Lynah Rink

Location Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Broke ground June 5, 1956
Opened March 21, 1957
Expanded 2007
Owner Cornell University
Operator Cornell University
Surface 200×85 ft (hockey)
Architect Von Storch, Evans & Burkavage
Tenants
Cornell Big Red Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey
Seats
4,267 (hockey)

Lynah Rink is a 4,267-seat hockey arena at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935-1943, it is home to the Big Red men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. Lynah has been home to hockey greats such as Ken Dryden, Joe Nieuwendyk and Olympic Gold Medalist Dana Antal.

History

The building is a quonset shaped structure covered with multi-colored (orange, tan, black and brown) brick wall cladding set in a common bond pattern. Projecting from the facade of the structure is a one story rectangular wing flanked on either side by two vertical appendages, which have multi-paned colored glass windows. The one story wing has a strip of casement windows. The stairway is situated on the west side of the building. A white concrete block structure with wall buttresses connects Lynah Rink to Bartels Hall. It was constructed for $500,000 with a donation from Walter Carpenter whose gift came with the stipulation that he did not want his name on the building. The facility was designed by Van Storch, Evans, and Burkavage of Waverly, PA and constructed by Streeter Associates of Elmira, NY.

The rink opened on March 21, 1957 with a match between the New York Rangers (NHL) and the Rochester Americans (AHL) in front of 4200 spectators. It was subsequently dedicated on April 6, 1957 and named the James D. Lynah Skating Hall.

Lynah under renovation, July 2006
(Adriano Manocchia)

In March, 2006 Cornell University broke ground on a major renovation project designed to add 19,500 square feet to the rink. The additions and renovations include plans for 464 new seats, upgraded locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s squads and their opponents, trainers’ rooms, coaches’ offices and a study area for players. New scoreboards will also be added, including one at center ice, as will preferred seating and a tunnel for the players.

Lynah Faithful

Fans of Cornell’s hockey teams are called the Lynah Faithful; they are among the loudest and most dedicated fans in the country making Lynah Rink, many believe, one of college hockey’s most hostile arenas.

Cornell’s men’s team has had great success at Lynah Rink, especially in recent years. Its record at Lynah was 15-0-1 during the 2004-2005 season, 15-0-0 during the 2002-2003 season, and 14-1-1 during the 2001-2002 season. Postseason success at Lynah has been equally impressive. Since Lynah Rink hosted its first postseason game in 1966, Cornell’s men’s team has a postseason record of 38-5-2 in games played there. During the same period they were 14-1 in single elimination games with the sole loss coming against Providence in 1978 and 12-2 in multi-game series with both losses coming against Clarkson in 1988 and 2004.

Cornell has long been criticized for its policies regarding the distribution of season tickets to men’s hockey home games. Students often wait in line for nights to get tickets; however, some believe that this is part of the experience of being among Lynah Faithful. It’s common to see students wearing T-shirts proudly announcing, “I did my time in the line.” In 2005, despite efforts to improve the process over previous years, Cornell was criticized for creating chaos when the Athletic Department announced where students had to go for tickets.