The rink, undergoing an approximately $200,000 remodel, will be rebranded the LA Kings Ice at Promenade on the Peninsula and is expected to have its grand opening on Sept. 7.
The Promenade Ice Chalet, the popular 40-year-old community skating rink in Rolling Hills Estates that shuttered last year, will reopen next month under the management of a sports entertainment company — and the Los Angeles Kings.
The LA Kings and American Sports Entertainment Company officials said they have signed a five-year lease agreement with the owners of the Promenade on the Peninsula shopping center to operate the popular ice skating facility there. The agreement has two five-year options.
The rink, undergoing an approximately $200,000 remodel, will be rebranded the LA Kings Ice at Promenade on the Peninsula and is expected to have its grand opening on Sept. 7. The facility will offer public skating; skating, figure skating and hockey classes and clinics; and youth and adult hockey leagues. The Kings will also host various events, including those for youth.
“We’ve always had a really strong collective reach across the 19-plus rinks across Southern California,” said Kelly Cheeseman, the chief operating officer for the Kings.
“But assuring that rinks don’t close,” Cheeseman added, “is critical for our community growth.”
The remodel will include upgrading the technology system, adding interior and exterior branding, repairing the cold floor pipe system, improving the lighting and sound equipment, offering high-speed public internet access, and installing a new scoreboard.
ASEC President Brad Berman said his company has partnered with the Kings on other ventures in ice sports management. In February, for example, Valencia awarded them a contract to operate a city-owned rink there, according to a press release.
And in August 2020, ASEC rebranded the Pickwick Ice rink in Burbank, putting $1 million into the renovation.
ASEC also operates the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, where the Kings practice.
The Promenade Ice Chalet, which opened in 1981, has a storied history, with some of figure skating’s biggest names showcasing their talents on its rink, including Olympic gold medalist Dorothy Hamill and Torrance native Michelle Kwan, who won Olympic silver and bronze medals during her career.
The coronavirus pandemic shutdown all non-essential businesses in March 2020, including Ice Chalet. The skating rink reopened in June that year, offering various sessions by appointment only.
But financial struggles continued because of reduced attendance and higher costs, the previous management company, Ice-America, wrote on Facebook last year.
Promenade Ice Chalet was slated to shutter permanently on Sept. 27, despite residents and fans starting a petition to save it. Then, on Sept. 16, the rink abruptly closed for good.
The Kings, meanwhile, have a strong connection to the South Bay, Cheeseman said. Many of the professional hockey players live in the area, the team celebrated its 2014 Stanley Cup win with a parade through the beach cities and, in the early days of the organization, the team played at the Forum in Inglewood. The team currently plays at Staples Center.
Operating the Rolling Hills Estates rink will add to that tradition.
“We are committed to inspiring future generations of skaters,” Kings President and hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille said in a statement.