to ignoring
the humidification issue in the mechanical plant.
The continuous increasing demand of the
public is resulting in a higher requirement for
the quality of the ice rink indoor climate. To have
the temperature just above the ice surface on - 4
degrees centigrade, but +18 degrees centigrade
only a few meters behind the dasher board on the
first seating row are common requirements in
many ice rinks and arenas.
Technical solutions that are too simple can
cause extremely high operational costs. Advanced
technology can reduce energy consumption and
operating costs by up to 50 per cent in existing
and proposed arena facilities, while also improv-
ing the indoor climate for the customers.
Energy costs make it necessary to strive for
energy efficiency. This element plays a key role in
the decision to invest in a new ice rink. The later
success with respect to the operational costs is
made in the design phase. A clever design in com-
bination, with the right technical features and
skilled maintenance personnel will have a consid-
erable effect on the level of operating costs.
The idea of this manual is to offer technical
and financial guidelines for a ”small“, modern ice
rink, which is not the most low-priced and simple
facility. This prototype is a customer-based facility
that gives operators and investors the opportunity
to operate an economically successful facility, while
providing the customer with high-level service and
wide range of activities.
The IIHF prototype ice rink provides a
palette of services for on ice and dry floor possi-
bilities as mentioned in Chapter 2. Like in major
multi-purpose arenas, it will be rather easy to
change the ice surface quickly into a dry-floor
facility.
4.2 Construction costs
The different structural solutions, materials
and equipment for building services have a great
impact on the construction costs. The IIHF work-
ing group has made the decision to design an IIHF
ice rink prototype. The result of this decision is
that the technical features are chosen, and also
the structure, layout and volume of the facility.
The technical features are described more detailed
in chapters 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 of this manual.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF prototype ice rink

Lemminkäinen Construction Ltd.
31.1.2002

Cost groups according to DIN 276 Preliminary cost estimate %

100 Site costs

200 Utilities

300 Construction costs 1,341,097 57.84

310 Earth works 123,855
320 Foundation (incl. ice pad) 265,825
330 External walls 118,220
340 Internal walls 138,240
350 Ceilings 110,325
360 Roofing 193,400 39
370 Fittings 366,232
390 Other construction works 25,000

Chapter 4
400 Mechanical and electrical works 479,600 20.68
410 Sewage, plumbing 79,200
420 Heating 35,200
430 Ventilation, Dehumidification 118,800
440 Electricity, high voltage 110,000
450 Telefommunication, data network, etc. 17,600
460 Elevators 0
470 Refrigeration unit 79,200
480 Building automation 30,800
490 Other M&E works 8,800

500 Site finishing 100,000 4.31

510 Yard works 25,000
520 Yard finishing 25,000
530 External construction works 40,000
540 External M&E works 10,000
550 External fittings 0
590 Other external works 0

600 Equipment 165,000 7.12

610 Equipment (ice resurfacer, dasher board, score board etc.) 165,000

700 Design, project management 233,000 10.05

710 Project supervisor 35,000
720 Project preliminary costs 10,000
730 Architect design and engineering 150,000
740 Inspection fees etc. 8,000
750 Art works 0
760 Financing 0
770 General project costs 25,000
790 Other costs 5,000

Cost groups 100-700 total € 2,318,697 100.00

General project development costs (8%) € 197,089

Total project costs (netto) € 2,515,786

Some special notes:
1) Cost structure finally depends on the operational construction realization (MC, CM, DMC...), calculation for location Munich, Germany
2) Cost groups 100 and 200 must be defined separately based on the site characteristics
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
This is a turn-key cost estimate for IIHF
prototype ice rink. The IIHF working group would
like to underline that this cost calculation is not
a cost guarantee in any form. This calculation
merely gives you as an investor, developer or sports
enthusiast, a good indication of the total cost
when you have decided to build a small ice rink.
40 Between continents and countries the con-
struction costs are going to vary, even when we
use the same technical definitions. The cost esti-
mate shown in the manual is based on the loca-
Chapter 4
tion in the city of Munich, Germany.
Please be aware that lower labour costs in
some countries in comparison with the cost level
in Germany automatically lead to notable savings.
In many cases the lower labour cost level is bal-
anced by paying extra on import taxes of technical
equipment or by the increasing number of em-
ployees because of the lack of machines.
The model of the cost calculation is based
on the German DIN 276 – form, which is widely
been used in Central Europe. On the other hand it
is rather easy to transform this cost estimate into
another calculation form.
The costs of the site and the utilities are not
included in the total summary. These are also the
items of the costs in order to have neutrality in the
cost estimate.
4.3 Operational budget
4.3.1 Expenses
The major utilities required in an ice rink
operation are electricity, gas, and water. Also
monthly fees related to the external financing (see
chapter 5), mortgage payments, should be looked
at on a case-by-case basis.
Maintaining a sheet of ice is a 24-hour
commitment. The owners cannot simply turn off
the electricity to the refrigeration plant when the
building is closed. There are proven methods to
efficiently operate an ice rink.
It is also important to work with the local
utility companies to establish favourable agree-
ments for the facility. A common way to reduce
the fixed costs is to negotiate partner agree-
ments with a local telephone company or a local
garbage disposal company or other similar com-
panies.
When making the budget for the opera-
tional costs one should take into consideration
the tasks that could be fulfilled by volunteers. This
possibility would improve cost reduction. The tasks
could be:
• Maintenance of the facility
• Cleaning
• Ice resurfacer maintenance
Also mechanical service contracts have
to be included. Specialised work that has to be
done by experts, which could include maintenance
of the refrigeration plant and the ice resurfacer.
List of monthly expenses
✔ Financing costs
✔ Utilities – electricity
✔ Utilities – gas
✔ Utilities – water, sewer
✔ Insurance - Liability and Property
✔ Real estate taxes
✔ Other taxes licenses and fees
✔ Telephone
✔ Office expenses
✔ Cleaning supplies
✔ Trash removal
✔ Facility maintenance
✔ Personnel costs
Personnel
All ice facilities require a competent, well-
trained staff to help the rink succeed. As previ-
ously noted, the cost to open an ice facility is
substantial. It is important to have a staff that
understands the ice business and can operate the
facility at maximum efficiency and profitability.
Due to the fact that a single sheet facility may
operate for 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, the
facility will need related man-hours to cover the
operation.
In some countries, it is possible to utilize
volunteer staff to cover many of the hours. How-
ever one should be aware that volunteer work
ethics and expertise might be lacking. For a suc-
cessful operation, the total number of staff can be
adjusted. With larger public sessions or special
events, a bigger staff will be necessary.
The rink manager is the key to a success-
ful operation. The manager must oversee the
whole spectrum of activities and services and
should operate a customer-based operation. The
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

