The Ice Chalet’s Royal Rebranding
On Sept. 7, the Promenade Ice Chalet (Ice Chalet) was reopened to the public after closing down on Sept. 16, 2020. The reopening can be credited to the Los Angeles (LA) Kings (Kings) and the American Sports Entertainment Company (ASEC), the largest owner and operator of ice skating and indoor sports facilities in the U.S. On Aug. 1, 2020, they signed a five-year lease agreement with the owners of Promenade on the Peninsula Shopping Center to reopen the rink and rebrand it as the LA Kings Ice at Promenade on the Peninsula.
The closure of the Ice Chalet followed a mandate sent out by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on March 19, 2020, requiring all nonessential businesses in Los Angeles County to shut down in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The Ice Chalet did not provide the items necessary for maintaining the safety, sanitation and essential operation of a business, therefore it was defined as nonessential. Despite the shutdown, the Ice Chalet was able to briefly open back up in June of that year, but reduced attendance and higher maintenance costs associated with the pandemic resulted in a financial strain on the company. The rink eventually had no choice but to close down for good.
More than a year later, on Sept. 7, the newly named LA Kings Ice at Promenade on the Peninsula reopened. Before opening day, the Kings upgraded the technology system and added both interior and exterior branding of the Kings. They also made repairs to the cold floor pipe and dasher board systems, leveled the ice rink subfloor, installed a new scoreboard, upgraded lighting and sound equipment, installed high-speed public internet access and provided new rental skates (National Hockey League).
After hearing of the rink’s reopening, senior Sarah Schmainda was glad to find out that the Kings bought out the location at the Promenade on the Peninsula. Schmainda has been skating at the Ice Chalet since she was three years old and her older sister was previously a figure skating coach there before it shut down. Currently, both Schmainda sisters are working at the rink, and Schmainda hopes her efforts will help others develop the same passion for skating as she does.
“I really hope that [the new renovations will draw more people to the rink] because the Kings are well known and [have] a lot of fans,” Schmainda said. “The ice rink was kind of hidden before and now it is a little more noticeable, so hopefully [more people will come to check it out].”
The renovation of the rink is one of many recent examples of the Kings and ASEC partnering to reopen many other rinks in Southern California. In February, Santa Clarita awarded a contract with the Kings and ASEC for the operation of the city-owned rink in Valencia, The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center. In 2019, Pickwick Ice in Burbank signed with ASEC and the Kings to renovate their facility as well (National Hockey League). Also according to the National Hockey League, the King’s president Luc Robitaille and his team hope these renovations will “inspire future generations of athletes to try out figure skating and hockey.” Boys Soccer head coach Patrick Daley has similar hopes to Robitaille. Daley believes this reopening will cause ice sports to become a more popular pastime in Palos Verdes.
“Without [the Ice Chalet], there would not be the possibility for kids to ice skate unless they traveled far outside the community,” Daley said. “[Therefore], it will definitely benefit [the popularity of] ice skating and hockey [here]. [Not only that], but [LA Kings Ice at Promenade on the Peninsula] also have adult hockey leagues, [so] if adults have never skated, they could learn how to, and if they do know how to skate, [they can] stay healthy on the ice.”
The rink’s reopening may have benefits beyond helping people skate. World History Honors, Advanced Placement World History teacher and girls soccer head coach Scotte Massey infers that this rebranding will increase the overall popularity of the Promenade on the Peninsula along with the reopened rink. Massey appreciates that the Kings are using their wealth and influence to help improve the community.
“Any time something gets renovated in a little area, the rest of the area wants to be able to reach the caliber of that renovated facility,” Massey said. “The renovation of the ice skating rink will encourage neighboring shops, stores or facilities to also want [an] upgrade. This is pretty important to the community because it brings more people into those [local] facilities, or in this case, the Promenade, [causing the Promenade to be more popular as a whole].”
