It was a tiny little outdoor rink in Glenview, which technically was closed last night. It about 7:15pm and it was still snowing just a little bit. When I pulled up, there were already two kids out there shooting around. No nets, no boards, just a set of bleachers and an 8 ft fence around the snow and the ice. When I say it was technically closed, the gate was actually locked. I didn’t realize that at first, and it wasn’t until I made almost an entire lap around the small rink before asking the kids how they got one the ice.  There was only one way … up and over.

Not having nets or boards to shoot against, it wasn’t ideal. There was a dusting of snow still on the ice itself, which looked cooler than it was. The temp in the car said it was about 18°F with the air temp alone, probably a little cooler with the light wind. Skating wasn’t that bad all bundled up, but my lungs filling up with that colder than usual air slowed me down sooner than I would have liked.

The verdict on the rink? It’s still early in the season, so if they do manage to put up boards and have nets when the rink is officially open, it might be a nice backup if there aren’t too many people out there. It was nice and quiet, so that helped with the atmosphere. Still going to look for a better option for more regular hockey sessions.

And no, I did not climb the fence with my skates on!