The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team is planning to downsize the ice rink at the Kohl Center from 97 feet wide to 85 feet, the NHL standard. The project is expected to cost $2.5 million and will be completed in an upcoming offseason, either 2024 or 2025.
The change has been advocated by several Wisconsin coaches over the years, including current head coach Mike Hastings. They argue that a smaller rink will lead to a more exciting and entertaining game, with less space and more collisions.
Six NCAA men’s hockey teams have downsized their rinks in recent years, including Wisconsin’s rival Minnesota. The Gophers’ project, which was completed this year, reduced the rink from 100 feet wide to 89 and added one or two rows of seats on the sides.
The changes at Mariucci Arena included dropping the floor by 16 inches to preserve sight lines around the building when more rows were added along the sides. The new seating increased capacity by around 250 at an arena that already held 10,000 fans.
The Kohl Center could also add premium seating along the perimeter of a smaller rink to take up some of the space between permanent seating and the boards. A club space for fans in courtside premium seats at basketball games is set to be constructed in the next 15 months, and that area could be used for hockey games, too.
Changing the size of the Kohl Center rink would bring the Badgers in line with much of the rest of men’s college hockey. Wisconsin is one of four teams out of 64 that plays on a rink 95 feet or wider.
The project at Minnesota showed that alterations to the rink can be done fairly seamlessly. The new LED lights stand out more than the smaller rink among the offseason changes for the Gophers. That’s a sign that the new style might alter play but it didn’t touch the iconic college hockey venue’s look.
