Silver Bay Revitalizes, Refurbishes, and Reinvents Outdoor Ice Rink

The revitalization of Silver Bay’s outdoor hockey rink has been a longstanding dream for Shane Hoff, for­mer president of the Blue Line Club.

“It was kind of a passion of mine to get done at some point and a lot of the other Blue Line Club mem­bers, too,” he said. “We all talked about refurbishing the out­door rink.”

For Hoff, the pas­sion stems from a de­sire to give local kids more opportunities to experience the joy of outdoor hockey, espe­cially outside the con­straints of scheduled practices. The rink represents not just a space for play but a chance to foster com­munity, camaraderie, and a deeper love for the sport.

“The outdoor rink for hockey is a great place for kids to go play. A lot of the prac­tices are pretty struc­tured,” said Hoff. “The outdoor rink is where the kids real­ly improve. The best hockey players are the ones that put the most time in on the outdoor rink. I don’t think that there is anyone that would argue with that point.”

The Blue Line Club diligently set aside funds each year, earned through the popular North Shore hockey camps, to save for the project. How­ever, the aging boards had other plans, dete­riorating faster than the club’s savings could keep pace.

“The boards were in tough shape,” said Hoff. “We were plan­ning on saving for longer, but the boards were just getting to the point where we need­ed to do something as soon as possible.”

Hoff, together with the Blue Line Club members, turned to the community for support. The response was overwhelming, with local businesses, foundations, and res­idents stepping up to help bring the vision to life.

Thanks to generous donations, the club secured a great deal on boards previous­ly used at Northern Michigan University’s indoor rink. The pur­chase even included glass panels, but na­ture had other plans.

“Mother Nature got the best of us,” Hoff said, recounting how strong winds damaged much of the glass overnight. The re­maining panels on one side of the rink held up for a little over a year before they, too, succumbed to the ele­ments.

“A couple of them ended up falling down a couple months ago so we needed to do something different for the glass,” said Hoff. “Previously they had fencing up for the glass and that seemed to work pretty well so we decided to go that route.”

When seeking ex­ternal vendors for projects like this, Hoff prefers to work with those who have ties to Silver Bay. For the fencing, one name immediately came to mind: Micah Taintor, the owner of Thrive Fencing and a familiar face with local connec­tions.

“He is from Silver Bay, his parents live here, and he and his kids were in the hock­ey program before they moved down to Ames, Iowa and starting his fencing business,” said Hoff. “We end­ed up calling him and getting him involved and he was interested in helping us out. He gave us a good bid and installed it.”

When illness pre­vented one of Taintor’s crew members from making the trip, the community once again stepped up. A call for help brought volun­teers eager to lend a hand. “It was nice to have people step for­ward when we needed some help,” Hoff said.

During the installa­tion, tall poles were erected behind the goals to support nets designed to keep pucks from flying out of the rink.

The team also en­hanced the space with thoughtful additions, including a picnic ta­ble, garbage can, and a fire pit for families to enjoy.

More work is set to continue in the spring, as the project evolves beyond its original vi­sion of refurbishing the aging rink. What began as a dream to restore a cherished hockey space has transformed into a multi-purpose community hub, seam­lessly blending Sil­ver Bay’s passion for hockey with a growing enthusiasm for pickle­ball.

“I’m involved in the pickleball communi­ty in Silver Bay,” ex­plained Hoff. “And so, when it came time to think about getting the project done it was just kind of nat­ural that we made the rink multi-purpose for pickleball, as well.”

As part of the on­going initiative, addi­tional coats of acrylic paint will be applied in the spring, creating an ideal surface for both pickleball and rollerblading. Oth­er planned improve­ments include build­ing up the pleasure skating rink, offering a dedicated space for non-hockey activities.

The project’s suc­cess has been a true community effort. Many local residents, businesses, and foun­dations played key roles in making the upgrades a reality. In-kind contributions came from VanHouse Construction, the City of Silver Bay’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation depart­ments, while the Blue Line Club secured favorable deals from Sinnott for asphalt and Taintor for fenc­ing materials. Count­less volunteer hours further underscored the town’s dedication to the rink’s revital­ization.

Generous monetary contributions totaling over $150,000 were also provided by the following sponsors: Lake County Recre­ation Board, Silver Bay Blue Line Club, Cleveland Cliffs, Min­nesota Power, Lloyd K. Johnson Founda­tion, Isabella Com­munity Center, North Shore Federal Credit Union, and the Dulu­th/Superior Commu­nity Fund.

“It’s nice to be in a small town to get these projects accom­plished. It’s an all hands on deck mental­ity. We’ve had a lot of people step up to help including the spon­sors. I just want to thank everybody for all the help they have given,” said Hoff.