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88-519: The Victoria Skating Rink was an indoor ice skating rink located in Montreal , Quebec , Canada. Opened in 1862, it was described at the start of the twentieth century to be "one of the finest covered rinks in the world". The building was used during winter seasons for pleasure skating, ice hockey and skating sports on a natural ice rink. In summer months, the building was used for various events, including musical performances and horticultural shows. It

176-420: A Scottish word meaning 'course', was used as the name of a place where curling was played. As curling is played on ice, the name has been retained for the construction of ice areas for other sports and uses. Early attempts in the construction of artificial ice rinks were first made in the 'rink mania' of 1841–44. The technology for the maintenance of natural ice did not exist, therefore these early rinks used

264-592: A benefit for Montreal's Notre-Dame Hospital featuring a performance by soprano Emma Albani , as well as pianist and composer Salomon Mazurette, violinist Alfred De Sève , and the Montreal City Band under the direction of Ernest Lavigne. The rink is also known to have held performances of the Montreal Philharmonic Society, which existed from 1875 to 1899. The Rink was large enough to be used for conferences and exhibitions during

352-458: A cold climate, indoors or outdoors, although both types are of frozen water. A more proper technical term is 'mechanically frozen' ice. An example of this type of rink is the outdoor rink at Rockefeller Center in New York . Modern rinks have a specific procedure for preparing the surface. With the pipes cold, a thin layer of water is sprayed on the sand or concrete to seal and level it (or in

440-631: A fifteen-storey tower which dramatically altered Montreal's skyline. The project was entrusted to the firm of brothers Edward and William Maxwell . Windsor Station formed an integral component of Dominion Square as a diffuser of passenger traffic and as a central terminus for other modes of transportation. The building skirted Windsor Street (today Peel Street) and Osborne Street (today Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal ) between Donegani (located halfway between Osborne Street and Saint Antoine Street ). The building had four floors up to Osborne Street and five floors at street-level on Donegani Street because of

528-641: A first of its kind. The rink was also notable for its role in the development of figure skating in Canada. It held some of the first competitions in the sport in Canada. During its existence, it was the home of two important clubs, the Victoria Skating Club and the Earl Grey Skating Club. It was the home rink of Louis Rubenstein , considered one of the first world champions of the sport, and also an important organizer. The rink

616-410: A living, moving panorama, pleasant to look upon. The place is lighted by gas, and men and women, old and young, with a plentiful sprinkling of children, on skates, are practicing all sorts of gyrations. The ladies are prettily and appropriately dressed in skating costumes, and some of them are proficient in the art of skating. The spectators sit or stand on a raised lege around the ice parallelogram, while

704-456: A medical conference with an exhibition of pharmaceutical preparations, surgical and medical appliances, and "everything that interests the physician" at the Rink. By 1906, the building needed repairs and rather than spend money on rebuilding the Rink, the Victoria Skating Club sold the site to J. William Shaw, a piano merchant, who planned to build a concert hall on the site. Shaw planned to rebuild

792-556: A parking garage. The Victoria closed and a parking garage was built in its place. As shown in the photos, the parking garage is still in use by a local branch of National Car Rental , and you can sit and enjoy a coffee at Melk, a coffeehouse situated in the parking garage, on the site of the former rink, while looking across the street at the Windsor Hotel Annex, what is left of the Windsor Hotel (the older part of

880-458: A properly built space. This consists of a bed of sand or occasionally a slab of concrete , through (or on top of) which pipes run. The pipes carry a chilled fluid (usually either a salt brine or water with antifreeze , or in the case of smaller rinks, refrigerant ) which can lower the temperature of the slab so that water placed atop will freeze. This method is known as 'artificial ice' to differentiate from ice rinks made by simply freezing water in

968-434: A solid polymer material designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates. High density polyethelene (HDPE) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW) are the only materials that offer reasonable skating characteristics, with UHMW synthetic rinks offering the most ice-like skating but also being the most expensive. A typical synthetic rink will consist of many panels of thin surface material assembled on top of

