Polar Ice Chandler -> Ice Den Chandler

It's official as of today, the Ice Den took possession of the Chandler rink and it's now Ice Den Chandler.

The press release on their website doesn't say much, naturally.  The staff is in the middle of figuring out what's what so answers are not particularly forthcoming at this time.  It appears likely that they will honor the existing passes but I'm guessing they will cease selling them (Mine expires 7/5, I believe).  As for changes to schedule, etc. it's all to be determined.  Still, long term I think this is a good thing.  The Ice Den folks obviously know how to run a rink and make it a success, and the press release suggests a willingness to invest in the facility and programs.  Yes, prices may increase, and probably things will be tightened up a bit -- but if it means the rink will stay in business for a long time, then I'm all for it.

Here's an excerpt:

CHANDLER, Ariz. –January 9, 2014 -- The family, who owns the highly popular and successful Ice Den in North Scottsdale, and brought NHL hockey to Arizona, has purchased the Polar Ice facility in Chandler.

"We are thrilled to have acquired the Chandler facility. Our initial efforts will be focused on revitalizing the business and the facility and getting to know the community and our customers. We will invest the necessary resources and capital to build consistently high quality hockey and skating programs, as we have at our North Scottsdale location, which is utilized annually by over one million people. We are fortunate to have a highly experienced management team who has been with us since the Ice Den opened in 1997. They know how to grow and operate high quality, successful hockey and skating programs, and I am confident they will do so in Chandler,” said Taylor Burke, who is President of Rainy Partners, the owner of the Ice Den facilities in Scottsdale and now Chandler.

The Arizona Republic has an article about the sale, also.