Community Corner

Rangers-Chase Kick in $25K for Ice Arena Restoration


Thanks to a $25,000 donation from the New York Rangers and Chase bank, Long Beach Ice Arena will receive upgrades it sustained four feet of flooding and heavy damages during Hurricane Sandy.

The funds will provide the 39-year-old facility with a new refrigeration system for the rink, new rubber flooring and sheetrock for the entire arena, as well as a new Zamboni ice resurfacing machine and electrical repairs.

The Rangers and Chase have joined together in a program to assist youth hockey, the first gesture of which includes aid to refurbish ice rinks in Long Beach and Playland Ice Casino in Rye, also damaged during Sandy and will also receive a $25,000 donation. The NHL team held practices at the Long Beach arena during the 1970s, after which they practiced in Rye from 1979 to 2002.

“This new program further expands the Rangers longstanding commitment to providing youth and adults with a variety of opportunities through camps, clinics and special events to have fun, learn the game of hockey and hone their skills,” Howard Jacobs, MSG Sports executive vice president of marketing and sales, said in a statement.

The 32,500-square-foot, 800-seat arena that abuts the city’s bay front has been closed since the storm. Renovations are expected to start immediately on the ice arena, and although the city hasn’t given a date for reopening, the Rangers-Chase stated it will be sometime in March.

“On behalf of the City of Long Beach, I just want to sincerely thank the New York Rangers and Chase for their overwhelming generosity,” said city spokesman Gordon Tepper, who I interned at the Rangers' public relations department during the 2000-2001 season and was a member of the team's game-night staff. “Their donation will go a long in rebuilding the Ice Arena.”

Colleen Canny, head of Chase branches in the Northeast US, said that the bank’s partnership with the Ranger is an extension of its long-standing commitment to “do the right thing” in New York communities.  

“It’s engrained in our culture and how we run our business,” Canny stated. “This storm impacted our employees, our customers and our communities, so it’s only right for us to be a good neighbor as we rebuild.”

In the wake of the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a recovery center at the ice arena, which also served as a distribution center of everything from food to clothing to household items for the storm-ravaged community.

Prior to Sandy, the city had plans to hire a firm to manage the arena, purchase its naming rights, or partner with the city to renovate the facility. 


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