rink manager should be the driving force behind other skating coaches, and coordinate all skating
the facility. programs. A hockey director would operate in a
The duties of the manager in a single sheet similar manner to manage the hockey operations
operation include, but are not limited to, the at the facility. If necessary, a marketing director
following areas: may be hired to promote the facility and the
many diverse programs that are offered to the
✔ Personnel Administration community.
✔ Human Resource Management If the rink expands to include a concession 41
✔ Ice Scheduling stand or a pro shop, both a concession manager
✔ Ice Contracts and a pro shop manager would be required.
✔ Marketing

Chapter 4
✔ Facility Maintenance Personnel list
✔ Budgeting ✔ Rink Manager
✔ Technical Staff (2)
It is necessary to have at least two assis- ✔ Office Secretary
tant rink managers (rink technicians). The as- ✔ Part-time operations staff (2-3)
sistant rink managers typically take care of the ✔ Part time maintenance staff
evenings and weekends at the facility. It is their
responsibility to schedule part time staff, maintain It is also to be noticed, that an ice rink
the facility, and serve as the main customer with two ice pads can be operated with the
service person for the public. They are also respon- same amount of staff as the single ice surface
sible for ice maintenance and resurfacing the ice. rinks. Other expenses, such as energy, can be
A facility should also have one full time, reduced in comparison with the doubled user
multitalented secretary. The secretary fills a variety capacity of the facility.
of roles, including receptionist, registrar, and ac-
countant. This person must also have knowledge
of all the programs offered at the rink, to immedi-
ately answer questions from the general public. Percentage of expenses
In addition to this staff, a single sheet facil-
ity may have 2 to 3 additional part time opera-
tions staff that can drive the ice resurfacer, work
evening or weekend shifts, maintain the building
and keep it clean.
As the ice rink industry evolves and
changes, it is important to keep staff up to date
on the latest advancements in the industry. With a
plan for staff training and education, rink oper-
ators will have the opportunity to learn more
efficient and cost effective methods to running an
ice rink. A budget should be created to cover
training course registrations and expenses.  Water 4%
In many areas of the world, the user  Sewage 3%
groups such as the hockey or figure skating clubs  Electricity (energy cost) 27%
will take responsibility for the programs on the ice.  Staff 50%
In other parts of the world, depending on the type  Other costs 8%
of rink operation and the region, there are several  Maintenance 8%
other positions that may be added to the full time
staff. A skating director would handle all Learn to
Skate and figure skating programs in the facility. For an ice rink like the IIHF prototype,
This person would serve, as a teaching profes- an average annual level of expenses in 2001 in
sional in the Learn to Skate program, would hire Europe is between 300,000 € and 400,000 €.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Percentage of incomes

4.3.2 Income
In order to operate successfully, ice rink
facilities must offer activities and programs for
everyone in the community. The more potential
users the facility has, the greater the chances of
success for the facility. There are many program-
ming ideas that help rinks to prosper, but actual
42 income may vary greatly due to the local commu-
 Youth Hockey Programs 29%
nity, area or environment.
 Adult Hockey Programs 25%
Another key to success is to offer program-
 Group Skating Lessons 10%
ming that will allow your customers to stay with
 Public Skating 13%
Chapter 4

your facility for a lifetime. A lifetime customer

 Contract Ice Rental 12%
would enter your facility as someone interested in
 Freestyle Figure Skating 6%
skating, start in learn to skate lessons, decide to
 Pick Up Hockey Sessions 2%
concentrate on hockey or figure skating, compete
 Other Programs 3%
as youth participants in their chosen sport, then
remain with your facility in adult recreational
hockey or figure skating programs.
It is also important to schedule your ice
Income categories usage for success. There are several “best practices”
✔ Youth Hockey Programs to be followed, and suggested time frames are
✔ Adult Hockey Programs noted with each programming option.
✔ Group Skating Lessons For an ice rink like IIHF prototype an aver-
✔ Public Skating age annual level of incomes in 2001 in Europe
✔ Schools is between 250,000 € and 350,000 €. Naming
✔ Contract Ice Rental right, advertisements inside the ice rink and selling
✔ Figure Skating rights can also be a great source of additional
✔ Camps/Clinics incomes.
✔ Parties/Special Events
✔ Fairs, exhibitions
✔ Advertising

