Looking for our hockey history?  Well…


In 1876, Professor John Gamgee built the first artificial ice rink in London, England called the Glaciarium, frozen by circulating a refrigerated glycerin/water solution through copper pipes beneath the ice surface…  OK, here’s the shorter version:

In the 1980s, The Mall of Memphis housed an ice rink, which was home to figure skaters and hockey players, and also offered public skating and other ice related activities.  This was the premier mall in Memphis and was THE retail attraction for people all over the Mid-South.  Unfortunately during the 1990s, the area around the mall deteriorated and crime became a problem.  The crime issue coupled with a new mall opening in the Wolfchase area, initiated the eventual demise of the Mall of Memphis.  By the early 2000s, nothing but a few Memphis City Government offices and the ice rink remained in the 1.3-million-square foot mall.  On Christmas Eve, 2003, the Mall of Memphis closed its doors forever.  The Mid-South’s only ice rink was gone.
In 2000, an 8,400 seat arena, the Desoto Civic Center (DCC), opened in Southaven, MS (a Memphis suburb).  The DCC’s anchor tenant was a minor league hockey team, the Memphis Riverkings, which had relocated from the old Mid-South Coliseum.  When the Mall of Memphis closed, the DCC allowed the local figure skating club and youth and adult hockey leagues to use the DCC’s hockey rink.  Because the DCC was a major event venue, the amount of ice available was limited and that which was available was very inconsistent, and no ice was available during the hockey off-season.  Furthermore, there was no public skating or stick time so the hockey leagues and figure skating club had little means by which to attract new participants.  Another problem was the location.  Almost all of the amateur ice sports participants resided in Northern or Eastern Shelby County and for these participants, a 45min - 1hr drive (one-way) became necessary to participate at the DCC.  Hence, the amateur ice sports groups suffered significant reductions in numbers; and participants in these sports suffered significant deterioration of skill-level.

To make matters worse, numerous ice rink projects were announced over the decade of the 2000’s, none of which ever materialized.  Every time one of these announcements was publicized, local hockey players and figure skaters would get their hopes up, and every time their hopes were dashed.  Former Memphis Youth Hockey League President, Russ Beatse, used to say, “If all of the ice rinks, which were announced had actually been built, I could skate from Collierville to the DCC.” 

Finally, a group of like-minded individuals dedicated to keeping local ice sports alive, threw caution to the wind and put-up a lot of money and took on personal financial risk to make the unfulfilled dreams come true.  With the opening of Mid-South Ice House in September 2011, the book was closed on this saga of difficulty, disappointment, and dashed hopes and dreams.  It also brought back public skating and other ice activities like what folks enjoyed at the old Mall of Memphis, and even added some more.  We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished.  However, we haven’t forgotten the wonderful memories from the past, nor have we forgotten how close local amateur ice sports came to disappearing.  Our goal hasn’t wavered; we’re committed to serving local amateur hockey players and figure skaters by offering the best on-ice experience we can provide.