Plans for an Olympic-standard ice rink in Tuggeranong has strengthened the capital's case to host future Australian Ice Hockey League finals.
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But Canberra Brave boss Dan Amodio says it's just another piece of the puzzle.
The ACT government announced on Thursday it had selected Cruachan Investments Pty Ltd to build a new ice sports facility, complete with two Olympic-sized rinks and a combined spectator capacity of 2000 patrons.
The preferred site for the complex is in Greenway and a timeline for its construction is yet to be unveiled.
It would open the door for the Brave to host future AIHL finals with their current venue, Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre, deemed unsuitable by the league's standards.
The Phillip facility, affectionately known as "The Brave Cave", has an under-sized rink, small seating capacity and lack of corporate and media facilities.
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Amodio says the proposed development could see the finals series come to Canberra, given it ticks the league's boxes first.
"Potentially yes. The size of the ice is one piece of the puzzle for the AIHL but the commercial arrangement and spectator facilities also play a big role," Amodio said.
"But either way, with the strength of the Canberra ice hockey fan community, we need to be in the mix for finals hosting."
The Brave won their first Goodall Cup in 2018 and have been one of the most dominant teams in recent AIHL history, losing just two games in last year's regular season.
But they'll have to wait until next year to push for their seventh consecutive finals appearance, with the 2020 season cancelled due to the coronavirus shutdown.
The Brave train and play matches at the 40-year-old Phillip rink, which is shared by the ice hockey, ice skating and broomball communities.
A new twin-sheet ice sports centre would help ease demand, allowing more flexibility for training schedules and AIHL fixtures.
"It's fair to say the Brave Cave is fully-booked during the winter so having some extra top level facilities in Canberra would be very valuable," Amodio said.
"Having extra rink space will be a huge benefit for the sport. It gives teams at all levels some extra facilities to use and more ice time to share. Ice hockey players at all levels deal with some challenging training schedules so extra facilities would definitely help."
The ACT Ice Sports Federation has welcomed the government's announcement, with the new centre to help attract international and national events.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
