At the March 20th Hoboken City Council meeting, buried amongst the nearly 500 pages of meeting materials, was a contract formalizing a partnership between the City of Hoboken and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. The agreement, which was approved by the council, saw the Devils’ contribute $240,000 for the team to take the lead on the renovation of the Multi-Service Center Roller Rink at 124 Grand Street in Hoboken. Following the approved partnership earlier this year, work officially started on the renovated rink on August 19th, 2024. Now, the rink has officially reopened as of Tuesday, October 15th. Read on for more about the agreement and what residents can expect from the newly-improved rink in Hoboken, New Jersey.
^ A rendering of the rink. Photo Credit: City of Hoboken.
October 2024 Update
Per a Nixle alert from the City of Hoboken, the Johnny Ray McDonald, Jr. ‘Diddle’ Hockey Rink at the Hoboken Multi-Service Center — located at 124 Grand Street — has officially reopened as of Tuesday, October 15th, following upgrades by the New Jersey Devils. The roller rink’s revitalization includes new flooring, dasher boards, and more. An official ribbon cutting, clinics, and new programming will be announced in the coming weeks — we will update this post as more information becomes available.
August 2024 Update
Per a Nixle alert from the City of Hoboken, construction has begun on the rehabilitation of the City’s “Johnny Ray McDonald, Jr. ‘Diddle’ Hockey Rink” at the Multi-Service Center in Hoboken as of Monday, August 19th. The rink will be closed for approximately three weeks, and construction will occur on weekdays between 8AM and 5PM.
The spray pad next to the rink will also close during construction due to safety reasons. Residents will be advised of any parking restrictions via temporary no-parking signs at least three days in advance.
Improvements include removal and disposal of the old boarding system, patching and leveling of the rink surface, installation of a dasher board curb footing and a new dasher board , new rink flooring , and more.
Weekly construction schedules can be found on the City of Hoboken’s construction page here. Schedules may change due to unforeseen weather or subsurface conditions.
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About the Deal
The New Jersey Devils spent $240,000 on the facility and programming in Hoboken. Per the contract, $230,000 went toward physical renovations of the roller rink, and another $10,000 was spent on personnel and administration for hockey programming and instruction. The money is meant as a donation to the community, per the contract.
The work on the existing facility included “removal and disposal of the old boarding system, patching and leveling of the rink surface and installation of dasher board curb footing, a new dasher board system and new rink flooring and acquisition of new ball hockey equipment,” per the contract.
^ A rendering of the rink. Photo Credit: City of Hoboken
The Hoboken Girl has reached out to the New Jersey Devils organization for more information and will update this piece when we hear back. The City Council’s vote to approve the contract was unanimous.
A spokesperson for the City of Hoboken shared with HG earlier this year that a large portion of the effort to create the partnership with the Devils came from the Department of Recreation, led by Jessica Lezcano. “I’m so pleased to share that Hoboken will be partnering with the New Jersey Devils to receive a grant for a new roller hockey rink,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “This is the latest effort we have undertaken to coordinate with community stakeholders to bolster our recreation offerings and improve our public spaces, and I want to offer my sincere thanks to the entire Division of Recreation for working hand-in-hand with the Devils team, to make this possible. I look forward to these renovations and eventually cutting the ribbon on the new rink!”
About the Facility
The Hoboken Multi-Service Center is located at 124 Grand Street. The roller rink is part of the 40,000-square-foot facility, which also houses City offices and other recreational facilities. In 2023, Hoboken held a series of public meetings to share proposals about a possible renovation of the space. Residents weighed in on what they’d like to see, and much of the conversation focused on adding a community pool.
The three proposals were shared by the City in June 2023. The deal to renovate the roller rink was the biggest news on the topic in months, as no announcements had been made regarding which of the three final proposals were selected by the City. Two of the three designs included a hockey rink. Plan 1, called Stacked Recreation with Rooftop Aquatics, included a multi-purpose hockey rink on the ground floor as part of a recreational pavilion. Plan 3, called Raised Recreation, included an open-air, covered hockey rink on the ground floor.
Hockey in Hudson County
The other ice rinks in Hudson County are located in Bayonne and Secaucus. Charlie Heger Ice Rink, located in Jersey City, has been closed since 2022, with no clear signs of reopening. A consequence of the Heger rink’s closure is the deterioration of the relationship between the NJ Devils and Jersey City Youth Hockey through the Hockey in NJ Program. The program is designed to provide children with the opportunity to learn about hockey through local clinics. Some of the programs provided include sled hockey, all-girls clinics, roller hockey, and more. There is an academic component as well, providing participants with academic support such as tutoring and other resources. While Hockey in NJ began working with Jersey City’s program in 2015, the partnership has dwindled as there is no ‘home ice’ for the Jersey City program.
See More: The Best Ice Skating Rinks in New Jersey + New York City
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Bayonne is Finally Getting a Record Store: 14a Records to Open 1/24
Although The Hoboken Girl typically focuses its coverage solely on Hoboken + Jersey City, the HG team is shining on spotlight on Bayonne today, as this nearby city is welcoming its first record store in years. 14a Records, which will sell new + vintage records, tapes, CDs, and rare imported vinyl, will be a one-stop shop for all things music. This spot will officially open on Friday, January 24th at 952 Broadway in Bayonne. Read on for what we know about 14a Records coming to Bayonne, New Jersey.
Photo Credit: Robert Henry
What's Coming to Bayonne?
14a Records (formerly known as Disco De Facto) is a record business owned by Bayonne resident Robert Henry. Robert, who has over 20 years of record buying experience, according to the store's website, shared via Instagram that he plans to open a brick-and-mortar shop at 952 Broadway. 14a Records, which will be Bayonne's first record store to come to the city in years, will soft open on January 24th, 2025.
Photo Credit: Robert Henry
Read More: New Cafe, Just Friends, Soft Opens on Monmouth Street in Jersey City
Hudson County locals can expect to find new + vintage records, tapes, CDs, and rare imported vinyl at this new spot. Music from all kinds of genres will be available, including jazz, rock, soul, hip-hop, house, punk, and more. For those who like to snack while they browse, 14a Records will also provide Cheetos and Dr. Pepper to its customers.
Photo Credit: Robert Henry
As the business settles in Bayonne, customers can look forward to future announcements regarding live music events. Artists like Cassandra Jenkins, Matt Pond PA, Johnny Gallagher, and Bayonne's own Crazy + the Brains plan to make appearances at 14a Records.
For more information about 14a Records coming to Bayonne, as well as future details regarding special events, visit the business's Instagram and Facebook pages.
14a Records is still deciding upon its hours, but as of now, the shop will be open Thursday through Sunday from 1PM to 7PM.
See More: Staci’s Sandwich Joint, a Gourmet Sub Spot, Opens in Verona
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