The Yale Corporation has approved a $23.5 million renovation of the historic David S. Ingalls Rink. The project will include the addition of approximately 13,000 square feet of varsity operational space as well as a complete renovation of the current facility.
The expanded and enhanced home of Yale hockey will include new men’s and women’s varsity locker rooms, training and strength and conditioning rooms, an added press box, a lower level hockey heritage area, offices for coaches of both programs, a student-athlete study area, new lights, as well as a sound system and de-humidification unit. The upper level interior will also be decorated with photos displaying the history of Yale hockey.
Hilary Witt, Yale women’s hockey coach, and Keith Allain, men’s hockey coach, commented, “When this project is complete we will have one of the best collegiate hockey facilities in the league. We believe this superb renovated arena will help us attract the best and the brightest to be part of the hockey programs at Yale.”
Yale director of athletics Tom Beckett said, “We are thrilled to announce the beginning of the Ingalls Rink project. Once completed, Ingalls Rink will have a tremendous impact on our hockey programs as well as the Greater New Haven hockey community. We are extremely grateful to the University and members of our hockey alumni association, who are helping make this renovation a reality.”
The home of Bulldog men’s hockey since 1958 and women’s hockey since 1977, the rink has been dubbed the “Yale Whale” because of its hump-backed roof and arching, 300-foot backbone designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. Shortly after it opened, Ingalls Rink, which replaced the New Haven Arena (1927-59), was featured in Sports Illustrated. The rink is also the home of recreational skating, the Yale Figure Skating Club, intramural hockey, and Yale Youth Hockey.
The arena is named in honor of David S. Ingalls ’20, who twice captained the Yale hockey team, and his son David Jr. ’56, who served as captain of his freshman and varsity teams. Gifts from the Ingalls family provided the bulk of the funding for its construction.
The renovation is scheduled to begin immediately following the 2007-2008 hockey season.
