Planet Ice Milton Keynes
Encyclopedia
Planet Ice Milton Keynes is a 2,200-capacity multi-purpose ice rink
/hockey rink
in Milton Keynes, England
, near the Central station
. It was built in 1991 (as Bladerunner Arena). It is one of several ice skating arenas in the UK operated by the Planet Ice Arena
s company. From 1991-1996 & 1998-2002 It was home arena for the professional ice hockey team, Milton Keynes Kings
before the team relocated to Solihull
due to contractual disputes with new arena owners Planet ice. It has since been home arena to semi professional ice hockey teams Milton Keynes Thunder
& Milton Keynes Lightning
. In the 1990s the arena was seen as the crown of small ice rinks in the UK and hosted several home games for the Great Britain
national team. In the 2000s the arena was converted into a basketball
court and used as home venue for the city's British Basketball League
side Milton Keynes Lions
when they had home games broadcast live on sky sports. This was as the team's main home at the time could not provide the space needed for all equipment needed to broadcast a live game. When known as the bladerunner arena, the ice rink was the main training venue for figure skaters and Olympic gold medal winners, Jane Torvill & Christopher Dean
. Now known as Planet Ice Milton Keynes (nicknamed 'The Thunderdome') the ice rink and offers standard Planet Ice services such as public skating sessions, disco skating sessions, after school skating sessions, birthday parties and ice skating lessons (which fall under the brand of Galaxy Gliders). The arena boasts a fully licensed bar which regularly holds private functions, this includes a short spell in the mid 2000's when it was used as a night club on non ice hockey match nights. There are private executive boxes for use by sponsors during games, along with a large cafe, Stix, and at small food bar at the far end of the rink which is open during MK Lighting games. The Arena Manager is Karen Lazereg
The arena is part of a leisure complex which also features a bowling alley, Toys R Us, Argos
& gentlemans club. The site previously featured a Homebase
store, the Empire nightclub (formally Flamingo's) & the sports bar, Heroes. Greenery and a large pond with a walkover bridge were built along with the then new complex in 1991, however the area has since been neglected and shows signs of decay, with shopping trolley's and drink's cans now filling the pond area instead of tropical fish.
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...
/hockey rink
Hockey rink
An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a team sport. It is rectangular with rounded corners and surrounded by a wall approximately 40 inches high called the boards.- Name origins :...
in Milton Keynes, England
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, near the Central station
Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
. It was built in 1991 (as Bladerunner Arena). It is one of several ice skating arenas in the UK operated by the Planet Ice Arena
Planet Ice Arena
Planet Ice Arenas are a chain of ice arenas owned by The Arena Group UK Ltd.There are Planet Ice Arenas in* Basingstoke: Planet Ice Silverdome Arena* Birmingham: Planet Ice Birmingham* Cardiff : Planet Ice Cardiff* Coventry : Planet Ice Coventry...
s company. From 1991-1996 & 1998-2002 It was home arena for the professional ice hockey team, Milton Keynes Kings
Milton Keynes Kings
Milton Keynes Kings were an Ice Hockey team based in Milton Keynes from 1990 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2002. Following a dispute with the Planet Ice Arena in Milton Keynes, the team relocated to Solihull, where they became Solihull MK Kings for a while...
before the team relocated to Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
due to contractual disputes with new arena owners Planet ice. It has since been home arena to semi professional ice hockey teams Milton Keynes Thunder
Milton Keynes Thunder
The DFC Milton Keynes Thunder are an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, England and are the second team in the city behind Milton Keynes Lightning. They currently play in the English National Ice Hockey League South Division One league...
& Milton Keynes Lightning
Milton Keynes Lightning
The Milton Keynes Lightning is an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, England, currently playing in the semi-professional English Premier Ice Hockey League...
. In the 1990s the arena was seen as the crown of small ice rinks in the UK and hosted several home games for the Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
national team. In the 2000s the arena was converted into a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
court and used as home venue for the city's British Basketball League
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
side Milton Keynes Lions
Milton Keynes Lions
The Milton Keynes Lions, officially called Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions due to sponsorship, is a basketball team which represents Milton Keynes in the British Basketball League, the top level men's basketball league in the United Kingdom. The franchise’s only trophy success to-date is the BBL...
when they had home games broadcast live on sky sports. This was as the team's main home at the time could not provide the space needed for all equipment needed to broadcast a live game. When known as the bladerunner arena, the ice rink was the main training venue for figure skaters and Olympic gold medal winners, Jane Torvill & Christopher Dean
Christopher Dean
Christopher Colin Dean, OBE is a famous British ice dancer who won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics with his skating partner Jayne Torvill...
. Now known as Planet Ice Milton Keynes (nicknamed 'The Thunderdome') the ice rink and offers standard Planet Ice services such as public skating sessions, disco skating sessions, after school skating sessions, birthday parties and ice skating lessons (which fall under the brand of Galaxy Gliders). The arena boasts a fully licensed bar which regularly holds private functions, this includes a short spell in the mid 2000's when it was used as a night club on non ice hockey match nights. There are private executive boxes for use by sponsors during games, along with a large cafe, Stix, and at small food bar at the far end of the rink which is open during MK Lighting games. The Arena Manager is Karen Lazereg
The arena is part of a leisure complex which also features a bowling alley, Toys R Us, Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
& gentlemans club. The site previously featured a Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
store, the Empire nightclub (formally Flamingo's) & the sports bar, Heroes. Greenery and a large pond with a walkover bridge were built along with the then new complex in 1991, however the area has since been neglected and shows signs of decay, with shopping trolley's and drink's cans now filling the pond area instead of tropical fish.