Financing
Chapter 5
5.1 Construction costs /
Investment costs
As mentioned in the introduction, the con-
struction of ice sports facilities in countries with
an ice sports tradition used to be financed by
local authority institutions. These institutions were
frequently supported with construction grants from
the regional governments or central government.
In its entirety, this investment money came solely
or mainly from tax revenue, and in some cases
also from the surpluses of national or regional
sports or other lotteries.
In the meantime, the economic situation
of the public sector in most countries has changed
dramatically. It started in the 1970’s due to the
industrial decline and the heavy burden of unem-
ployment on society. Later the role of the govern-
ment was debated and tasks that were usually
appointed to these governments were now put
in the hands of private organisations. The process
of privatisation had started. The shifting from
governmental financing and operation to com-
mercial organisations changed the management
philosophy of sports facilities greatly as will be
discussed in 5.2.
In many places, the private sector has
emerged as a provider of ice sports. Investors have
been found as a source of finance whom, rather
than having their profits skimmed off by the tax
authorities, have enjoyed high tax write-offs (loss
allocation). This kind of financial participation takes
a weight off the investment budget. Due to low
interest and loan repayment instalments, this has
yielded a lower burden on the current budget for
facility operation.
New ice sports facilities these days make
use of entirely different forms of financing, many
of which fall within the concept of public-private
partnership (PPP). This is where the public sector
and commercial industry search jointly for sources
of finance. In this context, sports clubs can also
act as private partners, by providing either fund-
ing or manpower for construction and equipping
activities. There are nevertheless limits to the
latter, because work performed by the sports club
on a building with sophisticated engineering like
an ice sports facility is generally only feasible for a
small number of construction and technical tasks.
On PPP projects, the private side is put in a
more profitable position than was possible in the
past through the free provision of building land by
INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
the local authority (or by the payment of a token
fee). If the design and construction of the building
is controlled by a commercial operator, certain
legal obstacles can be evaded, e.g. the guidelines
(regulations) for State-awarded contracts. If the
construction and engineering services are correctly
designed and specified, construction costs can be
reduced without any diminution of quality. This 43
reduces overall project expenditure, the interest
and repayment instalments are lower, and the
operating costs are less heavily burdened year
after year.
The preparation of a public-private con-
struction project does not differ qualitatively from
earlier forms of project financing and realisation
at all. The analyses of demand for such a facility,
and of the required space and rooms are the same
as before. The design and tendering procedure
require the same care (see above) and the com-
panies for construction and interior finish must be
selected according to the same criteria as in the
past. For the public partner it is important to reach
user-friendly agreements early on with the private
partner concerning opening hours and socially
acceptable pricing. Of course, the private partner
will not enter into agreements that put at risk the
achievement of a surplus in facility operation.
A special form of PPP is the leasing of a
property for a period of, say, 20 years with an
option of renewing the agreement or buying back
the property. Given favourable terms and reliable
partners, a leasing agreement also ensures that
the ice sports facility remains in immaculate struc-
tural and technical condition throughout the term
of the leasing.
5.2 Operational costs
Chapter 4.2 and 4.3 described the main
construction and annual costs of the IIHF Proto-
type Ice Rink with a standard 30 x 60 m ice pad
and a program of operational and other ancillary
rooms, which is not too lavish but fully meets the
needs of a modern facility. The possible but locally
divergent initial position there is clearly indicated
by the span of the different figures in the expen-
diture and income positions. The expenditure side
depends on the structural and technical quality of
the facility, the level of staff costs, and the various
energy, water and disposal charges. The income
side is affected by such factors as the location,
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION
population density, awareness rating and interest
in ice sports, admission pricing, opening hours
and numbers of users.
The successful operation of the facility in
the long term can only be ensured if the revenue
surplus covers the interest and repayment instal-
ments as well as sufficient upkeep of the building
44 and its installations. Although the latter will be
negligible in the first few years, initially low
reserves should be set aside from the outset.
A continuous theme is that of the quality
Chapter 5
of the work performed by the various trades. At
this point, it is important to highlight the effect
that appropriate (not excessive) quality can have
on a building’s life cycle. Usually it can be assumed
that 20 % of costs arise by construction and 80 %
by operation and maintenance – from the start of
construction through disposal. If, instead, only 4 %
more is spent on the initial investment, operating
and maintenance costs are reduced to 70 %. This
represents an appreciable cut in annually recur-
ring costs.
The possibility of intense year-round use
is a necessary condition for considering the con-
struction of such a facility. Only high capacity
utilisation rates can warrant the investment and
recurring annual overhead and maintenance costs
associated with an adequately staffed, state-of-
the-art facility of this type.
The construction of an ice rink should be
considered wherever the following basic prerequi-
sites are met: In moderate climate zones, such as
Central Europe, indoor ice rinks with artificial
ice should be sited in communities with between
20,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, depending on the
tradition of ice sports in that particular region. The
population density per square kilometre should be
at least 150 within a 12-kilometer radius.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF Rules
for Ice Rinks

Definition of the Rink Ice Rink

The game of ice hockey shall be played on a white Width = 2600 to 3000

ice surface known as a RINK. 1500

700 800

Dimensions of the Rink Goal Judge

Maximum size: 61 m long by 30 m wide.
Minimum size: 56 m long by 26 m wide.
The corners shall be rounded in the arc of a circle Goal Crease s
iu cm
45
ad 0
Goal Line, red, 5 cm wide dr 85
ar to
with a radius of 7 to 8.5 m. Bo 00

400
7

and based on an ice rink size of 6000 cm length

For IIHF competitions the size will be 60 to

All measurements in this diagram are in cm

Endzone Face Off
Circle and Spot
61 m long by 29 to 30 m wide.

Boards
min. 150

and 3000 cm width.

– The rink shall be surrounded by a wooden or
plastic wall known as the “BOARDS”, which
shall be white in colour.
Players Bench Team B

– They shall be not less than 1.17 m and not

min. 1000

Penalty Bench
Blue Line, 30 cm wide

min. 400
more than 1.22 m in height above the level of

Team B
Face Off Spot
Neutral Zone
the ice surface.
– The boards shall be constructed in such a
Length = 5600 to 6100

Scorekeepers Bench
Referee Crease
manner that the surface facing the ice shall be

550
smooth and free of any obstruction that could
Center Ice Spot
and Circle

Center Line, red, 30 cm wide

cause injury to the players, and the protective

screens and gear used to hold the boards in

Penalty Bench
Players Bench Team A

position shall be mounted on the side away

min. 400
Team A
from the playing surface.
150

Blue Line, 30 cm wide

– The gaps between the panels shall be minimized
to 3 mm. Protective Glass Height 80 cm to 120 cm
Protective Glass Height 160 cm to 200 cm

Kick Plate min. 150

At the lower part of the boards will be fixed a

“KICK PLATE”, yellow in colour, 15 to 25 cm
in height.
400

iu cm

Doors
1000

ad 0
s
dr 85

Goal Line, red, 5 cm wide

ar to

– All doors giving access to the ice surface must

Bo 00

Goal Crease
7

swing away from the ice surface.

