Puget Sound Hockey Center

I’ve been skating at PSHC for nearly twenty years. I challenge anyone to find better ice, better adult competition and a more fraternal atmosphere at any other rink. Yeah, the boards are warped and the ice edges sometimes have divots. But this isn’t cricket for God’s sake — it’s hockey! And it costs $ 5!!!
Most of the regulars wouldn’t know what to do without it.

I am so over these people. We rented my son’s hockey gear here in May. He decided he didn’t want to continue with hockey anymore the second week of July. And at that time we returned the same week. When we met with Jared to return the gear he was unable to find our paperwork. He took the gear and made a note in his notebook and said we would see the refund in about 7 to 10 days. (Jared has been very good and I think he feels stuck in the middle he is just a trainer).
A month went by and nothing.
We have called Jared several times to see what was going on with our refund. He has confirmed he spoke with Donna on multiple occasions.
We have left 2 messages with staff at the center to give to Donna. We have left Donna messages when her voicemail box wasn’t full. Now 2 months later still no refund.
Today I spoke with a gentleman at the center who was overly defensive and told me I need to understand she is very busy. She does all of the scheduling for the entire state and is very involved in the youth around. d the area.
I DONT CARE IF SHE IS SANTA CLAUSE. refund policy is 7 to 10 days as it was explained to us. There has been no effort on their part to contact us outside of Jared returning my calls.
This is unacceptable no matter what the business.
DO NOT DO BUISNESS WITH THEES PEOPLE. OR AT LEAST DO NOT RENT FROM THEM. AS IT LOOKS LIKE ONE MIGHT NEVER GET THIER $ 100 DEPOSIT BACK.

One of the worst run facilities I’ve ever been to. The ice is good when the condenser, zamboni, and boards are all in good condition. The chances of that happening all at the same time are on par with the next super moon lunar eclipse. For the amount of money an adult pays to play in this «league» combined with the fees the younger players pay you would think that they would have a halfway decent facility. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
I use the word league in quotations because the referees empathy is only surpassed by that shown by the rink staff. Don’t expect to be impressed or enjoy your time here.

Zamboni comes out before everyone is off the ice. I have never seen this happen at any other rink before.
This place is so run down. I can’t wait until Sprinker reopens. Also, the location is horrible. You have to drive through Port of Tacoma which is an industrial area. Not the best location for an ice rink.

You just have to keep in mind this is not a publicly owned/​operated nor government subsidized operation. The rink is operated by Puget Sound Amateur Hockey Association which is a private, non-​profit organization. It was never meant to be housed in this old cold, storage warehouse but it has survived through the years. They operate on a lean budget, have the best ice in the state and keep in mind it’s nickname is «The Meat Locker». It’s no frills, blue collar hockey in a blue collar town for blue collar families.
There is no public skate sessions but if you want to learn how to skate, learn how to play hockey, play in a youth or adult hockey league or get information on figure skating lessons or speed skating this is the place to go. They allow their members to pay monthly unlike the rest of the hockey associations in the area that require payment up front or within 60 days of the season starting. They have rental gear for those who are just starting to play hockey or want to try it out without investing several hundred dollars in gear.
They are home to the Rainier Hockey League (adult recreational hockey), Tacoma Jr. Hockey Association (youth recreational/​select hockey), the Puget Sound Speed Skating Club (where some of the top speed skaters in the nation train) and are currently home to the Lakewood Winter Ice Club while Sprinker is closed.
There are a couple of year round drop-​in hockey programs for adults. Their beginning hockey program runs 9 months out of the year and you can have your kid start whenever it’s running (no need to wait until «the next session starts»).
If you are there to watch a game or watch your kids skate make sure to dress warm unless you are going to watch from the heated upstairs viewing area. They have drop-​off skate sharpening service available Wednesday-​Sundays. No hockey pro-​shop on-​site but you can always buy laces, tape and mouth guards from one of their vending machines.
It’s not a fancy rink but it has personality and the people who run it are committed to making sure that there will always be a place to play hockey at in Tacoma.

Best ice. Crappiest atmosphere.