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1056-417: A solution of glycerine with ether , nitrogen peroxide and water . The pipes were covered by water and the solution was pumped through, freezing the water into ice . Gamgee discovered the process while attempting to develop a method to freeze meat for import from Australia and New Zealand , and patented it as early as 1870. Gamgee operated the rink on a membership-only basis and attempted to attract

1144-423: A sturdy, level and smooth sub-floor (anything from concrete to wood or even dirt or grass) to create a large skating area. Periodically after the ice has been used, it is resurfaced using a machine called an ice resurfacer (sometimes colloquially referred to as a Zamboni – referring to a major manufacturer of such machinery). For curling, the surface is 'pebbled' by allowing loose drops of cold water to fall onto

1232-561: A substitute consisting of a mixture of hog's lard and various salts. An item in the May 8, 1844 issue of Eliakim Littell 's Living Age headed "The Glaciarium" reported that "This establishment, which has been removed to Grafton street East' Tottenham Court Road , was opened on Monday afternoon. The area of artificial ice is extremely convenient for such as may be desirous of engaging in the graceful and manly pastime of skating". By 1844, these venues fell out of fashion as customers grew tired of

1320-768: A wealthy clientele, experienced in open-air ice skating during winters in the Alps . He installed an orchestra gallery, which could also be used by spectators, and decorated the walls with views of the Swiss Alps . The rink initially proved a success, and Gamgee opened two further rinks later in the year: at Rusholme in Manchester and the "Floating Glaciarium" at Charing Cross in London, this last significantly larger at 35.1 by 7.6 metres (115 by 25 ft). The Southport Glaciarium opened in 1879, using Gamgee's method. In

1408-443: Is a word of Scottish origin meaning "course", used to describe the ice surface used in the sport of curling , but was kept in use once the winter team sport of ice hockey became established. There are two types of ice rinks in prevalent use today: natural ice rinks , where freezing occurs from cold ambient temperatures, and artificial ice rinks (or mechanically frozen), where a coolant produces cold temperatures underneath

1496-529: Is critical. The popularity of the sport of hockey in Canada has led its icemakers to be particularly sought after. One such team of professionals was responsible for placing a loonie coin under center ice at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah ; as both Canadian teams (men's and women's) won their respective hockey gold medals, the coin was christened "lucky" and is now in the possession of

1584-611: Is located on the campus of Northeastern University . This American rink is the original home of the National Hockey League (NHL) Boston Bruins . The Bruins are the only remaining NHL team who are members of the NHL's Original Six with their original home arena still in existence. The Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval is an outdoor ice rink in Roseville, Minnesota , that is large enough to allow ice skaters to play

1672-486: Is the grand Montrealese pastime, and though the ice is sloppy, and the air chill and heavy with moisture, everybody has a good time. The Rink hosted pleasure skating and masquerade balls during the 1880s Montreal Winter Carnivals, which took place a city block to the east in Dominion Square. On March 3, 1875, the Rink hosted what has been recognized as the first indoor organized ice hockey game, between members of

1760-440: Is typically played on a tarmac tennis court that has been flooded with water and allowed to freeze. The sports of broomball, curling, ice stock sport, spongee, Moscow broomball, and the game of crokicurl, do not use ice skates of any kind. While technically not an ice rink, ice tracks and trails , such as those used in the sport of speed skating and recreational or pleasure skating are sometimes referred to as "ice rinks". Rink ,

1848-620: The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began to build a railway station in Montreal, which would serve as its headquarters, three years after the completion of the Dalhousie Station in 1884. The Windsor Station project was entrusted to New York City architect Bruce Price , who chose a Romanesque Revival style for the building. Price had to submit four versions of his plans to satisfy the treasurer of CPR, before

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1936-486: The Hockey Hall of Fame after having been retrieved from beneath the ice. In bandy , the size of the playing field is 90–110 m (300–360 ft) x 45–65 m (148–213 ft). For internationals, the size must not be smaller than 100 m × 60 m (330 ft × 200 ft). The variety rink bandy is played on ice hockey rinks . The size of figure skating rinks can be quite variable, but

2024-602: The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that it would acknowledge the site with "a commemorative plaque or other historical site marker to remind the passers-by of the existence of the Victoria Skating Rink, the birthplace of organized hockey." The commemoration has been marked in two ways. On May 22, 2008, a commemorative plaque was dedicated at Centre Bell, along with a plaque honouring James Creighton. Further,

