Addison Ice Arena

Came with a group for public skate. Really disappointed. Ice chopped up, Skate rentals were terrible: dull blades, uncomfortable, dirty and old laces, missing parts for lacing. Returned one skate or a refund. Will not be coming back.

This review is a tough one. During my visit here recently, I found some aspects of the facility to be outstanding, while other parts needed some help. If you’re coming here to skate, the ice is good, but the rink itself is in dire need of updating. The locker rooms are the tiniest I’ve seen in my life and at the end of our hockey game, some of us had to start taking off our equipment outside the room because there simply wasn’t enough room for all of us. Two rinks, «NHL» and «Olympic».
But if you’re a spectator, things get a bit better. The atmosphere in the rink is the coldest I’ve ever experienced (which is great for the ice quality but not if you’re sitting in the stands watching the action), so make sure you’re bundled up. The good news is that you have an option. There’s seating in the heated lobby behind one of the goals so you can watch the game in comfort if you choose.
The best part of Addison Ice Arena? The bar. Plenty of seating either at the bar itself or in the surrounding tables. That, along with a TV within view from any angle makes unwinding at the end of your visit here most enjoyable.

Never thought I would write a review of an ice rink… During a huge hockey tournament my son’s team was about to start a playoff game when the Zamboni caught fire and the entire rink was engulfed with smoke. It smelled like burning plastic! The staff at the rink said they could not call the fire department without the manager who was on his way. WHAT?! We were not goofing around with our children breathing in toxins so one of the parents from our team called the fire department himself. They took a couple of minutes and cleared us to play even though the smoke still remained and the smell was horrific. A few days later, my son and I are still coughing!

Since I’m beginning to take my 6 year old around the area for speed skating meets, I get the feeling I will become well acquainted with the various ice rinks in the Chicago area. Addison has the look of an old-​fashioned rink, with rather plain exterior walls. It is somewhat out of the way, almost on a back street, with residential homes in the immediate area.
Inside, the place has a decent seating area to watch the rink from the comfort of the corridor outside the glass. For those spectators, while they don’t hear the action, at least they are not cold. As for the seating inside the stadium, now that’s cold. Addison is probably the coldest place I’ve been to, compared to Oakton, Franklin Park and Pettit in Milwaukee too. Be sure to dress warmly if you are going in there, especially if you are a spectator and won’t be working up a sweat in a race.
The size of the rink is larger than Oakton. It has a good sized waiting area just as you come into the ice area, enough for a couple hockey teams to gather. The bleachers are on one side and the player/​official boxes are on the opposite side.
In the lobby area, there is a separate restaurant/​bar area called Blue Line Bar & Grill. While I didn’t go in there, it is convenient to have it next to the rink, since there are not many restaurants in the area unless you head back to North Ave.
The upstairs area of the venue has a room big enough to do warmup exercises. It also has mirrors on the walls and railings like a dance studio. It also makes for a meeting room before and after a race. It is also bigger than what’s at Oakton by comparison.
If anything, I think the place can be cleaner. I noticed the glass on the rink and in the hallway area was pretty smudged up. In the bathroom, there was a hole in the wall that was filled with garbage inside. Otherwise, it’s a good-​sized rink with good amenities.