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Trevor van Riemsdyk visits Jersey Shore with Stanley Cup

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk visited the Jersey Shore on Thursday with the Stanley Cup.

Chris Rotolo, Asbury Park Press

BRICK – As a kid, Middletown native George Haviland played hockey for the Monmouth Hawks in matches against Brick Hockey Club at the Ocean Ice Palace. Now, he’s helping keep the landmark rink open. 

Haviland said Friday he reached a deal with the Ice Palace property’s new owners, Work Play Group, to lease the facility and keep the hockey matches going. The rink’s previous owners and founders, the Dwulet family, announced earlier this month the rink would close at month’s end after 60 years.

For Haviland, keeping the Ice Palace open is personal. When he moved from Manhattan to Middletown as a child there was no team in his area, so his father started a program for high schoolers in Middletown in the 1970s, and ended up playing a big role in helping the sport grow in New Jersey.

Haviland’s love for hockey and his home state go together. “I’m a New Jersey guy my whole life … hockey player my whole life,” he said. “[There’s] just a lot of history in that place … I have a lot of good memories.”

Beyond Haviland’s personal memories, the Ocean Ice Palace has a storied history of its own. Built in 1962, the rink hosted youth and adult programs and held lessons and camps for hokey players and people learning to skate. Tournaments drew teams from across the country.

In 1997, the rink was featured in Kevin Smith’s romantic comedy “Chasing Amy.” In 2015, Middletown native Trevor van Riemsdyk brought the Stanley Cup to the crowds of cheering fans following his championship win with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Now, the rink will take on a second life. The details of the transaction between Work Play Group and the Dwulet family, which was first reported by Patch, were not immediately available. Haviland, whose company Harmony Hockey Group is leasing the rink from new owners Work Play Group, hopes to continue the Ice Palace’s long hockey tradition.

“I’m going to revitalize the hockey and skating inside the community down there and basically save the place from closing,” he said.

Haviland’s family revolves around hockey; beyond his father, Haviland’s brother won a Stanley Cup coaching with the Chicago Blackhawks and two of his daughters play college hockey. 

Haviland has been managing rinks for over 30 years and has his own club, the New Jersey Titans, where he has helped over 1,000 players continue on to play in college. He runs a sports complex in Middletown where the Titans play and recently bought the Jersey Whalers, a junior club. 

“What drives me [is] getting these kids into college and getting them to the next level,” Haviland said. “It’s seeing the guys advance, and seeing the success … the players have after their college career or minor league careers … these guys turn into really good citizens and know how to work in a team environment.”

Haviland said he was looking for a place for the Whalers to play when the rink went up for sale. “This opportunity was was unbelievable,” he said. “There’s so much history there, and that rink is so historical. It’s honestly like being part of Madison Square Garden … in the amateur world.”

In addition to bringing the Whalers to the Ice Palace, Haviland hopes to bring the Brick High School hockey team and Brick Hockey Club back to the rink. “Sixty years, the memories that have come out of that place are incredible,” he said.

“We want to we want to be able to bring back the Brick community into that facility and create new memories for the next 60 years.”

Rebecca Tauber covers Lakewood for the Asbury Park Press. You can reach her at [email protected], 732-267-5320 or on Twitter @retauber.

Source: Asbury Park

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