Thompson Arena

Rupert Thompson Arena, home of the Dartmouth men's and women's hockey teams, is one of the nation's finest collegiate hockey facilities and is considered one of the premier rinks in the East. Construction began in 1973 and the first hockey game took place in November, 1975, when the Dartmouth men and the United States Olympic Team skated to a 3-3 tie.

Crowds of more than 4,000 attend Dartmouth men's hockey games, and the atmosphere can be electric on weekends when the Big Green is hosting an Ivy or ECACHL rival.

Pier Luigi Nervi, the Italian architect-engineer who also drew the complex for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, designed Thompson Arena. The Arena has 3,500 individually-backed seats plus room for 1,000 standees, all encircling an ice sheet 200 feet long by 85 feet wide.

There are several unique features to Thompson Arena, which was dug into the ground and involved the use of 9,500 yards of pre-cast and cast-in-place concrete and 600 tons of reinforced steel. The vaulted ceiling includes 1,024 triangular sections, each weighing one ton. Buttresses extending over the bleachers hold up the press box, on the south side of the ice while additional buttresses suspend the Arena itself on the outside. At the east end of the Arena, the various championship banners fly, symbolizing titles won by both the men's and women's programs.

The Arena also includes five spacious, carpeted dressing rooms, plus two complete training rooms. There is also a storage room and skate-sharpening area, as well as the William Smoyer '67 Lounge, where postgame receptions are held after all men's contests. In the Smoyer Lounge, one can find numerous individual and team photos displaying the hallowed history of both the Dartmouth men's and women's hockey programs.

Davis Rink was Dartmouth's home from 1929-1975. The ice was natural and subject to nature but it was the fans that proved the most formidable in Davis Rink. Except for reserved seating at the east end, it was standing room only. Fans rushed to stand along the fencing surrounding the ice and they were loud.	Occom Pond, just north of campus was home to Dartmouth men's hockey games during the 1920s. This photo is from January 12, 1929 when Dartmouth defeated Harvard, 2-1.

**PLEASE NOTE: For schedule information or updates, please call (603) 646-3074 (press 1 for Facilities Hours, then 5 for Thompson Arena)