2112-511: The International Skating Union prefers Olympic-sized rinks for figure skating competitions, particularly for major events. These are 60 by 30 m (197 by 98 ft). The ISU specifies that competition rinks must not be larger than this and not smaller than 56 by 26 m (184 by 85 ft). Although there is a great deal of variation in the dimensions of actual ice rinks, there are basically two rink sizes in use at

2200-547: The Montreal Hockey Club . In 1881, the Victoria Hockey Club was organized and made the Rink its home. Play at first was by exhibition only as there were no leagues. The Rink was used for exhibition games or as an indoor facility if the outdoor rink was not available during the annual Winter Carnivals. It was for the 1883 Carnival that hockey team sizes were reduced further, to seven per side, which

2288-612: The winter in climates where the surface freezes thickly enough to support human weight. Rinks can also be made in cold climates by enclosing a level area of ground, filling it with water, and letting it freeze. Snow may be packed to use as a containment material. An example of this type of "rink", which is a body of water converted into a skating trail during winter, is the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, Ontario . In any climate, an arena ice surface can be installed in

2376-613: The 'smelly' ice substitute. It wasn't until thirty years later that refrigeration technology developed to the point where natural ice could finally be feasibly used in the rink. The world's first mechanically frozen ice rink was the Glaciarium , opened by John Gamgee , a British veterinarian and inventor, in a tent in a small building just off the Kings Road in Chelsea, London , on 7 January 1876. Gamgee had become fascinated by

2464-455: The 1860s and the Rink held championships starting in the 1870s. A combination of racing and fancy skating championships was held in February 1888 was announced internationally in the February 1, 1888 New York Times . The races were "220 yards, quarter-mile, half-mile, mile, five miles, 220 yards over six hurdles 27 inches high, and junior championship races." This was followed a week later by

2552-707: The CP route north of the St. Lawrence River continued to use Windsor Station until 1984. Amtrak 's daily Montreal-New York City train (the Adirondack ) continued to use Windsor Station until 1986. Both the dayliners and the Adirondack were switched to Central Station. Local services to Ottawa via Montebello and to Mont-Laurier , both of which had been transferred from CPR to Via, continued to use Windsor Station until they were cancelled in 1981. After intercity passenger service

2640-712: The Club arranged for the formation of the Amateur Skating Association of Canada , the first national governing body of skating in Canada. In 1906, the Victoria Skating Club sold the rink, dissolving the Club. Ice skating continued under the new ownership, and on December 19, 1908, the Earl Grey Skating Club was founded at the Victoria Rink. In a ceremony at the rink, the club's patron, Governor-General Albert Grey formally initiated

2728-594: The Club, organized by James Creighton , a member of the Victoria Skating Club and a figure skating judge. The match lays claim to this distinction because of several factors which establish its link to modern ice hockey: it featured two teams (nine players per side), goaltenders, a referee, a puck, a pre-determined set of rules, including a pre-determined length of time (60 minutes) with a recorded score. Games prior to this had mostly been outdoors, with sticks and balls, with informal rules and informal team sizes. In order to limit injuries to spectators and damage to glass windows,

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2816-796: The IIHF created the Victoria Cup , a trophy named for the arena, for which, along with 1 million Swiss francs , one National Hockey League team, and the champion of the European Champions Hockey League playoffs annually. The first Cup match was held in Berne, Switzerland , on October 1, 2008 between the New York Rangers and the Metallurg Magnitogorsk . Ice rink The word "rink"

2904-765: The Inter-School Hockey League and the Manufacturers' League. McGill University also occasionally used the rink. The final game of any note reported by the Montreal Gazette was a semi-final of the Canadian National Railway Hockey League (CNR) between Car Department and General Office on March 3, 1925, exactly fifty years after the first game. The playoff final game of the CNR league was not held at

2992-853: The United States opened in 1894, the North Avenue Ice Palace in Baltimore, Maryland , and the Ice Palace in New York City . The St. Nicholas Rink , ( a.k.a. "St. Nicholas Arena"), was an indoor ice rink in New York City which existed from 1896 until its demolition in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest American indoor ice rinks made of mechanically frozen ice in North America and gave ice skaters

