LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey (@ecachockeyMWD1) announced today that it has reached an agreement with the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) to continue its annual men’s championship at the 1980 Rink - Herb Brooks Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y. for a three-year term set to begin March, 2017. ?The agreement will keep the elite ECAC Hockey conference postseason tournament in the heart of the Adirondacks after three recent successful seasons.
The 1980 Rink - Herb Brooks Arena, one of three ice surfaces at the Olympic Center, is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Lake Placid, NY. This surface, along with the USA Rink was built for the 1980 Winter Olympics. Seven different ECAC Hockey programs claimed championship titles when the marquee League event was previously held in Lake Placid with Clarkson (1993 & 1999), Cornell (1996 & 1997), Harvard (1994, 2002 & 2015), St. Lawrence (2000, & 2001) earning multiple Whitelaw Cups, along with Princeton (1998) winning the school’s first-ever title and Rensselaer (1995) and Union (2014) each capturing one.?
The historic venues played host to the 1980 winter Olympic men's ice hockey tournament and is home to the century's most famous game ever played, the "Miracle on Ice" where the United States defeated the former Soviet Union 4-3 en route to the improbable gold medal. The figure skating competitions also were held in this arena. In 2005, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the American victory, the arena was named after the late Herb Brooks, who coached United States team during the 1980 Olympics.
The arena has been used several times for college hockey championships in the United States. It hosted the 1970, 1984 and 1988 men's NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, commonly referred to as the Frozen Four. The arena has hosted the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship as well; in 2007.?
ABOUT ECAC HOCKEY
ECAC Hockey boasts elite student-athletes and teams from 12 of the nation's most prestigious institutions - Brown University, Clarkson University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Union College, and Yale University.?
Photo Courtesy: ORDA/ Whiteface Lake Placid. Picture ORDA’s president/CEO Ted Blazer and ECAC Men’s Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell.
-- ORDA --
Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.
