A dek hockey rink in Graham Park, southwestern Pennsylvania’s newest venue for the wildly popular variation on traditional ice hockey, is now officially open for business. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 155 by 75 foot facility, financed as part of a joint $2.3 million Power Play Initiative by Highmark and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, was held this afternoon in Cranberry Township’s Graham Park. Participants in the ceremony included David Morehouse, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Dan Onorato, Executive Vice President of Highmark.
The popularity of dek hockey has been exploding. Clubs, leagues, shops and rinks devoted to the sport are attracting players throughout the northeast. The Cranberry rink joins more than 40 others which are already open in the region.
The surface of the new 155 by 75 foot playing court is covered in bright blue waffle-shaped plastic tiles atop an asphalt base, installed by a crew of volunteers from Highmark under the supervision of Cranberry’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services in August. The department will also take responsibility for developing programs using the rink, grouping players according to age. Leagues for both teens and adults are currently being formed for dek hockey play.
Rink features include a Daktronics scoreboard, player benches under metal shelters, a penalty box, goal nets at either end, and startup dek hockey equipment as well as field lights, which will extend the rink’s availability for play, particularly during seasons marked by limited daylight hours.