Specialties
public skating, hockey programs, learn to play hockey, learn to skate, camps, clinics, minicamps, adult hockey league
History
Established in 1928.
The park began operation on May 26, 1928. The original design included a boardwalk, ice-skating rinks, a swimming pool, and two beaches, as well as amusement park rides, some of which are still in use.
Built in 1929, the Dragon Coaster serves as the park's mascot and appears in the Playland logo. The Dragon Coaster is one of roughly 100 wooden roller coasters still in operation in the United States.
The "Ice Casino", built in 1929, originally contained a main ice rink as well as a full dance floor on the second floor that functioned as a dance hall through the 1940s and '50s. It also had a full service fine-dining restaurant and an outdoor café. It had smaller dining rooms upstairs for upscale private dinners. A renovation in the 1970s added a kiddie rink as well as a mid-sized ice rink. A renovation to the main ice rink that included a new surface, boards and glass was completed in 2007 for the Empire State Games.
Meet the Manager: Mark Z.
Mark brings over 20 years of experience in sports facility management to ASEC as the General Manager of Playland Ice. He has worked with many professional and college sports teams including the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Hartford Wolfpack, Major Indoor Lacrosse, Arena Football League, and the University of Connecticut, as well as many leading USA Hockey youth organizations and USFS skating programs. His background includes multi-purpose venue management and operations, budgeting, programming and scheduling, strategic planning and acquisitions, sales and marketing. His broad experience is a valuable addition to ASEC and will provide a solid foundation as PlayLand Ice reopens after a two-year renovation as a result of damages from Super Storm Sandy in 2012.
Mark is a graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Sports Management and went on to receive his MBA from the University of New Haven.