3080-456: The Victoria Rink on February 4, 1889, seeing the Victorias defeat the Montreal Hockey Club 2–1. According to The Globe , "the vice-regal party was immensely delighted with it." The Rink would later host the first Stanley Cup playoffs in 1894. By that time, the building had gained an elevated balcony for additional spectators and a projecting loge, precursor of today's luxury boxes. In 1896,

3168-404: The Victoria Skating Rink this evening, between two nines chose from among the members. Good fun may be expected, as some of the players are reputed to be exceedingly expert at the game. Some fears have been expressed on the part of intending spectators that accidents were likely to occur through the ball flying about in too lively a manner, to the imminent danger of lookers on, but we understand that

3256-598: The Victoria; it was held at the Forum which had opened that season. The CNR game drew 1,200 spectators. During the summer months, dog shows, vaudeville performances, the horticultural show and various trade exhibitions continued at the Rink. By the 1920s, the building had deteriorated and the gallery became unsafe to use. Shaw sold the site in 1925 for $ 250,000 to the Stanley Realty Corporation to build

3344-416: The case of concrete, to keep it from being marked). This thin layer is painted white or pale blue for better contrast; markings necessary for hockey or curling are also placed, along with logos or other decorations. Another thin layer of water is sprayed on top of this. The ice is built up to a thickness of 19 to 38 mm ( 3 ⁄ 4 to 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  in). Synthetic rinks are constructed from

3432-557: The centre of the English community in Montreal, in the vicinity of McGill University . The area is referred to today as the " Golden Square Mile ," the area of central Montreal populated then by rich businessmen of British descent who had made the city the budding centre of commerce in Canada. One block east was Dominion Square, where annual outdoor winter sporting events were held and later the Montreal Winter Carnival

3520-625: The children and by the Fisk Jubilee singers, and exhibition by a number of deaf mutes and also by several Indians from Algoma." In September 1891, the National Electric Association of the United States held its convention in Montreal, including demonstrations of electrical technology by Thomas Edison and a public lecture by Nikola Tesla . In August 1897, the British Medical Association held

3608-587: The club. Club honorary president Sir H. Montagu Allan and Lady Evelyn Grey were the first to appear on the ice. Mrs. Helen Joseph became the president of the Club. The Earl Grey Club would move to the Montreal Arena by 1911. The Rink hosted many musical performances. In 1878, a benefit concert was held to aid yellow fever victims in the southern states of the United States , featuring soprano Leonora Braham . In 1890, an audience of 6,000 attended

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3696-642: The eastern end of CPR's Westmount Subdivision. It served as CP's downtown west end train terminus. Its counterpart downtown east end terminus was Place Viger . Windsor Station also housed the headquarters of CPR and its parent company Canadian Pacific Limited until, after a corporate restructuring in the mid-1990s, the railway abandoned or sold most of its trackage east of Montreal and focused its activities in Western Canada . In 1996, CP moved its headquarters to Gulf Canada Square in Calgary . Since 1993,

3784-528: The fancy skating championship of figures. Victoria Rink was the home rink of Louis Rubenstein , Canadian and world figure skating champion. Rubenstein first won the Montreal Championship in 1878, and won his first Canadian championship at the Victoria Rink in 1883. At the time, the Victoria Skating Club was considered "the most important one in the Dominion, if not on the continent." In 1887,

3872-548: The fancy-dress balls, which were a regular feature at the rink. A quote from the 1870s that appeared in the book Montreal Yesterdays captures the essence: When many hundred persons are upon the ice, and with every variety of costume, pass through all the graceful figures that skaters delight in, the scene presented to the spectator is dazzling in the extreme. The rink became a major attraction for visitors to Montreal. In 1886, visiting Captain Willard Glazier described

3960-538: The game was played with a wooden puck instead of a lacrosse ball, possibly the first time such an object was used. The two teams, members of the Club, included a number of McGill University students. Sticks and skates for this game were imported from Nova Scotia, including Mic-mac sticks and Starr skates. This first game was pre-announced to the general public in the pages of the Montreal Gazette newspaper: Victoria Rink – A game of Hockey will be played at

