City of Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda was never a hockey player growing up, but on Friday evening he had to grab a hockey stick and a puck in order to complete a very important task.
The skating facility went dark, and a crowd made up of children and adults began to count down from five as a glowing puck was placed on the icy floor.
“3 … 2 …1!” the crowd yelled and in a quick second, the glowing puck traveled across the ice-skating rink and into the goal, which then illuminated a large Christmas tree placed at the center of The Pond.
The city of Santa Clarita held its fifth annual tree lighting ceremony at The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center, kicking off the holiday season with performances, special guests, and an ice-skating session open to the community.
“I didn’t think they would turn off the lights!” Miranda said following the big moment, but he was happy that it was successful on the first try.
But the celebration wasn’t just about witnessing twinkling lights illuminating the rink signifying Christmas time was just around the corner. It was also a way to celebrate another year of The Cube, which serves people in the Santa Clarita Valley and beyond.
The skating facility, which was privately owned for 20 years, announced in March of 2020 that it would close its doors permanently, but local figure skaters, hockey players, and other community members gathered in numerous efforts to “Save the Rink.”
The city then found through a study that the rink was the second most used venue in the valley and purchasing the 93,000-square-foot building and its assets would be beneficial for the community. It was purchased for $14.95 million.
Now, five years into the city’s ownership, The Cube is home to many local and outside organizations that serve people of all ages and is a chilly entertainment hub that allows the community to witness young figure skaters perform axels and intricate footwork, or explosive speed and agility from hockey players.
“It’s a full house here today, and it tells us how critical it was for us to save the ice station that was here and turn it into The Cube,” Miranda said. “More people use The Cube than almost any other facility in the city.”
The facility is home to the UCLA Men’s Hockey Team, the West Ranch Hockey Club, the Flyers youth hockey club, and SNAP Sports, which is a nonprofit organization that provides adaptive and developmental sports programs for individuals with special needs. The Cube has also hosted regional tournaments that bring in competitors from all over the West Coast region and beyond.
“We’ve made it a destination,” Councilwoman Marsha McLean said. “I’ve met people from all over the San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley, who come up to us and thank us for having this for their kids because it was going to close down before we took it over. That would have been a shame.”
“As a council woman, I’m just very proud of the fact that we decided that we were going to purchase it for our community,” she added.
During the ceremony, the Los Angeles Kings’ mascot Bailey the Lion and Sammy Clarita were among the special guests present for the moment. Daryl Evans, former NHL hockey player and current L.A. Kings broadcast analyst, served as this year’s master of ceremonies.
Attendees also had the chance to witness an excerpt of the fifth annual Holiday Ice Skating Show titled “A Nutcracker Fantasy” scheduled to premiere at The Cube on Friday at 7 p.m., with add shows on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
“These skaters pour a lot of work and energy into getting good at their skill sets and being able to present under this kind of pressure,” Miranda said.
As the city looks into the future of The Cube, officials plan to upgrade the space where it’s needed.
McLean said a Zamboni upgrade is already in the works. Additional plans include installing bleachers and exploring ways to transform the space into a multipurpose facility, Miranda added, but it’s still far off into the future before it gets to that.
For now, families laced up their rental skates and took on the challenge of gliding across the ice. Some wobbled as they stepped onto the rink for the first time, while others showed a bit more experience.
As they circled around the tall Christmas tree in the center of the ice, Miranda thanked the staff and volunteers who made the event possible.