– The gaps between the door and the board shall
be minimized to 8 mm. Goal Judge
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Protective Glass Center Line

– The protective glass located above the boards A line known as the CENTER LINE shall be
shall be 160 cm to 200 cm in height on the located in the middle of the rink. It shall be 30 cm
ends and shall extend 4 m from the goal line to- wide and red in colour.
wards the neutral zone, and 80 cm to 120 cm
in height along the sides, except in front of the
players benches. Protective Glass and Boards
46 All measurements in cm.
– The gaps between the glass panels shall be min-
imized to 8 mm.
– At any interruption of the protective glass there
IIHF Rules for Ice Rinks

shall be protective padding to prevent the injury ss

Gla
of the players. o t
ive
ect nds
Pr the e
on
ss
End Zone Nets Gla

Protective Padding
tive es

160 – 200
r o tec he sid
Protective nets must be suspended above the end P gt
alo
n
zone boards and glass.

80 – 120
Division and Marking of the Ice Surface
The ice surface will be divided in its length by five Bo
ar ds

lines marked on the ice and extending complete-

ly across the rink and continuing vertically up the
side of the boards.
* above ice level

te
k Pla
Kic
117 – 122 *

15 – 25 *

Goal Lines Ice

Lines shall be marked 4 m from each end of
the rink, 5 cm wide and red in colour, known as
the:
GOAL LINES

Blue Lines
The ice area between the two goal lines shall be
divided in three equal parts by lines 30 cm wide
and blue in colour known as the:
BLUE LINES
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Face-Off Spots and Circles Center Ice Spot and Circle

All spots and circles are marked on the ice surface All measurements in cm
in order to position the players for a face-off as
ordered by the officials at the beginning of the
game, at the beginning of each period and after
each stoppage of play.

Center Face-Off Spot and Circle 47

A circular blue spot, 30 cm in diameter, shall
be marked exactly in the center of the rink.
With this spot as a center, a circle with a radius

IIHF Rules for Ice Rinks

of 4.5 m shall be marked with a blue line
5 cm wide.

Face-Off Spots in Neutral Zone

Two red spots, 60 cm in diameter, shall be
marked in the neutral zone, 1.5 m from each blue
line as illustrated on this page.

End Zone Face-Off Spots and Circles

Face-off spots and circles shall be marked on the End Zone Face-Off
ice in both end zones and on both sides of each Circle and Spot
goal as illustrated on this page. All measurements in cm
The face-off spots will be 60 cm in diameter,
red in colour, as illustrated on this page.
On opposite sides of the end zone face-off spots
shall be marked double “L”, as illustrated on this
page.
The circles will have a radius of 4.5 m from
the center of the face-off spots and marked
with a red line, 5 cm wide.

Detail of Face-Off Spot

All measurements in cm
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Referee Crease Referee Crease

All measurements in cm An area known as the REFEREE CREASE shall be
marked on the ice in a semi-circle by a red line,
5 cm wide, and with a radius of 3 m, immedi-
ately in front of the Scorekeeper Bench, as illus-
trated on this page.

Goal Crease
In front of each goal a GOAL CREASE area shall
be marked by a red line, 5 cm wide, as illustrat-
ed on this page.
The goal crease area shall be painted light blue.

48

Goal Crease
IIHF Rules for Ice Rinks

All measurements in cm
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

1. Each players bench must have two doors, Players Benches

one of which must be in the NEUTRAL ZONE.
2. The players benches must be protected from
access by persons other than the players and
the six team officials.
– Each rink shall be provided with two identical
benches, exclusively for the use of players in uni-
form and officials of both teams.
– The benches will be on the same side of the rink,
immediately along the ice but opposite to the
penalty benches, separated by a substantial dis-
tance or by other facilities, and convenient to
the dressing rooms.
– Each bench shall begin 2 m from the center line
with a minimum length of 10 m and a min-
imum width of 1.50 m.
– Each bench shall accommodate:
– 16 players and 6 team officials. 49

Penalty Benches
– Each rink shall be provided with two benches to

IIHF Rules for Ice Rinks

Goals
– The goals shall be located in the center of the
goal lines.
– The goals posts shall extend vertically 1.22 m
above the ice surface and be 1.83 m apart
(internal measurements). The horizontal crossbar
binding the posts shall be of approved design
and material with an external diameter of 5 cm.
The posts and crossbar will be painted red.
– The goals will be completed by a frame sup-
porting the nets, the deepest point of which
shall not be more than 1.12 m or less than
0.60 m. It will be painted white, except for the
exterior part of the base plate, which shall be
painted red.
– A net shall be attached to the back of the goal
frame, constructed to keep the puck within the
confines of the goal.
– The inside parts of the supports, other than the
goal posts and the crossbar, will be covered by
white padding. The padding of the base plate will
be known as the penalty benches for a min-
imum of:
– 5 players each.
– They will be located on both sides of the Score-
keeper’s desk and opposite to the players bench-
es and will have a minimum length of 4 m and
a minimum width of 1.50 m.
Goal Judges Benches
Properly protected cages to eliminate interference
with the Goal Judge’s activities shall be placed at
each end of the rink behind the board and glass in
the area of the goal.
Scorekeeper Bench
Between the penalty benches will be located the
Scorekeeper bench, which will have a length of
5.50 m to accomodate 6 people.
Players Benches and Penalty Benches
All measurements in cm
min. 1000

Players Bench Team A Players Bench Team B

min. 150

min. 150

start not less than 10 cm from the goal post.

