Peaks Ice Arena
Encyclopedia
Peaks Ice Arena is an indoor ice hockey
arena
in Provo, Utah
, United States
, located 43 miles (69.2 km) south of Salt Lake City.
It was built, along with the E Center
in West Valley City, Utah
, to serve as an ice hockey and practice venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics
. It currently serves as the home of the BYU Cougar men's ice hockey team, semi-pro Utah County Blizzard, along with several high school teams.
football stadium
. After the 1989 Olympic referendum passed, and Salt Lake City lost its 1991 bid to host the 1998 Winter Olympics
, the Utah Sports Authority and Provo City decided to wait until Salt Lake City bid again for the 2002 Winter Olympics before any venue planning would start.
After Salt Lake City successfully won the 2002 Olympic bid in 1995, planning began again for what venue Utah County could host. It was decided that the city of Provo would host the venue, but that it would only be a practice ice sheet, mostly like to be built in the planned Provo Towne Centre Mall. Eventually plans changed and a larger, yet still only a practice ice facility, was planned to be constructed near Provo's East Bay Golf Course. Utah County, Provo, and SLOC all okayed the plans and committed to building the $7.7 million dollar facility. But in July 1996, before construction had started, the owners of Provo's Seven Peaks Waterpark approached the city and asked that the arena be built on the park's property, and Seven Peaks would pay for an additional ice sheet to be constructed in the same building. The plan was approved by county officials October 14, 1996, with Provo paying $2 million, Utah County $2 million, SLOC $3 million, and Seven Peaks donating land for the arena and parking spaces. Valentiner, Crane, Brunjes, Onyon Architecture was chosen to design the arena.
On September 17, 1997 ground was broken for construction next to Seven Peaks Waterpark. It was to be 84000 square feet (7,803.9 m²) in size, with two ice sheets side by side. One ice sheet would have seating for about 2,000 spectators while the other would seat 300. By the time ground was broken the price had increased to $8.5 million, $1.5 million more than originally planned; the extra cost would be paid for by Seven Peaks.
Soon after construction had begun SLOC decided to host competitive hockey events in the new arena, versus the original plan to use the arena for practices, and using Utah Valley University's McKay Events Center
for the competitions. SLOC would contribute $5.25 million towards the project, the cost of which had just jumped to $10.75 million, with the addition of 12 locker rooms instead of four, extra seating, and other minor additions to the original plan.
The arena opened November 20, 1998 in what was considered a "soft opening", and following the completion of minor work, the arena was supposed to have a grand opening in January or February 1999. But in December 1998 allegations of a scandal involving SLOC members, and members of the International Olympic Committee
concerning the 2002 Olympic bid
surfaced, pushing back the grand opening. As a result, the grand opening celebration was held September 29, 1999, and the venue hosted its first event, a hockey game between the University of Minnesota
Duluth Bulldogs and the University of Calgary
Oval Extremes, two days later. The completed arena cost $12.4 million to build, included two ice sheets, had seating for over 2,000 spectators, and was 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) in size.
and practices were held in the arena. Because of its original size over 6,000 temporary seats had to be installed to boost the ice center's capacity to 8,400, including press members. 93 percent of tickets were sold, for a total 131,067 of spectators witnessing events in the arena.
collegiate hockey team of Brigham Young University
, and high school teams including Timpanogos, Utah County Independents, Lehi, Payson, and Springville, the semi-pro hockey team the Utah County Blizzard, as well as the Timpanogos Amateur Hockey Association (TAHA). The arena is open to the public for ice skating, skating lessons, and can even be used for indoor soccer games.
On November 20, 2008 Provo City took control of the arena from Seven Peaks owner Max Rabner, resolving a lawsuit that had been on going for years over the original construction and management agreements. The arena is now operated by the Parks and Recreation Department of Provo.
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...
arena
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...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located 43 miles (69.2 km) south of Salt Lake City.
It was built, along with the E Center
E Center
The Maverik Center, originally known as the E Center, is a 10,100 seat multi-purpose arena located in West Valley City, Utah, United States. Construction on the arena started in 1996 and was completed in time to hold its first event on September 22, 1997...
in West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...
, to serve as an ice hockey and practice venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
. It currently serves as the home of the BYU Cougar men's ice hockey team, semi-pro Utah County Blizzard, along with several high school teams.
History
Provo was chosen as the site for an Olympic venue because the leaders of Utah County refused to support Utah's 1989 Olympic referendum unless they were promised at least one Olympic event would be held in the county. Originally county leaders wanted a speed skating oval built somewhere in Provo or on the campus of Utah Valley University; others suggested the game's Closing Ceremony could be held at Brigham Young University'sBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
football stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Provo, Utah, on the campus of Brigham Young University. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars....
