Kettler Capitals Iceplex
Encyclopedia
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. The highest ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
above street-level in the United States, it is located on the eighth floor atop the parking garage adjoining the Ballston Common Mall
Ballston Common Mall
Ballston Common Mall, which originally opened as Parkington Shopping Center in 1951, was one of the first major suburban shopping centers in the Washington D.C. area. It was the first shopping center built around a multi-story parking garage in the United States...
in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
.
Opened in 2006, the 137000 square feet (12,727.7 m²) facility, which is owned by Arlington County and leased to the Capitals, houses two full-NHL-sized ice rinks with seating for 1,200, a training center, a proshop, and offices for staff of both the Capitals team and the WNBA's Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
team.
The Capitals spend about 300 hours annually practicing at the arena, which has 12,000 hours of ice time available annually. The Iceplex also serves as the home ice for the club teams of Georgetown University and George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. The Iceplex also runs an adult league for amateur hockey players. It is regularly available for recreational use, and hosts "Learn to Skate" camps and lessons throughout the year.
History
Piney Orchard, Maryland
Piney Orchard, is a community within Odenton, Maryland. Piney Orchard was begun as a Planned Unit Development, and was a project of the Constellation Real Estate Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Constellation Energy Group....
, near the Capital Centre
Capital Centre
The Capital Centre was an indoor arena located in Landover, Maryland, unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland; a suburb of Washington, D.C. Completed in 1973, the arena sat 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for hockey....
, even after the team moved to downtown Washington, D.C., in 1997. Ted Leonsis
Ted Leonsis
Theodore John Leonsis is an Internet pioneer, sports team owner, venture capital investor, filmmaker, author and philanthropist. His early new media company, Redgate Communications was acquired by America Online in 1994, and Leonsis became a senior AOL executive for the next 13 years...
, who bought the Capitals in 1999, began looking to build a new practice facility. In 2004, the team secured agreements with Arlington County to build on top of the mall's parking lots.
The building was designed by William R. Drury
William R. Drury
William Drury is the President and a founding partner of Architecture, Incorporated, a design firm based out of theWashington Metropolitan Area, in Reston, Virginia. Drury has led several notable hospitality, higher education and commercial projects. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, he has resided...
of the Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
based firm, Architecture, Incorporated
Architecture, Incorporated
Architecture, Incorporated is a design firm based out of the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Reston, Virginia and Ft Myers, Florida. The architecture and interior architecture design firm is also recognized as Architecture, Inc. and Arch Inc. for short...
, and completed in November 2006 at a cost of $42.8 million. It is built to LEED standards
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
, though was not registered with the Green Building Council to receive a certification. It is not fully handicapped accessible.
Originally named Ballston Ice Arena, it was renamed by Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area real estate developer Robert C. Kettler. His firm, KSI Services, bought the naming rights to the arena on November 1, 2006, for seven years at $400,000 per year. The arena opened with its first practice 10 days later.
In 2010, the Arlington County Board recognized the facility in the inaugural DESIGNArlington awards.