The Cubs and the Chicago Park District have teamed up to open "Rink At Wrigley", an outdoor ice skating rink available to the public from now till February. Click on the link for hours and prices.
Yesterday, Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster and Blackhawks Hall of Famer Stan Mikita teamed up to help open the rink. BCB photographer David Sameshima was there. More photos after the jump.
0 recs | 40 comments
it almost looks like he's on the mound....(sigh)
cooliogirl47 - December 20, 2009
Wonder how he could pitch with skates on?
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
...lol...good pictures BTW
cooliogirl47 - December 20, 2009
I found my old hockey-playing pix yesterday.
Seeing those and this makes me want to find a pair of skates.
And some ice.
San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - December 20, 2009
Great pictures
Dempster has really become a leader and the public face of this team.
Folks can criticize Hendry for plenty, but picking him off the reclamation heap and easing him back to being a solid starter was a great move.
WGNstatic - December 20, 2009
+Lebenty Jillion
BeerCub - December 20, 2009
Agreed.
sue369 - December 20, 2009
+46
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
Is Dempster
living in Chicago full-time now?
Not Bruce Froemming - December 20, 2009
He is this winter...
… primarily because of his daughter’s problems… I think their doctors are in Chicago.
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
He is looking at possible houses or property in the suburbs though. My town used to be Cubs player heaven. I wonder if it would become it again?
puckishcubsfan - December 21, 2009
Dempster is a really good guy. I know people who have done work with him on stuff in Chicago. He has taken Kerry Wood’s place in this matter (along with Theriot).
puckishcubsfan - December 21, 2009
HAVING DEMPSTER .......
around Wrigleyville is something very positive for the ball club . He has really stepped up hope this can continue ……
cubs north - December 21, 2009
Rec'd
Dempster lives a few blocks from me and I see him on occasion. He carriers himself as a regular guy and people seem to respect his privacy and treat him as a neighbor.
He’s a great asset to the city and a great Cub.
Tangled Up In Blue - December 21, 2009
Good ol' Stosh....
…sigh. Makes me miss Chicago and my childhood even more. Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Kenny Wharram, Dennis Hull, Doug Mohns, Pat Stapleton, Keith Magnuson, Pit Martin, Tony Esposito, those guys were great, kinda like the NHL version of the ’69 Cubs. Best team never to win a title.
BeerCub - December 20, 2009
Mikita looks great for being almost 70, too.
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
Looks a lot like Nimoy's Spock, too. Always sort of has.
BeerCub - December 20, 2009
He really hasn't changed all that much
I loved the Blackhawks back then. The current bunch has me loving them again.
Not Bruce Froemming - December 20, 2009
+21
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
Wheres Stosh's Skates?
A little bizzarro world there, Demp with skates, Stan without.
Luigi - December 20, 2009
Well, like I said...
… Mikita is almost 70 years old.
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
He didn't have the problems Bobby Hull had
but he skated pretty gingerly at the UC when they brought all the ambassadors back for the home opener.
TkGoUWGB - December 20, 2009
my thoughts exactly
but if I were 70 I’d want to protect my hips too
Emelie - December 20, 2009
I just noticed this when I looked at the link
but we’ve all been complaining about how expensive it is to skate in the shadow of Wrigley. This is clutch for the Wrigleyville residents but a season pass is $50. I’ll be taking advantage of the half-price monday and tuesdays the monday after the Cubs Convention. Otherwise $10 for a single time is a little steep.
TkGoUWGB - December 20, 2009
$10...
… is far less than the cost of almost any other entertainment these days. A family with two kids can go there and skate for $32, not bad.
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
Agreed
I don’t know what the cost is to skate at a normal ice rink, but I would think $10 per adult (and $6 per child) isn’t bad given the venue. And since going to the movies can cost a lot more than that nowadays, it doesn’t seem like too bad of a deal.
Rusty in Peoria - December 21, 2009
You're paying for being by the ballpark
Crystal Ice House out by me has a nice sheet of ice for public skating. It’s not exceptionally fast so its great for kids and beginners. $6 for adults and $5 for kids. It’s a decent environment and indoors, but it’s NOT right next to Wrigley Field.
We’ll be heading down there for a skate on one of the days before ‘Hawks game. Couple that with a sandwich or two at Lucky’s and it’ll be a really nice day for us.
My kids have actually grown to like the outdoor skating more than indoors; though never in the extreme cold. We’ll see how that changes this winter when I want to take them in sub-zero temperatures.
blackhawk24 - December 22, 2009
Thanks for the idea.
Crystal Ice House is near me too. It would be fun to go there while the kids are on break. I wouldn’t have thought of it otherwise.
katie casey - December 22, 2009
Another photo from David...
… with a better look at Stan Mikita, plus Dempster wearing a custom retro Blackhawks jersey.
Al Yellon - December 20, 2009
I'm officially a big fan of Demps
He’s pretty awesome, for living around Wrigley and for supporting the Hawks. At least in this occasion.
Might not seem like much, but considering certain athletes don’t identify themselves with the city they play for (such as LeBron James wearing a Yankees hat to an Indians game), this is pretty sweet.
Azul Cachorro - December 20, 2009
I love how they combined
my two favorite sports – hockey and baseball. Good PR and cool for Demps to be there. He’s a class guy.
BigJohnAZ - December 20, 2009
Of course they call the resident Canuck.
mistersite - December 20, 2009
January 3rd
We’re going on January 3rd.
Hey anyone up for a BCB trip to the rink Sunday afternoon after the convention is over?
puckishcubsfan - December 21, 2009
I'll be going the day after the Convention.
Schools are closed for MLK Day and its a Half Price Monday. That spells a nice day for this custodian.
TkGoUWGB - December 27, 2009
is this
a new way of driving revenue through the ballpark? Just wondering.
DartmouthCubsFan - December 21, 2009
Not really.
It’s being run by the park district. I doubt the Cubs are making much on this.
Al Yellon - December 21, 2009
Also...
… this is the only year they’d be able to do this. By this time next year the Triangle Building should be under construction.
Al Yellon - December 21, 2009
Could they not...
…do it on the field itself? Make it the centerpiece of a ‘holiday’ market like the Christmas Markets of Europe.
LeSaboteur - December 21, 2009
They could, but...
… like last year, they’d have to resod the field after they took the rink down.
Last year, the NHL paid for the resodding. If the Cubs did that in the future, they’d have to make enough from that “market” to pay for the resodding themselves.
Al Yellon - December 22, 2009
No...
it’s connecting the Cubs with the surrounding area.
blackhawk24 - December 22, 2009
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