Home Cookin' At Baker Rink! Renovations Paying Off During Hot Start For Hockey Teams
11/26/2025
The renovated comforts of home have benefitted Princeton’s hockey programs as the work done in the offseason to improve the infrastructure at historic Hobey Baker Rink has been matched by the work done on the ice by the men’s and women’s teams to start the 2025-26 season.
As the Tigers head into Thanksgiving, Princeton’s men’s and women’s teams are a combined 12-1-0 at home and putting on a show in front the Tiger crowds on a nightly basis.
“Princeton is proud to be home to a college hockey venue as historic and important as Hobey Baker Rink,” said Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ’00. “The work done this offseason was the culmination of a multi-year project designed to provide improvements in the quality of the playing surface – the most important aspect of a hockey rink. The starts from both teams this season are exciting, and the feedback on the renovations has been just as outstanding. We look forward to many more special moments at Baker Rink this season and beyond.”
While the renovation project began with planning meetings and proposals three years ago, the work began in earnest immediately upon the conclusion of the 2024-25 season and required the complete shutdown of the facility. The men’s and women’s programs moved completely out of Baker Rink and into temporary locker rooms and offices across campus, and all spring on-ice workouts took place at Lawrenceville and Princeton Day School.
By the time the student-athletes returned to campus in September, the finishing touches were being put on by Grace Construction Management, the project managers for the renovations, and the official start to team activities ahead of the 2025-26 season coincided with the reopening of Baker Rink.
“The upgrades to Hobey Baker Rink this summer have been vitally impactful to out student-athletes,” said men’s head coach Ben Syer. “The quality of the ice is vastly improved, it allows for us to not only practice more efficiently but to have a more consistent surface during games. We’ve felt the difference in the boards and glass in terms of less wear and tear to players. I have no question that the resources put into this project by the University and Athletic Department have played a part in our success at home to start this season.”
The details involved in the renovation process may not all be visible to patrons, but they are impactful.
Athletica Crystaplex boards were installed to replace the boards that had been in place since the early 1990s. The acrylic system is more flexible, providing a safer experience for student-athletes when playing up against the boards and glass. Other player safety enhancements to the boards include acrylic shielding, a flexible cap rail material and curved acrylic corners at the bench areas.
The new boards and glass sit atop a sheet of ice that is maintained by an upgraded refrigeration system. All ice layers were melted and removed down to the original concrete slab set in place in 1922. On top of that original concreate, a new subfloor heating system, insulation and cold slab were installed. Renovations allowed for the new ice surface to be laid out by IceBuilders several inches lower than the previous sheet. A highly-efficient and environmentally-friendly CO2 refrigeration system and a M&M Carnot CO2 package were installed by IceBuilders inside a brand-new mechanical enclosure located outside the east side of Baker Rink.
For the teams, upgrades were made to the bench area. The reconfigured area includes new benches, flooring and doors. The removal of a large concrete partition allows for the two benches to be closed off from one another and a more streamlined entrance to the ice for the Tigers.
Throughout the venue, including in the men’s and women’s team locker rooms, HVAC and dehumidification systems were replaced. These upgrades make Baker Rink compatible with Campus District hot and chilled water systems and the HVAC and plumbing systems were converted from campus steam to campus hot water as part of Princeton’s sustainability effort for net zero emissions by 2046.
Other changes inside Baker Rink include upgrades or replacements to the electrical system, new rubber flooring in the bench areas and team entrances, and the removal of the goal judge box in the West end to allow for an increase in rink capacity.
On the outside, a major upgrade took place to the roof with the replacement of the original slate roof installed over 100 years ago with a brand-new slate roof that stays true to the world-famous Baker Rink aesthetics while mitigating leaks.
“When I first walked back into the arena upon returning this Fall, I was blown away by the upgrades to the playing surface,” said women’s head coach Courtney Kessel. “We take such pride in calling Hobey Baker Rink home, it is a special place not only to our Princeton Hockey community but our sport. To know that the University and our administration is prioritizing upgrades that directly impact our student-athletes is a special feeling as a coach and I know our players are better today because of these efforts.”
Hobey Baker Rink’s upgrades come as it is about to ascend to being the oldest in-use ice hockey venue in college hockey. Opened in 1923, Baker Rink will become the nation’s most venerable barn officially when Northeastern’s Matthews Arena closes at the end of 2025.
Named in honor of Hobey Baker, a member of Princeton’s class of 1914 and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame for his multi-sport prowess as an amateur athlete at Princeton. The rink opened officially with a 3-2 win by the men’s team over St. Nick’s Hockey Club, the club where Hobey Baker played upon graduation, on January 5, 1922. The women’s team held its first varsity game at Hobey Baker Rink on November 30, 1979, a 13-2 win over Penn.
