Richard J. Codey Arena
Encyclopedia
The Richard J. Codey Arena at South Mountain (formerly the South Mountain Arena) is an ice hockey
and ice skating
arena in West Orange, New Jersey
. The arena is named for former Governor of New Jersey
Richard Codey
. The Codey Arena is owned and operated by the Essex County
Department of Park, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs.
of 2,500 and the second rink seats approximately 500. From 1986 until the opening of the Prudential Center (which includes a full-size practice rink), the New Jersey Devils
used the arena as the team's practice facility. In November 2008 it became home to the Jersey Rockhoppers
of the Eastern Professional Hockey League
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
arena in West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
. The arena is named for former Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Richard Codey
Richard Codey
Richard James Codey is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 53rd Governor of New Jersey from November 2004 to January 2006. He has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1981 and served as the President of the Senate from 2002 to January 2010. He represents the 27th Legislative...
. The Codey Arena is owned and operated by the Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
Department of Park, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs.
History
South Mountain Arena originally opened in 1958 with the second, smaller rink added in 1983. During 2004 and 2005 the arena underwent major renovations that included a new state-of-the-art lobby for the arena including meeting rooms, a skylight, automatic doors, pro shop, arcade, and concession stand. Another part of the renovation was a new set of dasher boards, Plexiglas, compression system, and seats for Rink 1, as well as a new dehumidifier for Rink 2; it was renamed the Codey Arena upon reopening.Hockey
The arena has two NHL-sized skating rinks. The main arena has a seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 2,500 and the second rink seats approximately 500. From 1986 until the opening of the Prudential Center (which includes a full-size practice rink), the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
used the arena as the team's practice facility. In November 2008 it became home to the Jersey Rockhoppers
Jersey Rockhoppers
The Jersey Rockhoppers were a professional ice hockey team based in West Orange, New Jersey, in the United States. They played the 2008-2009 season as members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League and played at the 2,500 seat Richard J. Codey Arena....
of the Eastern Professional Hockey League
Eastern Professional Hockey League (2008)
The Eastern Professional Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league. The league was developed by Curtis Russell, Tim Kolpien, Igor Mrotchek, and Jim Riggs, the former commissioner of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League in 2007....
.