Lynah Rink

James Lynah Rink
	Exterior
Location	Cornell University; Ithaca, NY
Owner	Cornell University
Operator	Cornell University
Capacity	4,267 (hockey)
Surface	200x85 ft (hockey)
Construction
Broke ground	June 5, 1956
Opened	March 21, 1957
Expanded	2007
Architect	Von Storch, Evans & Burkavage
Tenants
	Cornell Big Red Men's and Women's Ice Hockey

Lynah Rink (pronounced LIE-nuh) is a 4,267-seat hockey arena at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that opened in 1957. Named after James Lynah, Class of 1905, who was the director of Cornell athletics from 1935 to 1943, it is home to the Big Red men's and women's ice hockey teams.^[1] Lynah has been home to hockey greats such as Ken Dryden, Joe Nieuwendyk, Matt Moulson, Digit Murphy, and Olympic Gold Medalists Rebecca Johnston and Brianne Jenner.

History

The Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team doing the Lynah salute

The building is a quonset-shaped structure covered with multi-colored (orange, tan, black, and brown) brick wall cladding set in a common bond pattern. Projecting from the facade of the structure is a one-story rectangular wing flanked on either side by two vertical appendages, which have multi-paned colored glass windows. The one-story wing has a strip of casement windows. The stairway is situated on the west side of the building. A white concrete block structure with wall buttresses connects Lynah Rink to Bartels Hall.^[2] It was constructed for $500,000 with a donation from Walter S. Carpenter Jr., chairman and former president of DuPont (and Cornell class of 1910)^[3] whose gift came with the stipulation that he did not want his name on the building. The facility was designed by Van Storch, Evans, and Burkavage of Waverly, PA and constructed by Streeter Associates of Elmira, NY.^[4]

The rink opened on March 21, 1957 with a match between the New York Rangers (NHL) and the Rochester Americans (AHL) in front of 4200 spectators. It was subsequently dedicated on April 6, 1957 and named the James Lynah Skating Hall,^[5]

In 1995, during a visit by Taiwan's then-president, Lee Teng-hui, PhD ’68, Lynah was stocked with desktop computers and fax machines, and used as a media center for journalists from around the world.^[3]

The rink floor and drainage system were renovated in 2000.^[3] March 2006 saw a major renovation project to add 19,500 square feet (1,810 m²) to the rink. The additions and renovations included 464 new seats, upgraded locker rooms for both the men's and women's squads and their opponents, trainers' rooms, coaches' offices and a study area for players. A new scoreboard was added as well as preferred seating and a tunnel for the players.^[6] The renovation brought total seat capacity to 4,267.^[3]

Lynah Faithful

Lynah Faithful in 1987

The Pep Band taunts the opposing team with a rendition of Swanee River

Fans of Cornell's Hockey program, aptly named the "Lynah Faithful," are among the loudest and most dedicated fans in the country, making Lynah Rink, many believe, college hockey's most hostile arena. The raucous crowd support gives the Big Red one of the largest home ice advantages in college hockey, losing under 20% of their games on home ice since Lynah opened in 1957.^[7] The Lynah Faithful are cheered on by one cowbell, usually played by a zealous undergraduate,^[8] but only during the second and third periods (including overtime) at approximately mid-period. Many of the other regular chants of the Faithful are listed on a website, which serves as a useful primer in the history and traditions of Cornell Hockey when initiating new students into the Lynah Faithful.^[9] After the end of all games at Lynah, when the opposing team leaves the ice, the Cornell team gathers at center ice and raises their sticks to salute the faithful as they applaud the team. This is known as the Lynah salute.

Cornell's men's team has had great success at Lynah Rink, closing in on its 500th win on home ice. Its record at Lynah was 15-0-1 during the 2004–05 season, 15-0-0 during the 2002–03 season, and 14-1-1 during the 2001–02 season. Postseason success at Lynah has been equally impressive. Since Lynah Rink hosted its first postseason game in 1966, Cornell's men's team has a postseason record of 38-7-2 in games played there. During the same period they were 14-1 in single elimination games with the sole loss coming against Providence in 1978 and 12-3 in multi-game series.^[10]

Cornell has long been criticized for its policies regarding the distribution of season tickets to men's hockey home games. Students often wait in line for nights to get tickets; however, some believe that this is part of the experience of being among Lynah Faithful. It is common to see students wearing T-shirts proudly announcing, "I did my time in the line." In 2005, despite efforts to improve the process over previous years, Cornell was criticized^[11] for creating chaos when the Athletic Department announced where students had to go for tickets. In 2006, this was alleviated when the ticket line was preselected at random. During the 2009–10 Hockey season, students did not have to wait in line for season passes given growing concerns over swine flu. Instead the tickets were distributed via a lottery. Beginning in the fall of 2010, Cornell Athletics began distributing tickets via online ticket sales, giving priority to students who had previously purchased season tickets.^[12]

References

^ "James Lynah Rink". Cornell University. Archived from the original on 2014-02-11. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
^ "LYNAH RINK Facility Information". Cornell University. 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wilensky, Joe (4 December 2024). "Fascinating Facts About Lynah Rink, Big Red Hockey's Chilly Abode". Cornell University. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
^ Wodon, Adam; Arthur Mintz (September 1, 2004). Cornell University Hockey. Arcadia Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 0-7385-3672-5.
^ after Cornell's director of athletics from 1935–1943. Wodon, Adam; Arthur Mintz (September 1, 2004). Cornell University Hockey. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 19–20. ISBN 0-7385-3672-5.
^ Perlin, Josh (2006-08-21). "Men's Hockey Reloads Roster". Cornell Daily Sun. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
^ Klein, Christopher (4 January 2010). "What the Puck?". ESPN.com.
^ Wodon, Adam; Arthur Mintz (September 1, 2004). Cornell University Hockey. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3672-5.
^ http://www.elynah.com
^ "Cornell Postseason Games". The Big Red What. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
^ "Poor management turns hockey line into a disaster". Letter to the Editor. The Cornell Daily Sun. 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
^ "2010-11 Men's Hockey Student Season Ticket Sales Process Announced - REVISED".