4048-448: The game will be played with a flat circular piece of wood, thus preventing all danger of its leaving the surface of the ice. Subscribers will be admitted on presentation of their tickets. By moving ice hockey game indoors, the smaller dimensions of the rink initiated a major change from the outdoor version of the game, limiting organized contests to a nine-man limit per team. Until that time, outdoor games had no prescribed number of players,

4136-583: The highest levels of ice hockey . Historically, earlier ice rinks were smaller than today. Official National Hockey League rinks are 26 m × 61 m (85 ft × 200 ft). The dimensions originate from the size of the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, Quebec , Canada. Official Olympic and International ice hockey rinks have dimensions of 30 m × 60 m (98.4 ft × 197 ft). Sledge hockey ( a.k.a. "Para ice hockey", or "sled hockey"), uses

4224-590: The hotel was destroyed by fire and finally demolished in 1959) where both the Montreal Canadiens (1909) and the National Hockey League (1917) itself were founded. NHL hockey is played nearby at Centre Bell , the home arena of the Canadiens, located two blocks south. Ice skating for pleasure remains a popular pastime and an indoor ice skating rink exists nearby in the concourse of the 'Le 1000 de la Gauchetiere' office building, open year-round. In 2002,

4312-571: The ice and freeze into rounded peaks. Between events, especially if the arena is being used without need for the ice surface, it is either covered with a heavily insulated floor or melted by allowing the fluid in the pipes below the ice to warm. A highly specialized form of rink is used for speed skating ; this is a large oval (or ring ) much like an athletic track. Because of their limited use, speed skating ovals are far less common than hockey or curling rinks. Those skilled at preparing arena ice are often in demand for major events where ice quality

4400-446: The lanes surround the exterior of an ice rink. The sport requires the use of a special type of racing skate, the speed skating ice skate . Windsor Station (Montreal) Windsor Station is a former railway station in Montreal , Quebec , Canada . It used to be the city's Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station, and served as the headquarters of CPR from 1889 to 1996. It is bordered by Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal to

4488-517: The largest artificial outdoor refrigerated sheet of ice in North America. It is a world-class facility that is primarily used for ice sports such as ice skating, ice hockey, speed skating, and bandy. The oval hosts several national and international competitions throughout the year, including the USA Cup in bandy. The first building in Canada to be electrified was the Victoria Skating Rink which opened in 1862 in Montreal , Quebec, Canada. The rink

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4576-549: The location of the founding of the first championship ice hockey league, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1886. Frederick Stanley , the donor of the Stanley Cup, witnessed his first ice hockey game there in 1889. In 1896, telegraph wires were connected at the Rink to do simultaneous score-by-score description of a Stanley Cup challenge series between Montreal and Winnipeg , Manitoba teams,

4664-630: The marshlands of The Fens , skating was developed early as a pastime during winter where there were plenty of natural ice surfaces. This is the origin of the Fen skating and is said to be the birthplace of bandy . The Great Britain Bandy Association has its home in the area. In Germany, the first ice skating rink opened in 1882 in Frankfurt during a patent exhibition. It covered 520 m (5,600 sq ft) and operated for two months;

4752-454: The measurements of an ice hockey rink , though may be slightly larger due to the sport having originated in Europe where the bandy field influenced the size and development of smaller ice rinks. Tracks and trails are occasionally referred to as ice rinks in spite of their differences. Ice skating tracks and ice skating trails are used for recreational exercise and sporting activities during

4840-674: The months that no ice was installed. From the 1860s onwards, the Rink hosted the annual Montreal Horticultural Society Exhibition each September. A description of the 1864 exhibition notes that "in addition to prizes for Agriculture, Horticulture, Poultry, Birds, Paint, etc., $ 200 is offered as prizes for the best band and best solo performer on bugle, fife and drum." The Presbyterian Church in Canada held their inaugural meeting there on June 15, 1875, and other local assemblies, including an assembly of Sunday School students on October 1, 1887 in honour of Queen Victoria 's Jubilee, attended by approximately 10,000 children. The programme included "singing by

