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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Ice Hockey shooting holes
Les Schofer, Assistant
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Lynchburg | VA | USA | Posted: 7:12 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> I have never been to an ice arena that is equipped with shooting holes. I would like to get more information about what type of door is used to cover the hole when not being used. Does the glass maker furnish the door? |
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Adrian Gauthier, Photographer
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Mississauga | ON | Canada | Posted: 7:17 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> The holes are always open. |
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Jared Wickerham, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Pittsburgh | PA | U.S.A. | Posted: 7:38 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> The holes at Mellon Arena have a piece of plexiglass that velcro's over the hole when not in use. |
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Richard Denham, Photographer
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Toronto/Buffalo/Niagara | On | Canada | Posted: 7:51 AM on 05.28.09 |
->> Les
The holes need to be cut into the glass by the manufacturer. Their are NHL specs on how to make them which include both the size and what to use to cover it. As Jared noted they are usually covered with a piece of plexiglass with clear Velcro on the spectator side when not in use. In some older venues however, as Adam noted they may not have covers. |
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Kevin Leas, Photographer, Assistant
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 7:54 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> Madison Square Garden is another venue that uses velco-lined plexiglass covers over the holes. It's certainly nothing high-tech, but it does the job just fine. |
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Shelley Cryan, Photographer
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New England | CT | USA | Posted: 8:28 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> Harbor Yard in Bridgport has covers over the shooting holes. The holes are just above the wooden side wall, where the wall meets the plexi. When the holes are closed, the covers sit in a little slot on the top of the wood wall. The covers themselves are made of the same plexi material and have little handles screwed into them (if I remember right) on the spectator side, so it's easy to pull the covers up and out of the slots. Low tech, but it works. |
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Andrew Knapik, Photographer, Assistant
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Lincoln Park | MI | USA | Posted: 9:54 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> Detroit uses velcro to hold the holes in place when not in use. The most important thing to do when not using them is to cover them back up!! |
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Tom Gannam, Photographer
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St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 10:58 AM on 05.28.09 |
| ->> At Scottrade center in St. Louis, St. Louis Blues home ice, they have apiece of plexi cut to the size of the hole and secured to the boards by a piece of aluminum with two easily removable pins. works well. |
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Jack Megaw, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Pittsburgh | PA | America | Posted: 2:01 PM on 05.28.09 |
->> I've shot Philadelphia Phantoms games - a couple of years ago - at the Spectrum. The holes were not covered, but they were also just a small bit bigger than a puck - much smaller than the ones you find at NHL arenas with larger holes and covers.
It also meant that you did not have the same flexibility when shooting. |
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Steve King, Photographer
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Ann Arbor | MI | USA | Posted: 9:58 PM on 05.28.09 |
->> You want to make sure that you're cognizant of what you're sticking through the hole into play. Your lens can get hit by a stick, or a player, or the puck too due to the hole. The holes at Joe Louis Arena are just large enough to fit a 70-200 through with a little room to spare, so make sure you stay aware of the play, since not just pucks and players, but also sticks can, and will come through them too.
Oh, and if they're set up like at "The Joe", remember to cover them back up when you're done using them too. That keeps them safer for the patrons too. |
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Christopher Kays, Photographer
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Benton | IL | USA | Posted: 4:54 AM on 05.29.09 |
->> Scottrade Center (STL) has removable pieces of glass that are held in with screws (and they can be a pain getting out).
Like Steve said, make sure you replace them. |
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Dennis Wierzbicki, Photographer
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Plainfield | IL | USA | Posted: 7:32 AM on 05.30.09 |
->> OK, I'll join in. The United Center in Chicago has replaceable covers for the holes and the covers are tethered to the boards with safety cables. Pretty easy to remove and replace the covers.
Les, if you're interested, I have a photo of what the hole and cover look like - email/PM me via my SS page and I can send it to you. |
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Andy Mead, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 6:57 PM on 05.30.09 |
->> At the RBC Center you can get the barrel of a 300 f/2.8 lens through the holes - which do not have covers. I vaguely remember velcro-on covers one season four or five years ago, but I gather they're more trouble than they were worth. I've lost two lenses over the years at ice level, one where the puck came in the hole and went through a wide-angle lens like a sharp knife through warm butter. The other was my fault as I just pushed the edge of the 70-200 out the hole and a dump-in puck came up the ice and smashed it. I've had gloves come through the hole as players scrum in front of me, and I know of one photographer in Washington who got cross-checked as a stick came through the hole then got wedged behind him as the player pushed past the hole with the stick pulling the photog into the glass. While it's "safer" than shooting between the benches, it's definitely not for the inattentive.
Years ago, they used to cut circular holes about 6 inches up from the bottom of the panes of glass. Now they cut roughly square holes in the bottom edge of the glass. |
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