Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey. Exterior photo courtesy Ice Hockey Wiki. Sign photo courtesy Sign Design, Inc.
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.43
Canton Ice House
65 North Street
Canton, MA 02021
Year Opened: 2016
Capacity: 500 (red rink)/200 (blue rink)
It’s an Ice House
The Northeast Generals are a Tier II junior hockey team that began play in the North American Hockey League in 2016. The Generals have qualified for the Robertson Cup playoffs in five of their first eight NAHL seasons. After playing at the New England Sports Village in the Providence suburb of Attleboro for their entire existence, the Generals relocated 24 miles north on Interstate 95 to the Canton Ice House in the Boston suburbs for the 2024-25 season.
The Canton Ice House, which opened in 2016, features two full-sized rinks, a pro shop, a café, two golf simulators, and a fully equipped gym. It serves as home to several local high schools, youth programs, club programs, and figure skating clubs. It also serves as the home to the Curry College hockey team. The facility boasts that it hosts over 35 games and 100 practices every week, with over 750,000 visitors passing through its doors annually.
Food & Beverage 3
The facility’s snack bar, The Ice House Café, is located between the red and blue rinks on the mezzanine level. Several tables fill the large space, and both rinks are visible from these tables. Also, there are a bunch of video games, an air hockey table, and a rod hockey table located here. As is the case with many community rinks, this snack bar features a pretty impressive menu.
Breakfast items are found on the menu, which at first glance may be surprising, but when you consider the long hours that a rink complex is open, it isn’t such a shock. Bagels, English muffins, hash browns, and egg and cheese sandwiches are sold here.
If you’re looking for lunch or dinner, you can choose from an array of hot dogs, burgers, wraps, club sandwiches, chicken parmesan sandwiches, and more. Chicken tenders, french fries, onion rings, fried dough, mozzarella sticks, toasted ravioli, and fried Oreos highlight the offerings from the snack bar. Pizza slices and salads can also be found here. Fans just looking for a snack can order a pretzel, popcorn, assorted candies, or ice cream treats.
With this extensive menu, why not a maximum score? Well, the snack bar isn’t always open, as was the case during Stadium Journey’s recent visit on a Saturday night. If you happen to visit Canton when the snack bar is closed, there are several vending machines selling drinks and snacks.
Atmosphere 1
As you would expect in a small community rink like the ones at the Canton Ice House, the game day atmosphere is pretty basic. Before we get into details, huge props to the team’s PA announcer, who pulls quadruple duty as the PA announcer, deejay, official scorekeeper, and penalty box attendant.
The sound system is decent, and you’re able to hear all game announcements. There’s not a lot of noise coming from the small crowd here, so you’re able to hear all the sounds of the game no matter where you sit.
There are small scoreboards at both ends of the rink that display score, time, and penalties. Banners throughout the rink advertise the facility’s many other tenants. Perhaps a Generals banner will join them soon. Stadium Journey attended the General’s second game in Canton, so this may be a work in progress.
If you enjoy attending a hockey game while being able to hear the sounds of skates cutting through the ice, coaches barking instructions at their teams, and players chirping each other (and the referees), Canton Ice House’s intimate setting is for you.
Neighborhood 3
Canton Ice House is located in an industrial park in the southern part of Canton, with nothing much in the immediate neighborhood that will attract visiting fans. Surrounding the industrial park is a residential area, so fans will have to venture a bit from the facility to find dining or lodging options. Luckily, being so close to Boston and major highways means that you will have numerous options within a 15-minute drive.
Backstreet Grill and Tavern is a local favorite in neighboring Stoughton, and visiting fans will find no shortage of options on nearby Washington Street, including Nosh ‘N Grog and L’Oven Pizzeria. Hotels line all the major arteries in the area, including Four Points by Sheraton, a Residence Inn, a Homewood Suites by Hilton, and a Holiday Inn and Suites. Of course, the city of Boston and all its attractions is less than a half hour away.
Fans looking for sporting options in the area will find Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution, just 11 miles away to the south. Fans looking to pair a Generals game with a Division One hockey game will find the Stonehill Skyhawks just 15 minutes to the south, with the numerous teams located in and around Boston, Providence, and Worcester all about a half hour’s drive away.
Fans 1
Stadium Journey attended the General’s second-ever game at the Canton Ice House on a rainy September Saturday night. The announced attendance for both games on opening weekend was 120, but the eye test showed the crowd was probably half that size. The crowd in attendance consisted of friends and family, some of whom traveled quite a distance to follow their loved ones. While the fans are quite knowledgeable, they are pretty reserved in their support. Since many of the Generals’ games are against local teams, it’s not unusual to see fans supporting the visiting teams.
The crowd here in Canton is comparable to the crowds that supported the team at their previous home in Attleboro.
Access 3
The town of Canton, MA, is located about 15 miles southwest of Boston. The town itself is easy to get to via car, as Interstates 93 and 95, as well as Routes 1, 24, and 128, all pass through Canton, making it easy to reach from all points in Massachusetts. The MBTA Commuter Rail has a stop at Canton Junction, about three miles from the Ice House. The hockey facility is located in an industrial park on the southern edge of town near Stoughton.
Fans will enter the Ice House into a small lobby that contains the pro shop, bathrooms, and several vending machines. The red rink will be on your right, and the blue rink will be on your left. The snack bar is located on the second floor, in between the two rinks.
The Generals play in the blue rink, the smaller of the two rinks. Seats consist of molded plastic bleachers colored blue (thus the name) that run the length of one side of the rink. There are standing room areas at the top of the grandstand, as well as some standing room at ice level at the ends of the rinks. Fans looking for some respite from the cold rink may elect to watch the game from the hallway that runs between the rinks or from the snack bar lobby. Restrooms are located on both levels and are remarkably clean, considering how busy this facility can be.
Return on Investment 5
Tickets for Generals games are sold as general admission for five dollars. Parking in the large lot at the facility is also free. Should the snack bar be open, food prices are also very reasonable. This all adds up to an affordable night of entertainment for local sports fans.
Extras 1
An extra point is awarded for the seating options that allow fans to watch the game from a warm area at Canton Ice House, as well as the nice selection of games in the snack bar area.
Final Thoughts
While the Canton Ice House would hardly qualify as a destination location for visiting hockey fans, this community facility has a lot of things going for it. The Northeast Generals bring affordable, entertaining junior hockey to a part of Massachusetts that contains no shortage of crazed fans.
---
Comments