Next Sunday, the public will get to test the ice at the brand-new UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.
The facility, with two full-size rinks, is the new practice and training home for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but parts of it also will be open to the public for regular skating sessions, youth and adult hockey and more.
Apparently, it’s going to be popular: More than 10,000 people registered online as of this weekend, filling up all four hour-and-a-half slots for the open house.
Those folks will get to tour some of the non-public areas as well as skate, shop and maybe see a Penguin or two.
After that, the complex — along Interstate 79 just north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike — will be open to the public not just for recreation, but also for rehabilitation, as nearly a third of the 185,000 square feet is the outpatient facility for UPMC Sports Medicine, which will offer orthopedic, physical therapy, concussion, imaging and sports-performance services.
The physical-therapy gym overlooks the Pens’ practice rink. The NHL team’s class digs include a state-of-the-art locker room, workout facilities, a 30-seat video theater, a kitchen and team lounge and administrative offices.
The public can buy healthful foods at the Training Table, a concession run by Parkhurst.
There’s an off-ice hockey skills area and 14 community locker rooms. The complex also will be the home of Penguins Elite youth hockey and other hockey programs and camps. Ice can be rented for not just skating and hockey but also broom ball and other activities.
Other amenities are to include training space with batting cages and a sprinting track, two private-event spaces and free parking.
The joint venture of the Penguins and UPMC is named for NHL Hall of Famer and team co-owner Mario Lemieux.
Right now, public skates are scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays and 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Learn more at http://upmclemieuxsportscomplex.com and http://PenguinsRinks.com.
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: August 9, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