1. Goal posts and nets shall be set in such man-

ner as to remain stationary during the progress
of the game.
Goal Judge Bench
Goal Judge Bench

2. For Olympic Games, IIHF World Senior A

Men and Women, Division 1, Junior Under 20,
Junior Under 18 championships, flexible goal
pegs are mandatory and are strongly rec-
ommended for other competitions.

Penalty Bench Scorekeepers Bench Penalty Bench

Team A Team B
min. 400 550 min. 400
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Signal and Timing Devices

Siren
Each rink shall be provided with a siren or other
suitable sound device to be used by the Time-
keeper.

Clock
Each rink shall have an electric clock (score-
board) in order to provide spectators, players and
officials with accurately information concerning:
– names of both teams,

50 – time played in any period, counting up in

minutes and seconds from 0.00 to 20.00,
– penalty time remaining to be served for at
least two players on each team, counting
IIHF Rules for Ice Rinks

down from the total number of minutes to 0,

– score,
– time-outs, counting down from 30
to 0 seconds,
– intermission time, counting down from 15
to 0 minutes.

Red and Green Lights

Behind each goal there shall be:
– a red light to be lit by the Goal Judge when a
goal is scored,
– a green light to be lit automatically by the
electric clock when the Timekeeper stops the
clock and at the end of each period.

Players Dressing Rooms

Each team shall be provided with a suitable room
with sufficient space for 25 team officials and
players and their equipment, equipped with
benches, sanitary toilet and showers.

Referees and Linesmen Dressing Room

A separate dressing room equipped with chairs or
benches, sanitary toilet and shower must be pro-
vided for the exclusive use of the Referees and
Linesmen.

Rink Lighting
All rinks shall be sufficiently well illuminated so
that the players, officials and spectators may con-
veniently follow the play at all times.

Smoking in the Arena

In enclosed rinks, smoking shall be prohibited in
the playing and spectator areas, as well as in the
dressing rooms and all the facilities where the
players are involved.
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

List of
equipment

Arena
• dasher board with plexiglas
• safety nets
• water hose(s)
• ice resurfacer
• edger
• snow scrapers
• equipment trolley for tools 51
• tools (drilling machine, pipe tongs, adjustable
spanners, screwdrivers etc.)
• goals (4)
• lifter (to change bulbs)
• timer + scoreboard
• clock
• sound system Ice resurfacer
• stretcher + first aid supplies
• benches (players boxes, penalty boxes,
timers box)
• ice coverings (for off-ice events)
• rubber mattings

Locker rooms
• benches
• lockers/clothes hooks or rails
• stick stands
• mirrors
• waste baskets
• rubber mattings

Public skate
• rental skates + shelving
• lockers Edger
• racks
• rubber mattings
• skate-sharpening machine

Cleaning
• brushes
• floor mops
• pressure cleaner
• vacuum cleaner
• floor washing machine
• waxing machine
• laundry machine

Cafeteria
• oven
• refrigerator freezer
• microwave oven
• counter
• tables
• seats
• sets (plates, forks, spoons etc.)
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF Ice rink prototype, ground floor

001
007

003
002
006
3

12 000
008

009
012

013
010
011

004
015

005
025
016

026

027
014
017

52
021
020

022

023
19
024

Rooms, Ground Floor m2

f

001 Entrance 15.00

030

002 Lobby 40.00

031

003 Ticketing 40.00

004 Office 17.00
005 Security/First Aid 30.00
035

006 Locker room, staff 31.50

045c

028

007 Rest room 13.00

037

008 Dressing room, public (M) 6.50

009 Dressing room, public (F) 6.50
a

010 WC (M) 1.50

036

011 Bath room (M) 1.50

012 WC (F) 1.50

66 600
78 600
013 Bath room (F) 1.50
014 Athletes lobby 74.00
015 Cleaning room 12.00
016 Skate service 4.00
046

017 Skate rental 23.50

018 Dressing room, referee 8.00
038

019 Dressing room, referee 10.00

020 WC, referee 1.50
021 Bathroom, referee 1.50
022 Bathroom, referee 1.50
042

023 WC, referee 1.50

024 Entrance 3.00
044

025 Catering staff room 4.00

041

026 Catering 12.50

d
043

027 Hockey bar 30.00

047c

028 Main hall, ice rink 2’195.00

029 Storage 28.50
030 Corridor 76.50
031 Dressing room 30.00
a

032 Dressing room 30.00

033 Bath room 8.00
034 Bath room 8.00
035 WC 1.50
036 WC 1.50
037 Cleaning room 8.50
048

038 Dressing room 30.00

039 Dressing room 30.00
040 Bath room 8.00
6000

041 Bath room 8.00

042 WC 1.50
049

043 WC 1.50
044 Laundry 8.50
045 Team equipment rooms (6x) 5.00
046 Coat-racks 23.00
6000

047 Drying room (6x) 5.00

029

048 Ice resurfacer 48.00

049 Mechanical and
electrical room 58.00
Summe (netto) 3’006.50
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF Ice rink prototype, first floor

