Renovations Bring New Gameboard, Safer Perimeter Glass to Hockey Center

Renovations on Harvard’s Bright-Landry Hockey Center ended in August, bringing major technological upgrades to the men’s and women’s ice hockey team’s nearly 50-year-old home.

The arena, which had its last major renovation in 2014, now features a new state of the art video board along with new ribbon boards, a new lighting system throughout the building, and new glass around the rink.

Initial discussions for renovations began “roughly two or three years ago,” according to Timothy P. Troville, a senior associate director of Harvard Athletics. Ice was removed from the rink in April, and construction on the facility began in May.

The ice was reinstalled in June for a number of alumni events and hockey camps.

The most prominent upgrade to Bright-Landry was the installation of a new video board, consisting of four LED screens, each measuring 11.5 by 16.5 feet. The new board is entirely digital as opposed to the old board which had fixed digit components.

“It was becoming increasingly difficult to get parts in service based on the age of the board. So that was a couple of years ago where we started to plan, to say, ‘We need to start thinking about replacing the board,’” Troville said.

The renovations also brought new acrylic glass around the rink, replacing the old tempered glass, which Troville said was “important, one, from a player safety standpoint.”

“It’ll be far softer, and it’ll dissipate energy in a way that should help our players with shoulders and upper body and head-type of collisions with the shielding,” Troville said, adding that with its lighter weight, the glass can also be reconfigured for other events at the Bright-Landry.

The renovations also included major digital and lighting upgrades, with new ribbon boards at the ends of the rink and updated lighting.

“They can put colors out. They can do a light show. If there’s a goal scored, which, again, will create a huge excitement for the fan experience — for the kids — it’s going to feel like they’re, so to speak, in an NHL arena,” Gregory S. Shields, the Athletic Facilities Operations Manager, said.

Troville and Shields said that they hope the renovations will improve the fan experience for Harvard’s hockey teams.

“We're hoping that they have such a good time watching our students, and then they enjoy being in the facility that they’ll want to come back again,” said Troville. “We feel like the facility is in an excellent spot to take us into the next 10 years of Harvard hockey.”

Shields said that renovated facilities are “vital for not only the competition in the student experience, but the fan experience, the recruiting that can help bring in really talented athletes.”

“I think we really hit it on the head with this one, updating these systems,” he added.

—Staff Writer Michael R. Carney can be reached at michael.carney@thecrimson.com.

—Staff Writer Danielle J. Im can be reached at danielle.im@thecrimson.com.