FORT LAUDERDALE — The long wait is finally over as the Florida Panthers open the doors to the IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale this afternoon.
The IcePlex, a 144,000-square-foot facility with a pair of ice sheets and stadium seating on both sides, will open up today at 1 p.m. for open skating.
The Panthers continue to run the IceDen in Coral Springs.
“We are thrilled to open this first-class facility … in the heart of Fort Lauderdale,’’ team president Matt Caldwell said. “This project is a true success story of when the public and private sector work together to create something to benefit and impact our local community.
“With these additional two sheets of ice in Fort Lauderdale, we truly are expanding the Panthers footprint from the Everglades to the beach. This rink is a welcoming environment for anyone to participate in the diverse list of youth and adult programming, shop at the retail store and enjoy a day in Holiday Park.”
On Wednesday, the team held its official opening with a number of team leaders, local dignitaries and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance.
“This is a magnificent facility,” Bettman said. “One of the things the NHL prides itself on is our teams making a difference in the lives of the people in the communities in which they play.
“I don’t think there can be any better example than what we’re looking at here, and what is coming over the summer. … This is a great day for Fort Lauderdale and for Broward County. And it is the beginning of many, many, great things to come.”
Although the team has been practicing at the complex since December, the second ice sheet was recently completed as were the 11 dressing rooms.
The restaurant which will be open to the public will not be ready until next month.
The Panthers plan on opening practices up to fans who register in the near future.
According to the team, the complex will be open from 1-8 p.m. through the end of March.
The complex is located at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale on U.S. 1 just south of the Sunrise Boulevard turn.
It is adjacent to the War Memorial Auditorium which the team is renovating into a high-end music venue.
That building is expected to be open sometime in the summer.
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