The Tennessean's Getahn Ward reported today the news that many hockey fans around Nashville have been expecting and hoping for - finally, a new sheet of ice will be built. A new rink for those in the community to learn and play the game on, and one that the Nashville Predators could be calling their new practice facility.
The new rink, expected to be officially announced on Monday, will be located on the grounds of the old Hickory Hollow Mall, now known as the Global Mall at the Crossings, at the mall's north entrance. The rink is one of many projects going up at Global Mall, along with a library, a community center, and a park.
Forget the fact that this is something that could revitalize Antioch's economy, which has taken a huge hit, with the Best Buy and Target stores recently closing, leaving Universal Kia, Kroger, and the Home Depot, plus a few fast-food restaurants, as those in the area needing business, Kroger being the only one of those that's a total necessity.
This is something the Midstate's growing hockey community has needed for years. Four sheets of ice - two at Centennial Sportsplex in Downtown Nashville, and two at A-Game Sportsplex in Cool Springs - are no longer enough. It would've been more than enough, maybe even too much, when the Predators began play in 1998, but now, with many Northern transplants seeking out a place to play, and many Nashville natives starting to take the game up because of the Predators' success over recent years, we need another rink.
I read a Tweet earlier today in response to The Tennessean's Tweet linking to the story on its site that stated that this is a part of some plan to have 11 sheets of ice in the area by 2020, but I can't seem to find it anywhere now. Apparently, the next place to get a new sheet will be Bellevue, who looked for a moment as if they would be getting this sheet.
If that's the case, then excellent, because soon, five sheets won't be enough.
So, with MTSN being the home of GNASH Hockey, this leaves me excited. I really hope the league and this new rink can make a deal to play games there, so we can have three regular places for GNASH games instead of just two. (Yes, GNASH plays games at Bridgestone Arena, too, but not on a regular basis, so I'm not counting it here.)
How can the league grow from here? Ezell-Harding will be just down the road from the new rink, maybe they'll start up a program. LaVergne, who co-oped with Oakland in the 2007-08 GNASH season, apparently has four interested skaters, and the new rink will only be three exits up I-24 from LaVergne, so, who knows? Smyrna would only be four exits down; maybe they'd join the fun. And the most exciting prospect running through my mind at the moment? An Antioch-Cane Ridge co-op! And now, so is a Smyrna-LaVergne co-op!
This is also great news for Blackman, as now they can just travel up I-24 to practice, instead of having to travel all the way up to Centennial, like they did last season, and might have to next season.
But Blackman, and perhaps Oakland, who returned to GNASH last season to co-op with Franklin (a co-op that, I've been told by goalie Peter Yasso's father, will be back next season), were really hurt by the failure to build Middle Tennessee Sportsplex, a one-sheet facility that was supposed to be begin construction in Murfreesboro in 2011, and would've been located near Barfield Crescent Park. The last I heard, ground on MT Sportsplex never broke, and I can't find any new information on it. I was in Murfreesboro on Wednesday for the Middle Tennessee Softball Coaches Association All-Star Games at Riverdale, and decided to look for where MT Sportsplex was to have been built, but to no avail. No MT Sportsplex really hurt GNASH's growth. Blackman would've had a place very close to home to practice, and Riverdale could've started up a program, being just about four miles away. Siegel, who had co-oped with Wilson Central in the past, also could've made a return to the league.
There was also supposed to have been a new facility built in Hendersonville. Premier Ice Arena was supposed to have broken ground in July 2011, and the gentleman who was going to build it had the perfect place: an abandoned warehouse. The plan was to build two sheets, but then disaster hit: the Predators pulled their funding for the project at the last minute. Last I heard, the builder was still hoping to put in one sheet, but that was almost two years ago. This, too, hurt GNASH's growth. Hendersonville, JPII, Station Camp, Beech, and perhaps even Mt. Juliet, would've had a new place to practice and play. Maybe Gallatin could've joined up with GNASH, as well as Portland, and White House.
That's why I'm so happy to hear this news about the new rink in Antioch: GNASH can grow, but I still think that, in order for the league to keep growing, there needs to be sheets built outside of Davidson and Williamson Counties, to diversify the community.
The good news for GNASH is, there's also the Cumberland Center in Lebanon, which is supposed to be completely finished in 2015, and have two sheets, which the city is hoping to use to attract a CHL team. Hopefully, that gets finished, as well.
A new hockey rink in Nashville - a dream has finally come true, but it's still a long way from being completely fulfilled.
-Michael Hackney
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