What To Do at Clark Gillies Arena


What greater way to get oneself out of depression during New York’s chilly winter months than to go ice skate at an ice rink? Lace up and go to the Dix Hills Ice Rink to make the most of the season. This is the best place where you can practice your skating spins or simply enjoy a day of recreational skating with the family.

Read more about the Dix Hills Ice Rink, also known as the Clarks Gillies Arena, in this blog and find out what to do when you are there.

About Clark Gillies Arena at Dix Hills Park

The Dix Hills Ice Rink was founded in 1993. It is located on Vanderbilt Pkwy, a quarter mile away from the east of Deer Park Avenue.

The Dix Hills Ice Rink is a cutting-edge, year-round indoor skating facility with two consecutive NHL standard ice rinks, including all the facilities. The structure, which is surrounded by 150 acres of breathtaking parkland, is built in the style of something like a ski resort, being open and airy with slanted ceilings giving a rustic appearance.

All kinds of items are available in the Ice Rink Pro Shop. The customer service is polite. While you wait, you can even get your skates sharpened. The ice rink provides senior and youth hockey programs, group skating sessions, public sessions, figure skating, private skating time, and group skating classes.

In addition to on-site food concessions, locker facilities, and exercise rooms, there is also a snack vending machine service.

Renaming of Dix Hills Ice Rink To The Gillies Arena

In recognition of the late renowned Islanders hockey player Clark Gillies, the Dix Hills Ice Rink has formally renamed Clark Gillies Arena in May 2022.

The Greenlawn resident was a retired player and a philanthropist who also passed away this past January (2022). From 1977 to 1979, he was the Islanders’ captain. From 1980 to 1983, he led the team to four straight Stanley Cup victories. Needless to say he was a great man and a legend in the area.

What To Do In The Rink

Group Skating

USFSA Group Ice Skating Lessons are available at Dix Hills Ice Rink. Classes are provided in six-week sessions spread out over the year. The educational skate program is available for all ages and skill levels; the minimum age is four. Once a week, a half-hour-long class is held. On Thursdays at 4:45 PM, and on weekends the time is 10:45. Six-week sessions cost $85 without a Town of Huntington Recreation Card and $75 with one. 

Online and in-person registration is also available. Registering online is simple; however, you can also make an in-person registration at the office for the Dix Hills Park Ice Rink.

Professional Men Hockey

Men’s Recreational Hockey is a 10-week program that begins on Mondays. Each week, they divide the players into two even teams and then play pick-up games. This program is excellent for beginner and intermediate players looking for a good time in a laid-back setting.

Hockey skates, a mouth guard, a helmet, shin pads, a cup with support, gloves, and a stick are required for every player. The registration price for people with a recreational card is $250; without it, the price is $300.

Hockey League for Kids and Teens

A recreational hockey league for novice to seasoned girls’ and boys’ hockey players is proudly presented by the Dix Hills Ice Rink. This league aims to teach the game through seminars, drills, and games. The tournament is conducted in a laid-back setting designed for everyone to play alongside their colleagues and enjoy picking up the game. For the Autumn Rec League, sign up right away. The season will last from late September to the beginning of March. Every Participant will get the following:

  1. Three team practice sessions
  2. 12-Game season
  3. Jersey of NHL
  4. Admission to the two weekly sessions during the season
  5. A Seasonal Gift will be given to each Participant.
  6. The entry fee is $375 for each player.

Private Skating Lessons

Throughout all of its public skating sessions, the community also provides amazing private skating instruction. Behind the authorized teaching spaces, skate lessons are conducted.

Private class policy at the Dix Hills Ice Rink in the Town of Huntington states that there are some instructions to be followed by these candidates taking private lessons on an ice rink.

The rules that apply to personal training taken throughout any open session are as follows.

1) The admission charge and lesson price must be paid before beginning the lesson. The Manager’s office should be used to pay all fees. There will be a duplicate receipt provided. The professional skater must receive one receipt before the beginning of the lesson.

2) Payments made simply to the professional are never permitted.

3) Prices differ from one figure skater to another. Each professional has a list of costs they charge for both twenty- and thirty-minute sessions that the rink manager keeps.

4) You must give prior notice at least a day before if you need to cancel a class, or else you’ll be billed for the session.

5) To get assistance choosing a Professional, contact the ice rink directly.

6) Returned checks incur a $20 processing fee.

Wrapping Up

The Dix Hills Ice Rink is a perfect place to instill a likeness for ice or figure skating in your kids. The place is not very far away from New York City, a good 55 minutes drive, and you are in front of the Clark Gillies Arena to start with the first skate lesson. Furthermore, it is an economical place to spend a day with friends and family who love to ice skate.

The McClain Family

We hope we helped. Please let us know of any place that you want to know about in NYS or if we did a poor job with any part of this. Our goal is to help as many people as possible.

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