Ocean Ice Palace has been around ever since I was a little girl, and now at 31, I am not so little…read moreanymore. I grew up attending birthday parties at the rink, taking figure skating lessons, and going public skating on Friday nights with friends throughout high school. Figure skating did not become a hobby of mine, horseback riding did, but the love for ice skating has stayed with me throughout my life and my memories of the Ice Palace are embedded in my mind.
I recently revisited the Ice Palace to watch my cousin play hockey. He is a member of the premier Junior league the Jersey Shore Whalers and the Ice Palace is his home rink. My cousin is now 17 and has been playing hockey for as long as I can remember, and watching him and his teammates play for the Whalers has shown me what an incredible job his coaches and the league itself has done over the years to transform him into a fantastic hockey player. The Whalers work hard and train hard. Fights do break out ON the ice, as you see in any NHL game, but NOT off the ice. I have gotten to know many of the young men who play for this league besides my cousin, and they are all gentleman. The league builds men, not just quality players. The league also fosters team playing, friendship, and respect, on and off the ice. The guys all dress up and wear shirts and ties before and after each game. The league keeps the sport classy, as all sports should be.
Ocean Ice Palace is also home to the Brick Hockey Club, and members of the club have gone on to to play for several colleges and even the NHL. I know this because I'm a Flyers fan, and James van Reinsdyk played for Brick Hockey! (He also played for the Maple Leafs I think).
Beyond the hockey clubs, the rink still has its charms. You can still go public skating on Friday nights, take beginning figure skating lessons, or have a birthday party. The snack bar is still full of warm hot cocoa and big soft pretzels and makes Ocean Ice Palace a fun place to go, whether you are an adult or child.
I give this rink a lot of credit. Hockey is not a popular sport in Jersey in comparison to football, baseball, and baseball. Ocean Ice Palace provides the ice time for the local high schools to have a hockey team, as well as be the home rink of premier junior leagues like the Whalers. Ocean Ice Palace brings new life and excitement back into the sport of hockey in New Jersey.
If you want to public skate, learn to skate, or if you are seriously interested in hockey, this is the place for you.
The rink doesn't get 5 stars because figure skating really does take back seat to hockey, you need to go to Wall Township or elsewhere if you want to pursue figure skating on a higher level.
Regardless, Ocean Ice Palace is one of a kind. Check out their schedule and even drop by to see a junior league play. You will feel like you are at an NHL game :)
Note- This review pertains to the Ocean Ice Palace, not the hockey supply store/ pro-shop.