Blackhawks Hockey Rink Opens In Kennedy Park

CHICAGO, IL -- The Beverly/Morgan Park community has another rink in the neighborhood after the Chicago Blackhawks and city of Chicago opened the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Rink at Kennedy Park last week. The rink, sans ice, is the first funded by the Blackhawks through the National Hockey League’s Industry Growth Fund initiative to further develop youth hockey.

The rink was opened on Friday at Kennedy Park, 11320 S. Western Ave. It features a SportCourt surface for both street and roller hockey use and will have accessibility across multiple seasons, according to a news release from Mayor Rahm Emanuel. It will serve as a public amenity programmed by the Chicago Park District and also host occasional Blackhawks clinics and camps.

“Investments like the Blackhawks Hockey Rink will not only provide a space for people to be active; for some, this will become a gateway to a brighter future,” Emanuel said. “This new rink will contribute to the growth of hockey as a marquee sport in the city, and can help our student athletes increase their chances at obtaining college athletic scholarships.”

The Kennedy Park rink is the first of many the Blackhawks hope to help build in the city to develop youth hockey. Its opening precedes the planned MB Ice Arena at the old Malcolm X College site near the United Center, where beginning next month the Blackhawks and visiting NHL teams will hold practices. Community, youth and adult hockey leagues will be held there as well.

Photo via Chicago Park District