4928-483: The north, Peel Street to the east, Saint Antoine Street to the south and the Bell Centre to the west. Windsor Station was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1975, and was designated a Heritage Railway Station in 1990, and a provincial historic monument in 2009. The walls are gray limestone from a quarry in Montreal. Outside, the columns reach up to 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) wide. In 1887,

5016-576: The number being more or less the number that could fit on a frozen pond or river and often ranged in the dozens. The nine-man per side rule would last until the 1880s, when it was reduced during the Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament to seven per side. From 1875 until 1881, hockey matches would be held between hockey-playing members of the Skating Club and outside teams, such as McGill University and

5104-438: The only winter activities or sports whereby ice skaters use tracks and lanes designed to include bends rather than using a simple straightway. Some ice rinks are constructed in a manner allowing for a speed skating rink to be created around its outside perimeter. Speed skating tracks or "rinks" can either be created naturally or artificially and are made either outdoors or inside indoor facilities. Tracks may be created by having

5192-438: The opportunity to enjoy an extended skating season. The rink was used for pleasure skating, ice hockey , and ice skating , and was an important rink involved in the development of the sports of ice hockey and boxing in the United States . The oldest indoor artificial ice rink still in use in the United States is Boston, Massachusetts 's, Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) which was built between 1909 and 1910. The rink

5280-475: The project was accepted. It was constructed at a cost of $ 300,000 CAD , and the first trains departed February 4, 1889. It was known as the Windsor Street Station, named for the street on which it was located, Windsor Street (today Peel Street ). It was expanded for the first time from 1900 to 1903, and again from 1910 to 1913 by Canadian architects. The third expansion, in 1916, included

5368-436: The refrigeration system was designed by Jahre Linde, and was probably the first skating rink where ammonia was used as a refrigerant. Ten years later, a larger rink was permanently installed on the same site. Ice skating quickly became a favorite pastime and craze in several American cities around the mid 1800s spawning a construction period of several ice rinks. Two early indoor ice rinks made of mechanically frozen ice in

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5456-409: The refrigeration technology he encountered during a study trip to America to look at Texas fever in cattle. In March of that same year it moved to a permanent venue at 379 Kings Road, where a rink measuring 12.2 by 7.3 metres (40 by 24 ft) was established. The rink was based on a concrete surface, with layers of earth, cow hair and timber planks. Atop these were laid oval copper pipes carrying

5544-499: The rink dimensions defined by a standard Canadian ice hockey rink . The sport of spongee , a.k.a. "sponge hockey", does not use ice skates. A skateless outdoor winter variant of ice hockey, spongee has its own rules codes and is played strictly within the Canadian city of Winnipeg as a cult sport. The sport generally uses the rink dimensions defined by a standard Canadian ice hockey rink . Rinkball rinks today typically use

5632-488: The rink was connected by telegraph to distribute the Montreal-Winnipeg Stanley Cup series score immediately. This is considered the first ice hockey broadcast by wire. The Rink was built for the Victoria Skating Club and skating was its primary use at first. The Rink was prominent in the development of the sports of figure skating and speed skating. Figure skating, known as "fancy skating" began in

5720-790: The same rink dimensions used by ice hockey rinks . Ringette utilizes most of the standard ice hockey markings used by Hockey Canada , but the ringette rink uses additional free-pass dots in each of the attacking zones and centre zone areas as well as a larger goal crease area. Two additional free-play lines (one in each attacking zone) are also required. A ringette rink is an ice rink designed for ice hockey which has been modified to enable ringette to be played. Though some ice surfaces are designed strictly for ringette, these ice rinks with exclusive lines and markings for ringette are usually created only at venues hosting major ringette competitions and events . Most ringette rinks are found in Canada and Finland . Playing area, size, lines and markings for

5808-400: The scene: One of the principal points of attraction in both winter and summer is the Victoria Skating Rink, in Dominion Square. This extensive building is used during the milder months of the year for horticultural shows, concerts and miscellaneous gatherings. In the winter the doors of this place are thronged with a crowd of sleighs and sleigh drivers, while inside, skaters and spectators form

