MedStar Capitals Iceplex
Highest ice rink above street-level in the United States.
MedStar Capitals Iceplex serves as the Washington Capitals’ practice facility. It holds the distinction of being the highest ice rink above street level in the United States, situated on the eighth floor atop a parking garage next to Ballston Quarter in Arlington County, Virginia.
The Capitals log roughly 300 hours of practice time there each year, though the facility offers about 12,000 hours of total ice time annually. The Iceplex is also the home rink for club hockey teams from Georgetown University and George Washington University. It runs an adult league for amateur players, is regularly open for recreational skating, and hosts “Learn to Skate” camps and lessons year-round.
The rink is home to the NOVA Cool Cats, a special hockey team that practices and plays home games there, as well as the DC Sled Sharks—a sledge hockey team for physically disabled youths 18 and under that competes in the Delaware Valley Sled Hockey League. The Iceplex served as the initial inspiration for LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York, built by the Buffalo Sabres and Terrence Pegula for a similar purpose.
Designed by William R. Drury of Architecture, Incorporated, the building was completed in November 2006 at a cost of $42.8 million. It was built to LEED standards but was not registered for certification with the Green Building Council, and it is not fully handicapped accessible. The 137,000-square-foot facility includes two indoor NHL-sized rinks, office space, eight player locker rooms, a full-service ProShop, a Capitals Team Store, a snack bar, and event spaces. It also houses a 20,000-square-foot training center for the Capitals, featuring athletic training and medical facilities, a weight room, a fitness room, a locker room and lounge, a high-tech theater-style classroom, and a video room.
Originally called Ballston Ice Arena, it was renamed Kettler Capitals Iceplex after real estate developer Robert C. Kettler. His firm, KSI Services, bought the naming rights on November 1, 2006, for seven years at $400,000 per year. The arena opened with its first practice ten days later. In 2010, the Arlington County Board recognized the facility in the inaugural DESIGNArlington awards.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Ballston, Virginia, U.S.
- Opened
- November 2006
- Owner
- Monumental Sports / & Entertainment
- Cost
- $42.8 million
- Architect
- William R. Drury
- Former Names
- Kettler Capitals Iceplex · Ballston Ice Arena
- Tenants
- Washington Capitals (NHL, practice facility) · Georgetown Hoyas (ACHA) · NOVA Cool Cats special hockey team · DC Sled Sharks
- Public Transit
- Washington Metro / washington · ORwashington · SV at Ballston–MU
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The building was designed by William R. Drury of the Reston, Virginia–based firm, Architecture, Incorporated, and completed in November 2006 at a cost of $42.8 million. It is built to LEED standards, though was not registered with the Green Building Council to receive a certification. It is not fully handicapped accessible. The facility totals 137,000 square-feet and includes two indoor NHL-sized ice rinks, office space, 8 player locker rooms, a full-service ProShop, a Capitals Team Store, a snack bar, and spaces for special events. In addition, it includes a 20,000 square foot training center for the Capitals, containing an athletic-training and medical facilities, a weight room and fitness room, a locker room and lounge area, a high-tech theatre-style classroom and a video room.
Originally named Ballston Ice Arena, it was renamed Kettler Capitals Iceplex by Washington metropolitan area real estate developer Robert C. Kettler. His firm, KSI Services, bought the naming rights to the arena on November 1, 2006, for seven years at $400,000 per year. The arena opened with its first practice 10 days later. In 2010, the Arlington County Board recognized the facility in the inaugural DESIGNArlington awards. The facility continued to bear Kettler's name until weeks after the Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in 2018, when MedStar Health bought the naming rights in a 10-year agreement together with the other Monumental Sports & Entertainment practice facilities.
Reader's Guide
MedStar Capitals Iceplex serves as the primary practice facility for the Washington Capitals, who spend about 300 hours annually practicing there. It also functions as home ice for the club teams of Georgetown University and George Washington University, and runs an adult league for amateur hockey players. The Iceplex is regularly available for recreational use and hosts 'Learn to Skate' camps and lessons throughout the year. It is home to the NOVA Cool Cats special hockey team, which practices and has home games at the IcePlex, and the DC Sled Sharks, a sledge hockey team for physically disabled youths 18 and under, which plays in the Delaware Valley Sled Hockey League. The Iceplex served as the initial inspiration for the building of LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York by the Buffalo Sabres and Terrence Pegula, which serves a similar purpose.
Did You Know?
- The Iceplex is the highest ice rink above street-level in the United States, located on the eighth floor of a parking garage.
- It has 12,000 hours of ice time available annually, with the Capitals using about 300 hours.
- The facility was originally named Ballston Ice Arena, then Kettler Capitals Iceplex, before being renamed MedStar Capitals Iceplex in 2018.
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