Street Hockey Rink Gets Facelift Thanks To Lightning

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, FL — They may never become the next Nikita Kucherov or Steven Stamkos. But with the opening of the newly refurbished Tom Oliver Memorial Hockey Rink, young hockey players in Seminole Heights might just have a shot at the NHL.

The Tampa Bay Lightning's community hockey department, Lightning Made, celebrated the completion of renovations at the outdoor rink at 7701 N. Florida Ave. on Sept. 25, continuing a street hockey tradition in Seminole Heights that began two decades ago.

On hand for the occasion were Lightning CEO Steve Griggs, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, former Lightning general manager and current vice president of community hockey development Jay Feaster, Tampa Housing Authority Oaks of Riverview Community Center assistant manager Kenneth Bryant and Moss Construction Senior Vice President John Bowden.

For eight weeks over the summer, Feaster and his community hockey crew conducted street hockey clinics for more than 100 youngsters in the Oaks at Riverview Community Center's summer camp program. Many of the kids had never seen a hockey game, much less played in one, before the summer clinic.

"Our kids didn't know what a hockey stick was," said Bryant. But once they had that hooked stick in their hands, Bryant said they became addicted to the game.

"They loved it. All 100 of them, every day, twice a week," he said.

It was during that summer clinic that Feaster noticed that the rink had seen better days.

The Tom Oliver rink was donated to the city in 1999 through the National Hockey League's legacy program. Each year the NHL and the team hosting the All-Star Game support a community project. That year, Tampa hosted the All-Star game.

Twenty years after the outdoor rink was built, it had begun to show signs of aging. Feaster took his concerns to the Lightning organization and, through a partnership with Moss Construction, the Lightning agreed to commit $25,000 to renovate the rink.

The rink received all new dasher boards and fencing. Cracks in the concrete were sealed and the rink got fresh paint markings and a new Lightning logo. A new scoreboard overlooking the south end of the rink will soon be up and operational as well.

The Lightning plan to have 12 outdoor street hockey rinks completed in the near future. Rinks in Lakewood Ranch and Oldsmar have already been constructed or are nearly complete. Two more rinks - the Tom Oliver Memorial Rink and the Jeff & Penny Vinik Family Club at Winston Park - were built through the legacy program.

"Jay and his team over the last four years have given out 100,000 hockey sticks to young kids," Griggs said. "We have to find a place for them to play."

Castor, who lives a few blocks from the Tom Oliver rink, said her son and his friends come to the facility regularly to play roller hockey with kids from the Oaks at Riverview apartments.

"That goes to show the impact that the Lightning organization has in our community," Castor said. "It really is incredible. I've never seen anything like it in my entire lifetime, and I would venture to say that there's no other example across the United States like the Lightning and the community partnerships. This particular facility here is the perfect example of bringing our community together. And what better way to do that than in sports."