Oceanside Ice Arena

Last updated
Oceanside Ice Arena
"The Side"
Oceanside Ice Arena October 2019.jpg
Oceanside Ice Arena
Former namesBig Skate (1974-1975)
Location1520 North McClintock Drive
Tempe, Arizona
OwnerOverton Moore Properties
OperatorDesert Youth Hockey Association
Capacity 747
Surface200' x 90'
Construction
Opened1974
ClosedMarch 19th, 2023
DemolishedMarch-April 2023
Tenants
Desert Youth Hockey Association - Jr Sun Devils/Phoenix Firebirds (1975-2023)
Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey (1979–2022)
Arizona State Sun Devils women's ice hockey (2016–2022) [1]

Oceanside Ice Arena was an ice arena and skating center in Tempe, Arizona. It served as the home of the Desert Youth Hockey Association from 1975 to 2023 and formerly Arizona State Sun Devils men's and women's hockey, the Arizona State Men's program had been at Oceanside since 1979. [2]

Contents

Naming

Oceanside's original name was Big Skate to match the adjacent waterpark "Big Surf" and to match the never built tennis court "Big Serve" before it was changed to Oceanside sometime before opening to match the west coast theming of the sports complex.

History

Oceanside Ice Arena opened in 1974. The arena has been home to Desert Youth Hockey Association since 1975 and the Arizona State University hockey program since its inception in 1979. During that range of time, the Sun Devils evolved from an unofficial club team playing in an arid area without much interest in ice sports, to the Division I level in the 2015–16 season in a fast developing Sun Belt metropolis, requiring upgrades to bring the arena up to NCAA standards.

In 1976, to capitalize on the popularity of the movie, Saturday Night Fever, the teen disco, "The Rock Hop" was hired to play every Saturday night between 1976 and 1980 except for summers, which moved the teen dance parties next door to the Big Surf water park on Friday nights. A $2.50 Dance and Skate party smashed attendance records for the ice rink, as 1/4 of the ice was covered with a plywood dance floor, and a temporary retaining wall was bolted across the border between the ice and the plywood floor. Attendance was so high that at times, the ice had to be cleared to refreeze, as the heat from all the people dancing and skating would melt the ice.

In 2015 Oceanside went under a $250,000 renovation to help standardize the rink. [3]

In November 2020, the Arizona Board of Regents' finance committee approved plans to construct a new, 5,000-seat indoor arena on-campus near Desert Financial Arena, which will replace Oceanside as the Sun Devils men's home arena starting in 2022. [4] [5] [6]

On March 16, 2022, the Sun Devil's men's team played their final game at Oceanside, beating the LIU Sharks men's ice hockey team 5-1, the final goal being scored by senior Christopher Grando. [7]

On April 12, 2022, Oceanside and the neighboring water park, Big Surf, were sold to Overton Moore Properties, a real estate developer, putting the rink's future into question. [8]

The Arena was closed on March 19, 2023, and demolition began the following day March 20th, and is set to be complete by June 2023.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State University</span> Public university in Tempe, Arizona, US

Arizona State University is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is now one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded in the late 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed, but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century, then state universities in the late 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Coyotes</span> Inactive National Hockey League team

The Arizona Coyotes are a currently inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division and the Pacific Division (1998–2020) in the Western Conference, and the West Division (2020–2021). They played at America West Arena in downtown Phoenix from 1996 to 2003, at Glendale's Gila River Arena from 2003 to 2022, and at Mullett Arena in Tempe from 2022 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain America Stadium</span> Football stadium in Tempe, Arizona

Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the southwestern United States, on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona. The stadium is officially named Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils. It was named Sun Devil Stadium until 2023. It is home to the ASU Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference. The stadium's seating capacity as of 2018 is 53,599, reduced from a peak of 74,865 in 1989. The natural grass playing surface within the stadium was named Frank Kush Field in 1996 in honor of the former coach of the team. The stadium underwent a five-year, $304-million renovation that was completed in August 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Diamond Arena</span> Entertainment arena in Glendale, Arizona

Desert Diamond Arena is an indoor entertainment arena located in Glendale, Arizona, which anchors the 223-acre, $1 billion Westgate Entertainment District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona–Arizona State football rivalry</span> College football rivalry

The Arizona–Arizona State football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the University of Arizona Wildcats (UA) and the Arizona State University Sun Devils (ASU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Financial Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Tempe, Arizona

Desert Financial Arena is a 14,198-seat multi-purpose arena located at 600 E Veterans Way in Tempe, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. It sits immediately east of Mountain America Stadium on the northern edge of the Tempe campus of Arizona State University (ASU).