47 000
2400 18 600 25 200 800

115
106
105
6000

12 000
104

103

102
6000

108

107
111
6000

113
110

109

53
112
6000

101
1

Rooms, First Floor m2

101 Lobby 160.00
6000

102 Cafe 132.00

103 Catering 19.50
104 Kitchen 22.00
105 Bath room, staff 6.00
106 Storage kitchen 4.50
107 Bath room (F) 7.00
6000

114

108 WC (F) 15.00

109 Bath room (M) 7.00
110 WC (M) 15.00
111 Cleaning room 6.00

66 600
78 600
112 WC (for disabled) 5.00
6000

113 Entrance cafe 41.00

114 Spectator stand 305.00
115 Terrace 26.50
116 Mechanical,
electrical room 58.00
6000

Summe (netto) 829.50

6000
6000

114
6000

1
6000

116

9000 6000 6000 6000 6000 6000 4200

 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

IIHF Member
National Associations

Federaciò Andorrana Belarus Ice Hockey Asociación Nacional

d’Esports de Gel (AND) Federation (BLR) de Hockey en Hielo y en
Casa Tonet 2° 2a 4, Masherov ave. Línea (CHI)
Canillo, Principat d’Andorra Rooms 204, 202 Cali # 715 – Parad. 20 La Florida
Phone: +376-85 26 66 220004 Minsk Santiago
Fax: +376-85 26 67 Belarus Chile
e-mail: esportsdegel@andorra.ad Phone: +375-172-23 63 69 Phone: +56-2-314 03 87 (M. Arias Home)
Internet: www.faeg.org Fax: +375-172-27 64 84 Phone: +56-2-211 64 53 (N. Gomez Home)
e-mail: bihf@pressball.nsys.by Fax: +56-2-341 36 12
Asociaciòn Argentina e-mail: ariaval@hotmail.com (M. Arias)
54 de Hockey sobre Hielo y Koninklijke Belgische e-mail: nick72@operamail.com (N. Gomez)
En Línea (ARG) Ijshockey Federatie (BEL)
Daniel Schiller Barbarastraat 80 Chinese Ice Hockey
Haiti 1536 3120 Tremelo Association (CHN)
1640 Martinez Belgium 56 Zhongguancun South Street
Buenos Aires Phone: +32-16-53 78 94 Haidian Dsitrict
Argentina Fax: +32-16-52 00 98 100044 Beijing
Phone: +54-11-4836 2360 (office) e-mail: kbijf@village.uunet.be China
Phone: +54-11-4745 2837 (home) Phone: +86-10-683 32 576
e-mail: dannyschiller@interar.com.ar Savez Hokeja na Ledu Fax: +86-10-683 58 083
Bosne i Hercegovine (BIH) e-mail: jij5614@sina.com
Ice Hockey Federation Pehlivanusa 6
of Armenia (ARM) 71000 Sarajevo Chinese Taipei Skating
Gaydar Str. 97 Bosna i Hercegovina Union (TPE)
Apt. 46 Phone: +387-33-217 702 Room 610, 6 Fl.
375033 Yerevan RA Fax: +387-33-217 701 20, Chu Lun St.
Phone: +374-1-264 788 e-mail: shlbih@bih.net.ba Taipei
Fax: +374-1-264 788 Internet: www.shlbih.com.ba Taiwan ROC
e-mail: armeniaihf@hotmail.com Phone: +88-6-227 75 87 22
Confederação Brasileira or 277 58 723
Australian Ice Hockey de Hóquei no Gelo (BRA) Fax: +88-6-227 782 778
Federation (AUS) Rua Padre Domingos Giovanini e-mail: ctskat@ms24.hinet.net
Sportshouse, 100 Maitland 596 Campinas/SP
Street CEP 13087310 Hrvatski Savez Hokeja
Hackett, ACT, 2602 Brazil Na Ledu (CRO)
Australia Phone: +55-19-324 22 063 11 Trg sportova
Postal: Fax: +55-19-321 23 079 10000 Zagreb
PO Box 173 e-mail: reginaboscolo@aol.com Croatia
Canberra, ACT, 2601 Phone/Fax: +385-1-365 02 22
Australia Bulgarian Ice Hockey e-mail: HSHL@zg.hinet.hr
Phone: +61-2-6248 8077 Federation (BUL)
Fax: +61-2-6248 8177 75, Vassil Levski blvd Cesky Svaz Ledniho
e-mail: aihf@aihf.org 1040 Sofia Hokeje (CZE)
Internet: www.aihf.org Bulgaria Paegas Arena
Phone: +359-2-980 2880 or 930 0610 Za elektrarnou 419
Österreichischer Eishockey Fax: +359-2-981 5728 or 980 2880 170 00 Praha 7
Verband (AUT) e-mail: bihf@mail.com Czech Republic
Prinz Eugen-Strasse 12 Phone: +420-2-333 79 248
1040 Wien Canadian Hockey Fax: +420-2-333 36 096
Austria Association (CAN) e-mail: ciha@mbox.speed.cz
Phone: +43-1-505 73 47 2424 University Drive N.W. Internet: www.hokej.cz
Fax: +43-1-503 16 48 Calgary, Alberta T2N 3Y9
e-mail: info@eishockey.at Canada Danmarks Ishockey
oehv@eishockey.at Phone: +1-403-777 36 36 Union (DEN)
Internet: www.eishockey.at Fax: +1-403-777 36 35 Idraettens Hus
e-mail: jwasilew@canadianhockey.ca Bröndby Stadion 20
Ice Hockey Federation Internet: www.canadianhockey.ca 2605 Bröndby
of the Republic of Denmark
Azerbaijan (AZE) Phone: +45-43-26 26 26
Litemiy Pereulok 2 Fax: +45-43-26 21 23
370603 Baku e-mail: ishockey@ishockey.dk
Azerbaijan Internet: www.ishockey.dk
Phone: +994-1-294 4000 / 295 4000
Fax: +994-1-298 5352
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Ice Hockey Association Magyar Jégkorong Korean Ice Hockey

