Hockey Town USA Inc — Attraction in Saugus

I know everyone hates Hockeytown. To be completely honest, it is one of my guilty pleasures. Like eating Sonic tater tots on the ride home, the show Ink Master, or that stupid catchy song "Closer" by the Chainsmokers. You are not supposed to admit you like it, but secretly, I just can't help myself.

I coach all three of my children and two of them either skated, or still skate out of that rink at least once per week. I know that it is freezing in there. I know it smells like jiffy Lube when you walk into the office to get a scoresheet. I know it smell like a Pot-O-Potty tipped over if you get within 20 feet of the bathroom. I know the showers are gross. I know that rinks all have cinderblock walls instead of glass on one side. I know that the glass is so streaked with puck marks that it is probably easier to see through the cinderblock walls than the glass. I know that there are exactly 36 inches of space in which you can stand so that you can see the whole ice surface. I just don't care.

I like that rink. I like running a practice on cold, hard ice. I like running a practice in a place that is so user unfriendly that parents sit in lobby and watch the Bruins and let their kids practice independently for 50 mins out of the week.

I like the old-time-y feel that place has. I love playing men's league there. The benches used to be a real problem, but the recently fixed them up and now they are very accommodating. I don't know what it is, but under the filth and the grime, there is something about that old barn that I just like.

Also, for such a dumpy looking place, the food at the snack bar - when it is open (almost never) - is actually pretty...

I hate the design of the building impossible to navigate with the crowds of people. It's russian roulette with hockey but instead of it a 1 in 6 chance of a bullet it's a 1 in 2 chamce of you being absolutely screwed. Exhibit A: Absolutely horrendous ice with no grip and, the fact that there's some sort of brain eating amoeba under the ice. Did I mention the huge gashes on the ice? Also the zamboni driver is terrible he doesn't resurface the ice properly and leaves the ice with 1, 2, or 3 stripes of old ice depending on how he feels that day. This rink is ridiculous there are open bathrooms without a door in the locker room and a disgusting smell. There's more, instead of putting glass and boards they put a brickwall next the ice. Only reason I'm giving this rink 2 stars is because of the good rink the other one needs a renovation or to be shut down it's a safety hazard. On the contrary the Americans home rink is alright ice normal rink still smells mad and again. Missing...

The rink is in poor condition. Plumbing fixtures in the men's room are loose and broken. The rink smells like exhaust and is frequently evacuated due to high levels of carbon monoxide (causing cancelled games). The one zamboni they have for the two sheets frequently breaks down (causing more cancelled games). The north rink doesn't have glass along one side; the boards slope up to the CMU wall. Humidity levels are a frequent issue and the glass fogs up making it impossible to watch games (possibly due to doors that don't fully close). Even when the glass isn't fogged up, it's so scratched visibility is still poor.

But, they have a nice, freshly paved and painted...