External links

42°26′45″N 76°28′39″W / 42.445783°N 76.477435°W / 42.445783; -76.477435

[1] "James Lynah Rink". Cornell University. Archived from the original on 2014-02-11. Retrieved 2006-04-30.

[2] "LYNAH RINK Facility Information". Cornell University. 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-05.

[Wilensky-3] Wilensky, Joe (4 December 2024). "Fascinating Facts About Lynah Rink, Big Red Hockey's Chilly Abode". Cornell University. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.

[4] Wodon, Adam; Arthur Mintz (September 1, 2004). Cornell University Hockey. Arcadia Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 0-7385-3672-5.

[5] ter Cornell's director of athletics from 1935–1943. Wodon, Adam; Arthur Mintz (September 1, 2004). Cornell University Hockey. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 19–20. ISBN 0-7385-3672-5.

[6] Perlin, Josh (2006-08-21). "Men's Hockey Reloads Roster". Cornell Daily Sun. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved 2006-09-05.

[7] Klein, Christopher (4 January 2010). "What the Puck?". ESPN.com.

[8] Wodon, Adam; Arthur Mintz (September 1, 2004). Cornell University Hockey. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3672-5.

[9] ttp://www.elynah.com

[10] "Cornell Postseason Games". The Big Red What. Retrieved 2006-09-22.

[11] "Poor management turns hockey line into a disaster". Letter to the Editor. The Cornell Daily Sun. 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2024-06-24.

[12] "2010-11 Men's Hockey Student Season Ticket Sales Process Announced - REVISED".

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v t e ECAC Hockey
Teams	Brown Bears men women Clarkson Golden Knights men women Colgate Raiders men women Cornell Big Red men women Dartmouth Big Green men women Harvard Crimson men women Princeton Tigers men women Quinnipiac Bobcats men women Rensselaer Engineers men women St. Lawrence Saints men women Union Garnet Chargers men women Yale Bulldogs men women
Venues	Meehan Auditorium (Brown) Cheel Arena (Clarkson) Class of 1965 Arena (Colgate) Lynah Rink (Cornell) Thompson Arena (Dartmouth) Bright Hockey Center (Harvard) Hobey Baker Memorial Rink (Princeton) M&T Bank Arena (Quinnipiac) Houston Field House (Rensselaer) Appleton Arena (St. Lawrence) Achilles Rink (Union) Ingalls Rink (Yale) Herb Brooks Arena (Men's tournament)
Men's awards	All-ECAC Hockey Team Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Tim Taylor Award (Coach of the Year) Best Defensive Defenseman Best Defensive Forward Ken Dryden Award (Best Goaltender) Student-Athlete of the Year Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award Most Outstanding Player in Tournament All-Tournament Team
Women's awards	Women's champions
Men's seasons	1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Beebe Lake (1906–1948) Lynah Rink (1957–present)
Head coaches	G.A. Smith (1900–1901) Talbot Hunter (1909–1912, 1914–1916) Edmund Magner (1912–1913) E.J. Sawyer (1913–1914) Nick Bawlf (1920–1947) Arthur Boeringer (1947–1948) Paul Patten (1957–1963) Ned Harkness (1963–1970) Dick Bertrand (1970–1982) Lou Reycroft (1982–1987) Brian McCutcheon (1987–1995) Mike Schafer (1995–present)
Seasons	1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	Intercollegiate Hockey Association (1909–1913) ECAC Hockey (1961–present)
Rivalries	Harvard
Culture & lore	Florida College Hockey Classic
All-time leaders	Lance Nethery (271 Points) Brock Tredway (113 Goals) Ken Dryden (76 Wins)
Retired numbers	Ken Dryden (1) Joe Nieuwendyk (25)
National championships	1967 1970
Frozen Four appearances	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1980 2003
NCAA Tournament appearances	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1980 1981 1986 1991 1996 1997 2002 2003 2005 2006 2009 2010 2012 2017 2018 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC: 1967 1968 1969 1970 1973 1980 1986 1996 1997 2003 2005 2010 2024
Cornell University Ithaca, NY

v t e Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey
Playing venues	Lynah Rink
Head coaches	Doug Derraugh (2005–present)
Seasons	2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Conference affiliations	ECAC Hockey (ECAC)
Women's Frozen Four appearances	2010 2011 2012 2017
NCAA Tournament appearances	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2017 2019 ~~2020~~ 2024
Conference Tournament champions	ECAC: 2010 2011 2013 2014 2020
Olympians	Laura Fortino Brianne Jenner Rebecca Johnston Lauriane Rougeau
Patty Kazmaier winners	Izzy Daniel (2024)
Cornell University Ithaca, NY

History

Lynah Faithful

See also

References

External links