The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The mascot was adopted in 1946; earlier nicknames were the Normals and later, the Bulldogs. The Sun Devil mascot, Sparky, was designed by former Disney illustrator Bert Anthony. ASU's chief rival is the University of Arizona Wildcats, and both universities' athletics departments compete against each other in the Territorial Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Devil Marching Band</span> Marching band of Arizona State University

The Sun Devil Marching Band (SDMB), also known as The Pride of the Southwest, is the athletic band of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devil Marching Band motto is “Expect Great Things.” The acronym EGT is inscribed on a sign that hangs from the director's podium towering over the band's practice field, and is a symbol of the high standards that band members strive to meet. The ASU Band program, which includes the Marching, Pep, and Dixieland bands, is a part of the Sun Devil Athletics department. The band is currently under the direction of Director of Athletic Bands James G. "The Hammer" Hudson, who took over the program in 2006. The Sun Devil Marching Band is a major ambassador for Arizona State University and the state of Arizona. Each year almost 500,000 people are entertained by the band, which plays at home football at Sun Devil Stadium and as a pep band for basketball games at Wells Fargo Arena, homecoming, bowl game parades, other community events in the Valley, across the country, and even abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State Sun Devils football</span> Football team of Arizona State University

The Arizona State Sun Devils football team represents Arizona State University in the sport of American college football. The Sun Devils team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Arizona State University has fielded a football team since 1897. The Sun Devils are led by head coach Kenny Dillingham and play their home games at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils have won seventeen conference titles.

Arizona State University Tempe campus is the main campus of Arizona State University, and the largest of the five campuses that comprise the university. The campus lies in the heart of Tempe, Arizona, about eight miles (13 km) east of downtown Phoenix. The campus is considered urban, and is approximately 642 acres (2.6 km2) in size. The campus is arranged around broad pedestrian malls and, in toto, is considered to be an arboretum. ASU has an extensive public art collection, considered one of the ten best among university public art collections in the United States. Against the northwest edge of campus is the Mill Avenue district which has a college atmosphere that attracts many students to its restaurants and bars. ASU's Tempe Campus is also home to all of the university's athletic facilities.

Sun Devil Gym is a 4,609-seat multi-purpose arena in Tempe, Arizona. It was home to the Arizona State University Sun Devils basketball team from 1953 until the Desert Financial Arena opened in 1974. The building is now known as Physical Education West and is used mostly for classrooms and events.

The Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Arizona State University. It plays its home games at Mullett Arena in Tempe.

Greg Powers is a former ice hockey goaltender who currently the head coach at his alma mater Arizona State.

The Arizona State Sun Devils women's ice hockey team represents Arizona State University (ASU) in American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) women's Division I competition as a member of the Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League (WWCHL). It plays its home games at Mullett Arena in Tempe, beginning in the 2022–23 season.

The 2020–21 Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey season was the 6th season of play for the program at the Division I level. The Sun Devils represented Arizona State University and were coached by Greg Powers, in his 11th season.

The 2021–22 Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball team represented Arizona State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sun Devils were led by seventh-year head coach Bobby Hurley, and played their home games at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona as members of the Pac–12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mullett Arena</span> Venue in Tempe, Arizona

Mullett Arena is an indoor multipurpose arena at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

The 2022–23 Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball team represent Arizona State University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sun Devils are led by eighth-year head coach Bobby Hurley, and play their home games at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona as members of the Pac–12 Conference. In the 2022–2023 season, the Sun Devils went 23-12 overall and 11–9 in Pac-12 play to qualify for the NCAA Tournament where they were an 11 seed. They defeated the University of Nevada to get to the Round of 64 versus TCU. During the regular season, ASU had big wins over #20 Michigan and #7 Arizona, the latter being beaten on a 60-foot buzzer beater by Desmond Cambridge Jr. They finished tied for 5th place in the Pac-12.

The 2023–24 Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball team represented Arizona State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sun Devils were led by ninth-year head coach Bobby Hurley, and played their home games at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona. This was their last season as members of the Pac-12 Conference after 45 years, joining the Big 12 Conference in the 2024–25 season.

The 2023–24 Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey season was the 9th season of play for the program at the Division I level. The Sun Devils represented Arizona State University and were coached by Greg Powers in his 12th season.

References

  1. ↑ "Arizona State University Women's Ice Hockey - Home". asuwomenshockey.com. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  2. ↑ "Arena Information :: Oceanside Ice Arena". oceansideicearena.net. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  3. ↑ "Benefits of $250,000 renovation to ASU hockey's home arena go beyond the newly minted D-I program | Cronkite News - Arizona PBS". cronkitenews.azpbs.org. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  4. ↑ Cameron, Greg. "Q&A With ... Arizona State AD Ray Anderson". College Hockey News. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Tapia, Monica. "RFP Issued for New ASU Multi-Purpose Sports Arena". azbex.com. BEX azbex. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "ASU's plans for new $115 million hockey arena approved by committee". Arizona Sports. 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  7. ↑ Coil, Alex. "ASU men's hockey says goodbye to Oceanside Ice Arena with a bang". Cronkite News. Arizona PBS. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Brown, Brandon (12 April 2022). "California developer buys Big Surf water park and Oceanside ice rink in Tempe". The Business Journals. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
Preceded by
None
 Home of
Arizona State Sun Devils men's hockey
1979–2022		Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
 Home of
Arizona State Sun Devils women's hockey
2016–2022		Succeeded by

33°26′50″N111°54′40″W / 33.447277°N 111.911242°W / 33.447277; -111.911242

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.