In previous articles we have looked at how using polycarbonate instead of acrylic for ice hockey spectator shielding. In particular how it can improve safety for players, spectators and rink staff without increasing the cost. We have also examined how the improved optical properties of HighLine’s range make using polycarbonate a viable alternative.
In this article we will see how polycarbonate actually performs at a real rink used for high level competitive hockey. We have recently installed some polycarbonate test spectator shielding at the University of Guelph, Gryphon Centre in Ontario. The rink selected was the practice rink of the Geulph Gryphones. 8mm polycarbonate (0.31″) was used along the side boards and 10mm polycarbonate ( 0.39″) was installed behind the goal.
The shielding has been in place since March 2018 and has seen action on a daily basis. Testing is important so that rink managers can see how polycarbonate performs in a real world ice hockey rink.
The main learnings from installing these polycarbonate spectator shields are:
- The polycarbonate shields have not had any noticeable effect on game-play when either players or pucks hitting the boards.
- The hockey pucks do leave black rubber marks on the polycarbonate when they hit the shields. However, these marks are very similar to the marks that are left on glass or acrylic.
- The puck rubber marks were easily removed with rubbing alcohol (Iso-Propyl Alcohol) and a soft cloth. The photo below shows a polycarbonate shield that has seen daily action for four months. The left hand side was quickly cleaned in less than five minutes, while the right hand side was left uncleaned.
- Once the rubber marks had been cleaned off, there was no observable damage to the polycarbonate shield. This result was both pleasing and a little surprising. We had expected some scratches from pucks, helmets and hockey sticks, but we could not observe any damage.
Overall, we found that the testing of the polycarbonate is going very well. There were no problems preventing polycarbonate being used as spectator shielding for ice hockey rinks. We are now confident that polycarbonate can significantly improve player, spectator and operations personnel safety. There were no negative impact on costs or facility operations.
We are currently working with Welmar Recreational Products of Guelph, Ontario to optimize the framing and supports for polycarbonate shielding.