I haven’t played at Apex for many years… 2013 at the latest, but probably before that. Once the RMHL stopped playing there, I’ve subbed maybe three times, tops. I live five minutes away, as opposed to The Edge, which is a half-hour, or the Ranch, which is forty-five minutes on a good day. Haven’t missed it because of the locker rooms alone, and now small they were.
That is, until I discover that the goalies now have their own locker room, and I had it to myself for this game! That takes care of that problem! I’m not that eager to be alone, but it is more about the severe lack of room than anything.
I took a walk around before the game, and it appears that the place is well-kept and still in good shape. Originally I stared playing there shortly after it had opened. Which was over twenty years ago!
They have a lot of room around the building to build another, or maybe two more rinks… that would be epic. And after hearing the biggest gripe being the small locker rooms, it would be interesting to see if they could avoid doing that again.
Also, there were many steps and curbs originally. I actually witnessed someone breaking their ankle on the curb back in the day. That has been fixed, one can roll their bag right in or out of there, no problem!
I think the doors weren’t automatic for the first few years, also. It’s amazing, and I’m not aware of who is responsible for these details, it’s amazing what simple details can be overlooked. It’s not like hockey rinks and their requirements are brand-new. Decent-sized locker rooms, no steps or curbs, automatic doors, these are all easy to get right, and they didn’t. All that aside, it’s a great facility.
I was reminded about how much taller the boards are… when I had to hop over them for the extra man with two minutes left, I couldn’t actually hop over them like I can at the Ranch or Edge. That isn’t a big deal though, just something good to know!
Randy Rydberg 