2008-09 Harvard Women’s Ice Hockey :: This is Harvard
BRIGHT HOCKEY CENTER
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While hockey at Harvard began 109 years ago at Franklin Park in Boston, the Crimson hockey programs have called the Alexander H. Bright Hockey Center home since 1979. The Bright Hockey Center was dedicated November 19, 1979, when the Crimson men hosted the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. More than 3,000 spectators turned out for the opening of the third new athletic facility in as many years. From 1956 to 1978, the Harvard men played their hockey games at the Donald C. Watson Rink, a facility loved by hockey players for its good, hard ice but cursed by many spectators for its cold temperatures. Harvard made plans for expansion of facilities in the early 1970s with a brand new ice rink to be constructed at Soldiers Field. Costs soared, however, and the project had to be revised. The new rink, estimated to cost somewhere around $5 million, would not be built after all. Watson would instead be renovated. While Harvard men’s and women’s teams played out of local rinks in 1978-79, the “renovation” of Watson Rink took place. Watson’s concrete walls were knocked down and rebuilt 10 feet out in each direction. The wooden ceiling of Watson remained, but a new roof topped it. Named after former Harvard hockey player Alec Bright ’19, Bright Hockey Center seats nearly 2,800 people, up more than 800 from Watson’s capacity. There is additional space for some 500 standees. Longtime Harvard men’s coach Bill Cleary ’56 chose to lengthen the playing surface by five feet to emphasize the skating game he favored. The rink is now 204 feet by 87 feet. Four locker rooms exist beneath the stands, one each for the men’s varsity, women’s varsity, men’s junior varsity and visiting team. They are supplemented by rooms for officials, coaches and equipment storage. The equipment room features a humidity-controled stick room to prevent them from drying out.
In the arena proper, the walls paint a pictorial history of the 30 seasons of the Crimson’s proud women’s hockey tradition. In addition to photos of each Harvard team dating back to the inception of the program, there are photos of each of Harvard’s All-Americans and a trophy case displaying the Crimson’s national and league awards. Hanging from the ceiling at the west end of the arena is perhaps the most prominent statement in the entire building: side-by side banners commemorating the men’s 1989 NCAA national championship and the women’s 1999 AWCHA national championship, as well as Harvard’s Patty Kazmaier and Hobey Baker winners. Numerous banners adorn the rafters on both sides of the ice representing the success that both the women’s and men’s hockey programs have enjoyed over the years: the Ivy titles, the ECAC titles, the Beanpot crowns, the NCAA tournament appearances. Hanging alongside the national championship banners is one with a Crimson “4” – the retired number of former Crimson skater, hockey coach and director of athletics Bill Cleary, which was retired in 2001 and is the only number of any of Harvard’s 41 varsity sports ever to be taken out of circulation. Several aesthetic and functional improvements have been made at Bright in recent seasons, including a complete renovation of the locker rooms and installation of a new, energy-efficient lighting system in the summer of 2007. A new public address and sound system was installed in 2003. New dasher boards, seamless GlassFlex and protective end netting were added a year earlier. In 2008, Harvard will unveil a new video scoreboard, the first of its kind in ECAC Hockey.
Directions to Bright From the West Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) east to Exit 18 (Allston/Cambridge). After paying toll, bear left at fork toward Allston/ Brighton. Turn right at the second set of lights (Hess gas station) onto North Harvard Street. Proceed approximately one mile to Harvard Stadium. Turn left into Gate 6, and follow along the road behind the Stadium. Bright Hockey Center is ahead on the left.
From the North Take I-93 south to the Storrow Drive exit. Take Storrow Drive west for approximately five miles. Exit at Harvard Square/North Harvard Street. At end of exit, turn left onto North Harvard Street. Go approximately 1/4 mile and turn right into Harvard Stadium Gate 6. Follow the road behind the Stadium, and Bright Hockey Center is ahead on the left.
From the South Take I-95 north to I-93 north. Take I-93 to Exit 20 (Massachusetts Turnpike). Take Mass. Pike (I-90) west to Exit 20 (Allston/ Cambridge). After paying toll, bear left at fork toward Allston/Brighton. Turn right at the second set of lights (Hess gas station on right) onto North Harvard Street. Proceed approximately one mile to Harvard Stadium. Turn left into Gate 6 and follow the Stadium to the left. Bright Hockey Center is ahead on the left.
GoCrimson.com IHW 0809 Media Guide.indb 18
9/18/2008 4:54:30 PM