By: Ashmar Mandou
Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday to break ground on the organization’s new 125,000 square-foot Community Training Center on the former site of Malcolm X College. “This new facility is a win for the Chicago Blackhawks and a win for Chicago’s youth,” Mayor Emanuel said. “This training center will be a community hub, providing programs for young people and opportunities for the neighborhood. I want to thank Rocky Wirtz and the entire Blackhawks organization for building not just a great new facility but also helping to build more great futures for the children of Chicago.”
The $55 million Chicago Blackhawks Community Training Center is set to open in December 2017. The facility will house two NHL regulation-side ice rinks, spectator seating and a dedicated oasis parking lot to serve facility guests and buses. According to Emanuel, the project is expected to create 21 permanent and 250 construction jobs. “This facility will serve as the new epicenter for hockey development in Chicago. While benefitting the Chicago Blackhawks, the vast majority of time the ice will be used by adult, youth and recreational leagues, and programs that support hockey development for underprivileged youth throughout the city,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “Unlike other sports that can be played on the street or in the park, hockey depends on access to ice, and that remains one of the biggest challenges to growing the sport. By developing this facility, we are investing in youth hockey in Chicago and the future of the sport.”
The Blackhawks training center is part of a project that includes a new academic campus for Rush University Medical Center. The $500 million academic campus at 301-339 S. Damen Ave. will include four mixed-use buildings containing 1.4 million square feet of classrooms, offices, health clinics, retail space and 300 dormitory rooms. In February, Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Blackhawks announced that the organization will host the 2017 NHL Draft™ at the United Center, The 2017 event will mark the first time the Blackhawks and the City of Chicago will host the NHL Draft.