of the DPR Korea (PRK) Szövetség (HUN) Federation (KOR)
Kumsondong 2 Kisstadion, Istvànmezei ùt 1-3 902 Olympic Center
Mangyongdae District Budapest H-1146 88 Oryun-dong
Pyongyang Hungary 138-749 Songpa-Ku
DPR Korea Phone: +361-220 2939 Seoul
Phone: +85-2-381 4403 or 25 11 222/ext. 1185 Korea
Fax: +85-2-18 111 81 64 Fax: +361-221 4663 Phone: +82-2-420 4291
e-mail: zoltank@icehockey.hu Fax: +82-2-420 4160
Eesti Internet: www.icehockey.hu e-mail: hockey2000@korea.com
Jäähokiföderatsioon (EST) Internet: www.kiha.or.kr
Regati pst. 1 Ice Hockey Iceland (ISL)
11911 Tallinn Sport Center Laugardal Latvian Ice Hockey
Estonia 104 Reykjavik Federation (LAT)
Phone: +372-639 86 89 Iceland Raunas Str. 23
Fax: +372-639 86 49 Phone: +354-892 12 77 LV 1039 Riga
e-mail: ejf@ejf.sport.ee Fax: +354-588 52 78 Latvia
e-mail: bud@isholf.is Phone: +371-7-568 279 or 563 921
Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto Fax: +371-7-515 850
(FIN) Ice Hockey Association e-mail: lhf@apollo.lv
Mäkelänkatu 91 of India (IND) Internet: www.hockey.lv
00610 Helsinki D-502, Som Vihar
Finland R.K. Puram Liechtensteiner Eishockey 55
Phone: +358-9-756 750 New Dehli-110002 und In-Line Verband
Fax: +358-9-756 755 75 India Allmeindstr. 83
e-mail: office@finhockey.fi Phone: +91-11-619 3632 9486 Schaanwald
Internet: www.finhockey.fi Fax: +91-11-619 6082 Liechtenstein
e-mail: adventure@vsal.com Phone: +423-777 81 71
Fédération Française Fax: +423-373 81 73
des Sports de Glace (FRA) Irish Ice Hockey e-mail: mzanghellini@leiv.li
35, Rue Félicien David Federation (IRL)
75016 Paris 13 Raleigh Square Lietuvos Ledo Ritulio
France Crumlin, Dublin 12 Federacija (LTU)
Phone: +33-1-539 281 81 Ireland Zemaites str. 6
Fax: +33-1-539 281 58 Phone: +353-1-455 02 22 2600 Vilnius
e-mail: hockey@ffsg.org Fax: +353-1-494 70 38 or 455 20 22 Lithuania
Internet: www.ffsg.org e-mail: info@iiha.org Phone/Fax: +370-2-33 45 87
Internet: www.iiha.org e-mail: ledoritulys@takas.lt
Deutscher Eishockey
Bund e.V. (GER) The Ice Hockey Fédération
Betzenweg 34 Federation of Israel (ISR) Luxembourgeoise de
D-81247 München 20 Yordei-Hasira Street Hockey sur Glace (LUX)
Germany Tel-Aviv 63508 Boite postale 1632
Phone: +49-89-81 82 0 Israel 1016 Luxembourg
Fax: +49-89-81 82 36 Phone/Fax: +972-3-604 0722 Luxembourg
e-mail: info@deb-online.de e-mail: icehockey-_Israel@hotmail.com Phone: +352-49 21 98
Internet: www.deb-online.de Fax: +352-40 22 28
Federazione Italiana e-mail: amscheier@pt.lu
Ice Hockey UK (GBR) Sport Ghiaccio (ITA)
47 Westminster Buildings Via G.B. Piranesi, 44/b Ice Hockey Association
Theatre Square 20137 Milano of Macedonia
Nottingham, NG1 6LG Italy Jordan Hadzikonstantinov
Great Britain Phone: +39-02-70 141 322/323 Dzinot 12a
Phone: +44-115-9241441 Fax: +39-02-761 0839 1000 Skopje
Fax: +44-115-9243443 e-mail: fisg.hockey@tin.it Macedonia
e-mail: hockey@icehockeyuk.co.uk Internet: www.fisg.it Phone/Fax: +389-2-228 624
Internet: www.icehockeyuk.co.uk e-mail: macedoniahockey@yahoo.com
Japan Ice Hockey
Hellenic Ice Sports Federation (JPN) Federaciòn Mexicana
Federation (GRE) Kishi Memorial Hall de Deportes Invernales,
52 Akakion Str. 1-1-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku AC (MEX)
GR-151 25 Polydroso Amarousiou Tokyo 150-8050 Via Lactea 351
Athens Japan Jardins de Satelite
Greece Phone: +81-3-3481 2404 Naucalpan
Phone: +30-1-684 93 24 Fax: +81-3-3481 2407 Estado de Mexico 53129
Fax: +30-1-685 82 81 e-mail: icehockey@japan-sports.or.jp Mexico
e-mail: HISF@acropolis.net Internet: www.jihf.or.jp Phone/Fax: +52-555-343 08 55
e-mail: jlaguilaru@prodigy.net.mx
Hong Kong Ice Hockey Kazakstan Ice Hockey
Association (HKG) Federation (KAZ)
Room 1023, Sports House 12/1 Kosmitcheskaya Str.
1 Stadium Path P.O. Box 2712
Sokonpo 492022 Ust-Kamenogorsk
Causeway Bay Kazakstan
Hong Kong Phone: +7-323-2-475 428
China Fax: +7-323-2-475 934
Phone: +852-28 27 26 98 e-mail: hockey@ukg.kz
Fax: +852-25 04 81 91
e-mail: hkiha@hksdb.org.hk
 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Mongolian Ice Hockey Ice Hockey Federation Thailand Ice Skating

