As the Grand Opening of the $20-million Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) fast approaches, not a day goes by that Gordie Zimmermann isn’t asked about when that will be.
He is asked in the grocery store, while walking around Wesley Chapel and his phone never seems to stop dinging with text messages and ringing with eager callers.
“Everybody is excited about it,’’ Zimmermann says. “I got hammered all weekend with phone calls, people asking when it will be open and when can they book a birthday party and what are some of the great events coming in. This is such a big community in Wesley Chapel, they can’t wait.”
They won’t have to much longer. Zimmermann says the 150,500-sq.-ft. FCHI, which is located along Cypress Ridge Blvd. on the northeast corner of the I-75/S.R. 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel, is looking at a soft opening in December to test out some final details. He says there are plans for an official Grand Opening in January. A tentative date has been set, but he still can’t reveal it.
A tour through the facility on Nov. 9 revealed that it won’t be long.
One rink is all but finished, framed by completed dasher boards, glass and scoreboards. Once it is cleaned up, the ice will be ready to go in.
A second rink is right behind, as the protective glass was carefully put in recently by workers. A third rink, as well as the main NHL-sized rink, are taking form.
“We’re working as fast as we can to get all the kinks out,’’ says Zimmermann, a developer for Z Mitch, LLC. “Everything has to be just right.” As we went to press last week, the electricity was turned on, lighting up the interior.
Zimmermann said the demand for the new facility has already far exceeded what he expected.
“It’s already basically booked into the summer,’’ he says. “And, we haven’t even gotten to our fall schedule yet.”
Zimmermann says FHCI is about 80-85 percent done. The seating and kitchen for the Top Shelf Restaurant & Bar, which will overlook the rinks below, and seating areas for fans are now easy to visualize.
Sometime in December, Zimmermann says the palatial new complex will be open for some public skating, pick-up hockey games and skate-and-shoot sessions. Learn to Skate USA classes also will be offered sometime in December.
Come January, those in charge of getting the facility up and running will be on a power play. Zimmerman says some events are already scheduled with the Tampa Bay Lightning, including a street hockey tournament (on FHCI’s multi-sports pad) followed by a skills camp put on by former Lightning players.
Zimmermann says the Lightning, who also will hold occasional practices at the facility, will release those details when the plans are finalized.
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Some of the non-sports events already booked include the Taste of New Tampa and an unnamed (by Zimmermann) 250-person corporate roundtable discussion.
On June 17, Skate For Hope, which will feature many of the world’s top figure skaters and will benefit cancer research, will be held at FHCI. Also in June, there will be a National Roller Hockey Tournament that Zimmermann says will feature 200 teams playing for 10 days on three of the FHCI rinks.
USA Hockey adult leagues for age groups ranging from 40+ to 70+ also are coming, and Zimmermann says Tampa Bay Lightning High School Hockey League games will be played at the rink beginning Jan. 4, with the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) team he coaches getting the opening night honors, highlighting a doubleheader (and potentially a triple header), along with a to-be-determined opponent and 2-4 other teams.
High school ice hockey players from WRH, Freedom, Wesley Chapel and Wharton (which currently does not have a team but has in the past) high schools will use the rink for practices and games.
On Jan. 18, Bright House Sports Network (BHSN) will televise a live high school hockey game from FHCI.
The eagerly-anticipated facility, which will be the largest skating complex south of New York the day it opens, will feature three NHL-sized hockey rinks and one larger, Olympic-size rink, as well as 17,000-sq.-ft. multi-sports pad that can accommodate a number of other sports, even basketball and volleyball and lacrosse.
In addition to the rinks and restaurant, FHCI will have a sports performance center, fitness room and plenty of room for yoga, pilates and dance classes, as well as corporate outings and parties.
“Everything is going smoothly,’’ Zimmermann says, “and when we open, it’s going to be good.”
The most important aspect of the facility – the 65 miles of refrigerated pipe laid in by Toronto’s CIMCO — has to be tested thoroughly as the big motors that will eventually keep the ice for the various rinks at a cool 22-28 degrees or so are revved up, and the final touches are being carefully addressed.
For more information, visit FloridaHospitalCenterIce.com or see the ad on page 12 of this issue.
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