Lynah Rink
Encyclopedia
Lynah Rink is a 4,267-seat hockey arena
at Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York
, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah
, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935-1943, it is home to the Big Red
men's and women's ice hockey
teams.
Lynah has been home to hockey greats such as Ken Dryden
, Joe Nieuwendyk
and Olympic Gold Medalist
Dana Antal
.
shaped structure covered with multi-colored (orange, tan, black and brown) brick wall cladding set in a common bond pattern. Projecting from the facade of the structure is a one story rectangular wing flanked on either side by two vertical appendages, which have multi-paned colored glass windows. The one story wing has a strip of casement window
s. The stairway is situated on the west side of the building. A white concrete block structure with wall buttresses connects Lynah Rink to Bartels Hall. It was constructed for $500,000 with a donation from Walter S. Carpenter, Jr.
whose gift came with the stipulation that he did not want his name on the building. The facility was designed by Van Storch, Evans, and Burkavage of Waverly, PA and constructed by Streeter Associates of Elmira, NY.
The rink opened on March 21, 1957 with a match between the New York Rangers
(NHL) and the Rochester Americans
(AHL
) in front of 4200 spectators. It was subsequently dedicated on April 6, 1957 and named the James Lynah
Skating Hall.
In March, 2006 Cornell University broke ground on a major renovation project designed to add 19500 square feet (1,811.6 m²) to the rink. The additions and renovations included 464 new seats, upgraded locker rooms for both the men's and women's squads and their opponents, trainers' rooms, coaches' offices and a study area for players. New scoreboards were added, including one at center ice, as well as preferred seating and a tunnel for the players.
Cornell's men's team has had great success at Lynah Rink, closing in on its 500th win on home ice. Its record at Lynah was 15-0-1 during the 2004-2005 season, 15-0-0 during the 2002-2003 season, and 14-1-1 during the 2001-2002 season. Postseason success at Lynah has been equally impressive. Since Lynah Rink hosted its first postseason game in 1966, Cornell's men's team has a postseason record of 38-7-2 in games played there. During the same period they were 14-1 in single elimination games with the sole loss coming against Providence in 1978 and 12-3 in multi-game series.
Cornell has long been criticized for its policies regarding the distribution of season tickets to men's hockey home games. Students often wait in line for nights to get tickets; however, some believe that this is part of the experience of being among Lynah Faithful. It's common to see students wearing T-shirt
s proudly announcing, "I did my time in the line." In 2005, despite efforts to improve the process over previous years, Cornell was criticized for creating chaos when the Athletic Department announced where students had to go for tickets. In 2006, this was alleviated when the ticket line was preselected at random. During the 2009-2010 Hockey season, students did not have to wait in line for season passes given growing concerns over swine flu. Instead the tickets were distributed via a lottery. Beginning in the fall of 2010, Cornell Athletics began distributing tickets via online ticket sales, giving priority to students who had previously purchased season tickets.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah
James Lynah
James Lynah was an American businessman and sports administrator who is considered the principal founder of the Eastern College Athletic Conference....
, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935-1943, it is home to the Big Red
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
men's and women's ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams.
Lynah has been home to hockey greats such as Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
, Joe Nieuwendyk
Joe Nieuwendyk
Joseph Nieuwendyk is the general manager of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League and a retired Canadian ice hockey player...
and Olympic Gold Medalist
Canadian national women's hockey team
The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is controlled by Hockey Canada. Canada has been by far one of the two most dominant teams in international competition. They have won the majority of major ice hockey tournaments, while their losses have only been against the United States and Sweden...
Dana Antal
Dana Antal
Dana Antal is a women's ice hockey player. She won a gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Prior to joining the Canadian national team, she played collegiate hockey for Cornell University. In her first season, she was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and...
.
History
The building is a quonsetQuonset
Quonset may refer to:*Quonset Point, a peninsula North Kingstown, Rhode Island**Naval Air Station Quonset Point**Quonset State Airport*Quonset hut, a military structure* Quonset Hut Studio, an early recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee...
shaped structure covered with multi-colored (orange, tan, black and brown) brick wall cladding set in a common bond pattern. Projecting from the facade of the structure is a one story rectangular wing flanked on either side by two vertical appendages, which have multi-paned colored glass windows. The one story wing has a strip of casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s. The stairway is situated on the west side of the building. A white concrete block structure with wall buttresses connects Lynah Rink to Bartels Hall. It was constructed for $500,000 with a donation from Walter S. Carpenter, Jr.
Walter S. Carpenter, Jr.
Walter Samuel Carpenter, Jr. was an American corporate executive from Wilmington, Delaware who oversaw the DuPont company's involvement in the Manhattan Project to produce an atomic bomb for use during World War II...
whose gift came with the stipulation that he did not want his name on the building. The facility was designed by Van Storch, Evans, and Burkavage of Waverly, PA and constructed by Streeter Associates of Elmira, NY.
The rink opened on March 21, 1957 with a match between the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
(NHL) and the Rochester Americans
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial...
(AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
) in front of 4200 spectators. It was subsequently dedicated on April 6, 1957 and named the James Lynah
James Lynah
James Lynah was an American businessman and sports administrator who is considered the principal founder of the Eastern College Athletic Conference....
Skating Hall.
Lynah Faithful
Fans of Cornell's hockey teams are called the Lynah Faithful; they are among the loudest and most dedicated fans in the country making Lynah Rink, many believe, one of college hockey's most hostile arenas. The raucous crowd support gives the Big Red one of the largest home ice advantages in college hockey, winning over 70% of their games on home ice since Lynah opened in 1957. The Lynah Faithful are cheered on by one cowbell, usually played by a zealous undergraduate. , but only during the second and third periods (including overtime) at approximately mid-period. Many of the other regular chants of the Faithful are listed on a website, which serves as a useful primer in the history and traditions of Cornell Hockey when initiating new students into the Lynah Faithful.After the end of all games at Lynah, when the opposing team leaves ice, the Cornell team gathers at center ice and raises their sticks to salute the faithful as they applaud the team. This is known as the Lynah salute.Cornell's men's team has had great success at Lynah Rink, closing in on its 500th win on home ice. Its record at Lynah was 15-0-1 during the 2004-2005 season, 15-0-0 during the 2002-2003 season, and 14-1-1 during the 2001-2002 season. Postseason success at Lynah has been equally impressive. Since Lynah Rink hosted its first postseason game in 1966, Cornell's men's team has a postseason record of 38-7-2 in games played there. During the same period they were 14-1 in single elimination games with the sole loss coming against Providence in 1978 and 12-3 in multi-game series.
Cornell has long been criticized for its policies regarding the distribution of season tickets to men's hockey home games. Students often wait in line for nights to get tickets; however, some believe that this is part of the experience of being among Lynah Faithful. It's common to see students wearing T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s proudly announcing, "I did my time in the line." In 2005, despite efforts to improve the process over previous years, Cornell was criticized for creating chaos when the Athletic Department announced where students had to go for tickets. In 2006, this was alleviated when the ticket line was preselected at random. During the 2009-2010 Hockey season, students did not have to wait in line for season passes given growing concerns over swine flu. Instead the tickets were distributed via a lottery. Beginning in the fall of 2010, Cornell Athletics began distributing tickets via online ticket sales, giving priority to students who had previously purchased season tickets.