Federation (MON) of Russia (RUS) Association (THA)
Ulaanbaatar-36 Luzhnetskaia Naberezhnaia 8 Room 238, Zone W,
P.O. Box-162 119992 Moscow Rajamangalal National Stadium
Mongolia Russia The Sports Authority of Thailand
Phone: +976-99 19 8996 or 99 18 0200 Phone: +7-095-201 08 20 or 201 19 73 2088 Ramkhamhaeng Road
Fax: +976-11-34 5051 or 34 1524 Fax: +7-095-248 03 22 Hua Mark Bangkok 10240
e-mail: bsndava_@mongol.net e-mail: hockeyrf@rinet.ru Thailand
Internet: www.fhr.ru Phone: +66.2.369 1517
Namibia In-Line or 3180940 ext. 1468
Skating Association (NAM) Skating Federation Fax: +66.2.369 1517
P.O. Box 830 of Singapore (SIN)
Swakopmund 153 West Coast Park Türkiye Buz Sparlari
Namibia Singapore 127720 Federasyonu (TUR)
Phone: +264-64-404 178 Singapore Gençlik ve Spor genel
Fax: +264-64-402 780 Phone: +65-561 1329 or 896 1201 Müdürlügü
e-mail: green@iafrica.com.na Fax. +65-896 12 02 Ulns IS Hani A Blok Kat 5
06050 Ulus/Ankara
Nederlandse Ijshockey Slovensky Zvaz Turkey
Bond (NED) Ladoveho Hokeja (SVK) Phone: +90-312-467 10 10
P.O. Box 292 Junàcka 6 Fax: +90-312-467 10 10
2700 AG Zoetermeer 832 80 Bratislava e-mail: oyko@tr.net
56 Netherlands Phone: +421-2-492 49 178 (secretariat)
Phone: +31-79-330 5050 +421-2-492 49 237 (int. dept) Ice Hockey Federation
Fax: +31-79-330 5051 Fax: +421-2-442 58 344 of Ukraine (UKR)
e-mail: info@nijif.nl e-mail: szlh@szlh.sk 11A Sichnevogo
Internet: www.nijb.nl Internet: www.hokej.sk Povstannaya Str.
IIHF Member National Associations

252010 Kiev
New Zealand Ice Hokejska Zveza Ukraine
Hockey Federation (NZL) Slovenije (SLO) Phone: +380-44-226 33 92 or 220 11 30
P.O. Box 488 Celovska 25 Fax: +380-44-220 11 30
Christchurch 1000 Ljubljana e-mail: icehockey@sport.kiev.ua
New Zealand Slovenia Internet: www.hockey.binet.com.ua
Phone: +64-3-442 8921 Phone/Fax: +386-1-2313 121
Fax: +64-3-442 8924 Phone: +386-1-430 64 80 United Arab
e-mail: glass@queenstown.co.nz Fax: +386-1-430 64 81 Emirates (UAE)
Internet: www.nzicehockey.co.nz e-mail: hzs@hokejska-zveza.si Box 2892
Internet: www.hokejska-zveza.si Dubai
Norges United Arab Emirates
Ishockeyförbund (NOR) South African Ice Phone: +971-50-623 4999
Sognsveien 75 J Hockey Association (RSA) Fax: +971-43-420 851
Serviceboks 1, Ulleval Stadion P.O. Box 926 e-mail: Sam2892@emirates.net.ae
0840 Oslo Parklands 2121
Norway South Africa USA Hockey (USA)
Phone: +47 2102 9000 Phone: +27-11-472 4325 1775 Bob Johnson Drive
Fax: +47 2102 9631 Fax: +27-11-472 7473 Colorado Springs, CO. 80906
e-mail: hockey@nif.idrett.no e-mail: saiha@iafrica.com USA
Internet: www.hockey.no Internet: www.saicehockey.org.za Phone: +1-719-576-8724
Fax: +1-719-538-1160
Polski Zwiazek Hokeja Real Federaciòn Española e-mail: usah@usahockey.org
na Lodzie (POL) Deportes de Invierno (ESP) Internet: www.usahockey.com
M. Konopnickiej Str. 3, Apt. 2 C/ Arroyofresno, no. 3-A
00-491 Warszawa, Poland 28035 Madrid Yugoslav Ice Hockey
Phone: +48-22-628 8063 Spain Federation (YUG)
Fax: +48-22-629 3754 Phone: +34-91-376 99 30 Carli Caplina 39 (Hala Pionir)
e-mail: pzhl@pzhl.org.pl Fax: +34-91-376 99 31 11000 Belgrade
Internet: www.pzhl.org.pl e-mail: rfedifrank@inicia.es Yugoslavia
Phone: +381-11-764 479
Associação Nacional de Svenska Fax: +381-11-764 976
Desportos no Gelo, Ishockeyförbundet (SWE) e-mail: YIHF@hotmail.com
A.P.D. (POR) Box 5204, Bolidenvägen 22
Largo Marechal Carmona nº3-1º Esq 121 16 Johanneshov
2675-318 Odivelas Sweden
Portugal Phone: +46-8-449 04 00
Phone: +351-96-416 08 15 Fax: +46-8-91 00 35
Fax: +351-269 860 110 e-mail: info@swehockey.se
e-mail: rony@mail.telepac.pt Internet: www.swehockey.se
Internet: www.planeta.clix.pt/andg
Schweizerischer
Romanian Ice Hockey Eishockeyverband (SUI)
Federation (ROM) Postfach
Bdul. Basarabia 35-37 Hagenholzstr. 81
73403 Bucuresti, sectorul 2 8062 Zürich
Romania Switzerland International
Phone: +40-21-324 68 71 Phone: +41-1-306 50 50 Ice Hockey Federation
Phone/Fax: +40-21-324 77 13 Fax: +41-1-306 50 51 Brandschenkestrasse 50
Mobile: +40-722-533 337 e-mail: info@sehv.ch 8002 Zürich
(Mr Eduard Pana) Internet: www.sehv.ch Switzerland
Mobile: +40-722-533 339 e-mail: iihf@iihf.com
(Mr Marian Negoita) Internet: www.iihf.com
International Ice Hockey Federation