. After the 1989 Olympic referendum passed, and Salt Lake City lost its 1991 bid to host the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
, the Utah Sports Authority and Provo City decided to wait until Salt Lake City bid again for the 2002 Winter Olympics before any venue planning would start.
After Salt Lake City successfully won the 2002 Olympic bid in 1995, planning began again for what venue Utah County could host. It was decided that the city of Provo would host the venue, but that it would only be a practice ice sheet, mostly like to be built in the planned Provo Towne Centre Mall. Eventually plans changed and a larger, yet still only a practice ice facility, was planned to be constructed near Provo's East Bay Golf Course. Utah County, Provo, and SLOC all okayed the plans and committed to building the $7.7 million dollar facility. But in July 1996, before construction had started, the owners of Provo's Seven Peaks Waterpark approached the city and asked that the arena be built on the park's property, and Seven Peaks would pay for an additional ice sheet to be constructed in the same building. The plan was approved by county officials October 14, 1996, with Provo paying $2 million, Utah County $2 million, SLOC $3 million, and Seven Peaks donating land for the arena and parking spaces. Valentiner, Crane, Brunjes, Onyon Architecture was chosen to design the arena.
On September 17, 1997 ground was broken for construction next to Seven Peaks Waterpark. It was to be 84000 square feet (7,803.9 m²) in size, with two ice sheets side by side. One ice sheet would have seating for about 2,000 spectators while the other would seat 300. By the time ground was broken the price had increased to $8.5 million, $1.5 million more than originally planned; the extra cost would be paid for by Seven Peaks.
Soon after construction had begun SLOC decided to host competitive hockey events in the new arena, versus the original plan to use the arena for practices, and using Utah Valley University's McKay Events Center
McKay Events Center
The UCCU Center, formerly known as the David O. McKay Events Center, is a 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Orem, Utah. It was built in 1996 and is home to the Utah Valley University Wolverines basketball team. It is the home of Utah Jazz's NBA Development League affiliate team, the Utah Flash and...
for the competitions. SLOC would contribute $5.25 million towards the project, the cost of which had just jumped to $10.75 million, with the addition of 12 locker rooms instead of four, extra seating, and other minor additions to the original plan.
The arena opened November 20, 1998 in what was considered a "soft opening", and following the completion of minor work, the arena was supposed to have a grand opening in January or February 1999. But in December 1998 allegations of a scandal involving SLOC members, and members of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
concerning the 2002 Olympic bid
2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games bid scandal was a scandal involving allegations of bribery used to win the rights to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Prior to its successful bid in 1995, the city had attempted four times to secure the games; failing each time...
surfaced, pushing back the grand opening. As a result, the grand opening celebration was held September 29, 1999, and the venue hosted its first event, a hockey game between the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
Duluth Bulldogs and the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
Oval Extremes, two days later. The completed arena cost $12.4 million to build, included two ice sheets, had seating for over 2,000 spectators, and was 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) in size.
2002 Winter Olympics
During the 2002 games both men's and women's ice hockey gamesIce hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics were held at the E Center in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Utah. Both the men's and women's tournaments were won by Canada, defeating the host USA in both games.-Men:...
and practices were held in the arena. Because of its original size over 6,000 temporary seats had to be installed to boost the ice center's capacity to 8,400, including press members. 93 percent of tickets were sold, for a total 131,067 of spectators witnessing events in the arena.
The Arena Today
The arena is home to the Peaks Figure Skating Club, where figure skaters can come together and enjoy one another while progressing within their sport. The arena also serves as home ice for the ACHAAcha
Acha is a HINDI word for OK.Acha is also an Ewokese word for OK. Ewokese is a language used in the Star Wars Ewok Adventures: Caravan Of Courage / The Battle For Endor* Acha, Argyll and Bute, Scotland...
collegiate hockey team of Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, and high school teams including Timpanogos, Utah County Independents, Lehi, Payson, and Springville, the semi-pro hockey team the Utah County Blizzard, as well as the Timpanogos Amateur Hockey Association (TAHA). The arena is open to the public for ice skating, skating lessons, and can even be used for indoor soccer games.
On November 20, 2008 Provo City took control of the arena from Seven Peaks owner Max Rabner, resolving a lawsuit that had been on going for years over the original construction and management agreements. The arena is now operated by the Parks and Recreation Department of Provo.