For many years, playing ice hockey on a full-size surface in Holyoke was limited to the outdoor rink at Mackenzie Stadium. Portable boards were erected late in the autumn, and the rink was flooded with water during the cold winter months to form and maintain an ice surface. A mild winter would severely limit or negate skating activity.
In 1970, an opportunity arose to build an indoor ice arena with refrigeration installed to ensure ice throughout the season. The state had plans to construct Interstate 391, and city land was necessary for the project. The state would build and manage a $1.1 million indoor ice rink in exchange for the land loss.
The low bidder for the contract was D. A. Sullivan & Sons, Inc. of Northampton. A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on January 17, 1972.
The Henry J. Fitzpatrick Skating Rink was dedicated and opened on December 22, 1972. Boston Bruins star hockey player Bobby Orr was the guest speaker at a banquet that evening to raise funds for the newly formed Holyoke Youth Hockey Association.
The Fitzpatrick Arena is a public ice skating facility managed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Conservation and Recreation. It is used for public skating, figure skating, sled hockey, and ice hockey.
Sources of news articles and information:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript-Telegram; publication dates are shown.
Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories.
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts.
Ice hockey in Holyoke was played outdoors until the Henry J. Fitzpatrick Ice Rink was built.
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