Part of the Rink Reviews series: the rinks Fairfield County teams actually travel to, graded by a parent who’s stood in every one of them. The scale runs Elite, AAA, AA, A, B, House League.
Rink: Stamford Twin Rinks, 1063 Hope Street, Stamford, CT 06907. Two full sheets (West and East). Home of the Stamford Hockey League and a regular tournament host, twenty minutes from Darien.
Food — two options, both good
Ice View — Elite. Healthy options and extremely unhealthy options under one roof; if you’re going unhealthy, ask for the Jet Fries (nachos built on fries instead of chips). Great seats to eat, drink, socialize, and watch, and great service. Between games: the grilled chicken or a turkey sandwich, water. After the last game: the Jet Fries are earned.
Leo’s Pizza Cafe — Elite. Good coffee, donuts brought in from Long Island, great salads, and seating overlooking the East Rink. Between games: a salad with chicken, or a plain slice. Early game: the coffee and a donut for the parents, an egg sandwich for the player.
Ice
West Rink — Elite. Good climate control, hard ice year-round.
East Rink — AAA. Parking lot underneath it. Soft ice in the summer, hard ice in the winter.
Accessibility — AA. Easy access off the Merritt Parkway, and back roads from I-95 if the Merritt is backed up. Budget for the Hope Street lights on a weekday afternoon.
Things to do — AAA. Between games or for the siblings: the New Canaan Playhouse and a walk around downtown New Canaan (fifteen minutes north), Riko’s for pizza (B, but the kids like it), RPM Raceway go-karts and arcade, Bobby V’s restaurant and indoor driving range, and the Panic Room escape rooms.
Viewing experience / rink climate. Stands in the West Rink. Perimeter standing along the glass in the East Rink. Both sheets are viewable from Ice View upstairs, which is where you want to be for a tournament day; check their hours before you count on it. Dress for a rink; the West is the colder of the two.
Parking — Elite. Ample lot. Expert tip: park underneath the rink in bad weather and walk in dry.
Where to stay — House League. Nothing walkable, and Stamford hotels are business hotels. Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Stamford, the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa, and the J House in Riverside (the parent playground) all work; book the team block early.
Bathrooms — B. Dated. Nest-building skills a must.
Pro shop — AA. Wesco sister store on site for sharpening and the basics. If you have time, go to the parent Wesco store: 10 out of 10 goalie room and skate fitting. Pure Hockey is fifteen minutes away.
The one thing: Park underneath, eat upstairs at Ice View, and watch both sheets from one seat.
Where does your team eat here? Tell us in the comments and we’ll add it.
FIND. A. WAY.
Anika