5896-440: The site is occupied by a parking garage. Designed by Lawford & Nelson, Architects, the building was a long (252 by 113 feet [77 m × 34 m]), wide, two-storey brick edifice with a 52-foot-high (16 m) pitched roof supported from within by curving wooden trusses, which arched over the entire width of the structure. Tall, round-arched windows punctuated its length and illuminated its interior, while evening skating

5984-490: The skaters dart off, singly or in pairs, executing quadrilles, waltzes, curves, straight lines, letters, labyrinths, and every conceivable figure. Now and then some one comes to grief in the surging, moving throng; but is quickly on his or her feet again, the ice and water shaken off, and the zigzag resumed. Children skate; boys and girls; ladies and gentlemen, and even dignified military officers. Some skate well, some medium, some shockingly ill; but all skate, or essay to do so. It

6072-512: The slope of the terrain. In July 1970, CPR announced its plans to demolish Windsor Station and build a 60-storey office building on the site. The building, which was going to cost C$ 250 million, was to be designed by the same architects as New York City 's World Trade Center . After several delays the project was abandoned. Via Rail was created in 1978 and took over the responsibility for operating intercity passenger trains of both Canadian National CN and CPR. During Via's first months there

6160-607: The sport of bandy . Its perimeter is used as an oval speed skating track. The facility was constructed between June and December 1993. It is the only regulation-sized bandy field in North America and serves as the home of USA Bandy and its national bandy teams. The $ 3.9 million renovation project planned for the Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval was set to be completed before the opening of the rink's 29th season on November 18, 2022. The oval measures at 400 meters long and 200 meters wide, which makes it

6248-405: The standard Canadian ringette rink are similar to the average ice hockey rink in Canada with certain modifications. Early in its history, ringette was played mostly on rinks constructed for ice hockey, broomball , figure skating , and recreational skating, and was mostly played on outdoor rinks since few indoor ice rinks were available at the time. The organized format of broomball uses

6336-464: The structure into an auditorium of 2,000 to 2,500 capacity, suitable for orchestra or opera concerts. Shaw deferred his plans due to the high cost of construction and a low expectation of profits. He continued the use of the building for skating and hockey matches, introducing a summer use for car parking. Smaller hockey leagues continued to use the Rink, such as the Commercial and Steamship League,

6424-644: The structure is no longer connected to the rail network. It was sold by CP to Cadillac Fairview in 2009 (thus removing it from the jurisdiction of the Heritage Railway Stations Act; consequently, it was classified as a provincial heritage site that same year). Also located in the station is the Canadian Railway Office of Arbitration. The rest of Windsor Station has been redeveloped into an office complex and houses some restaurants and cafés. The interior concourse, which

6512-584: The water body(on which the game is played), causing the water body to freeze and then stay frozen. There are also synthetic ice rinks where skating surfaces are made out of plastics. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include: ice hockey, sledge hockey ( a.k.a. "Para ice hockey", or "sled hockey"), spongee ( a.k.a. sponge hockey), bandy , rink bandy , rinkball , ringette , broomball (both indoor and outdoor versions), Moscow broomball , speed skating , figure skating , ice stock sport , curling, and crokicurl . However, Moscow broomball

6600-511: The winter season including distance ice skating. Ice trails are created by natural bodies of water such as rivers, which freeze during winter, though some trails are created by removing snow to create skating lanes on large frozen lakes for ice skaters. Ice trails are usually used for pleasure skating, though the sport and recreational activity of Tour skating can involve ice skaters passing over ice trails and open areas created by frozen lakes. To date, speed skating and ice cross downhill are

6688-664: Was called Terminus Windsor, but this was changed to reduce confusion with the original station building and to indicate a link to the Lucien-L'Allier metro (subway) station which is below the station building. It is still possible to walk through the Bell Centre to connect with Windsor Station and the Lucien L'Allier metro station. Windsor Station, and now Lucien-L'Allier Station (known in French as 'Terminus Lucien-L'Allier'), are at

6776-620: Was completed and opened on December 24, 1862. However, it was not the first indoor rink in Montreal. The first had opened in 1859, at the north end of St. Urbain Street , for the Montreal Skating Club. It was the first of numerous ice rinks in Canada to be named after Queen Victoria . By about 1880, membership in the Victoria Skating Club had reached 2,000, mostly drawn from Montreal's upper classes, who enjoyed considerable leisure time and could afford to participate in such events as

