The Lost Arenas
The RI Auditorium – Epicenter of RI Hockey for Nearly Half a Century
The news first appeared on the front page of the Providence Journal the morning of April 18th, 1925. Headlines announced plans for Rhode Island to become the home of New England’s largest auditorium, “an imposing structure of artistic design, seating 8,000 persons and costing $500,000.” The new facility was hailed [...]
Iceland – Rhode Island’s Visionary Outdoor Hockey Haven in Neighboring Seekonk
Anthony Venditti became famous in automotive circles, not only here in Rhode Island but in a good part of the nation. Known as the “Godfather” of stock car racing in New England, his almost single-handed creation of the Seekonk Speedway and the innovations he introduced to the sport there made [...]
The Ice Bowl: the surprising incubator for some of Rhode Island’s greatest hockey players
When the RI Auditorium opened in 1926 it was the state’s very first indoor rink. With it, the game’s popularity exploded. Before too long there were too many players, too many teams and too many leagues for the available arena ice time. In order to meet their expanding needs, high [...]
Dudley Richards Arena – born out of one dedicated couple’s passion for figure skating
We call them “hockey” rinks because, well, we play hockey. They’re really “ice” rinks, a playground for all sorts of recreation, not the least of which is figure skating, which most certainly preceded hockey as a recreational pastime. Patricia and Betty Ann Farrell grew up on figure skates. Their father, [...]
Mid-State Arena: A Labor of Local Love for the “Father” of East Greenwich Hockey
In the late sixties and early seventies, there were only a few stations on our television dials. Over our New England winters, three and sometimes four times a week, when 7 pm rolled around, households throughout the region tuned to UHF channel 38 in Boston. The Bruins were on and, [...]
The North Providence Arena – Victim of the 1970’s Oil Embargoes Transformed into one of the Town’s cultural centers
Everyone remembers where they played their first organized hockey. Clark Donatelli sure does. It was the brand-new rink in his hometown of North Providence. “I grew up playing there in mites and first-year squirts. Back then you played house league and travel. It was a perfect location. It was right [...]