6864-435: Was created using natural ice . At the start of the twentieth century it had been described as "one of the finest covered rinks in the world" and was used during winter for pleasure skating, ice hockey, and skating sports. In summer months, the building was used for various other events. Many ice rinks consist of, or are found on, open bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, canals, and sometimes rivers; these can be used only in

6952-452: Was elevated approximately 1 foot (30 cm) above the ice surface and upon which spectators could stand or skaters could rest. Later, a gallery was added with a royal box for visiting dignitaries. The ice itself was a 'natural' ice surface, frozen by the coldness of the season, not by the later invention of mechanically-frozen ice. At the time of its construction, the rink's location at 49 Drummond Street (now renumbered to 1187), placed it in

7040-632: Was held. Across the street to the east, the Windsor Hotel , a long-time centre of social life and meeting place of several sports organizations, was built in 1875, and was the site of the founding of both the Montreal Canadiens (1909) and the National Hockey League itself in 1917. Nearby is old Windsor Station , which was the eastern terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway , built in 1889. The Victoria Skating Club

7128-564: Was incorporated on June 9, 1862, with a sizable capitalization of $ 12,000, for the purpose of buying the land and building the rink. The directors included members of prominent families of the Square Mile : John Greenshields, whose family owned the largest drygoods wholesale firm in Canada and James Torrance, whose family owned a prosperous provisions wholesale firm. The Rink, one of the first and largest indoor rinks in North America ,

7216-419: Was located immediately west of Windsor Station on the trackage which served the station platforms, resulting in the historic station being severed from the rail network. The Molson Centre opened its doors on March 16, 1996, and the new Lucien-L'Allier Station was opened at the western end of the arena structure to replace the now-closed suburban train terminal at Windsor Station. Until 2001, the new train station

7304-556: Was located in central Montreal between Drummond Street and Stanley Street , immediately north of Dorchester Boulevard (presently René Lévesque Boulevard ). It was located one block to the west of Dominion Square (today's Dorchester Square ), where the Montreal Winter Carnivals of the 19th century were held. Surpassed by other facilities, including the Montreal Forum , the rink was sold in 1925 and today

7392-429: Was made possible by 500 gas-jet lighting fixtures set in coloured glass globes. At a later date, the lighting was converted to electric, making the building the first in Canada to be electrified. The ice surface measured 204 feet (62 m) by 80 feet (24 m), dimensions very similar to today's National Hockey League (NHL) ice rinks. It was surrounded by a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) platform, or promenade, which

7480-640: Was no operational change for CPR or CN trains, as they used their respective crews, routes, equipment and stations. However, by the summer of 1979, the integration process began, and most of Via's former CP trains that used Windsor Station were consolidated at CN's Central Station , including CP's former transcontinental passenger services such as The Atlantic Limited and The Canadian , both of which were also renamed to be bilingually appropriate. Via Dayliners ( Budd Rail Diesel Cars ) operating between Windsor Station and St. Sacrement station in Quebec City via

7568-594: Was removed, Windsor Station continued to be a commuter rail terminal for the STCUM's (now the RTM's ) Montréal/Dorion-Rigaud suburban train (now Vaudreuil-Hudson line). In 1999, service to Blainville (now Saint-Jérôme line) was added, and in 2001, service to Delson (now Candiac line). In 1993, construction began on the Molson Centre (now Bell Centre ), a hockey arena to replace the Montreal Forum . The arena site

7656-609: Was the common size for the next thirty years. Eventually the tournament play led to plans for a league. The Rink hosted the founding meeting of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) league in December 1886. The AHAC was the second organized ice hockey league in Canada, and the first championship league. Lord Stanley , later to donate the Stanley Cup trophy, witnessed his first ice hockey game at

7744-401: Was the first building in Canada to be electrified. The rink hosted the first-ever recorded organized indoor ice hockey match on March 3, 1875. The ice surface dimensions were confined to the distance between Drummond and Stanley Streets- which came to define the standard for today's North American ice hockey rinks. It was also the location of the first Stanley Cup playoff games in 1894 and

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