Could hockey be the next cool thing for Augusta?

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Could hockey make a comeback to the CSRA?

That’s what some are hoping for with proposed additions to make the James Brown Arena suitable for hockey once again.

You may remember in the late 90s, the Augusta Lynx Minor League Hockey team hit the ice in the James Brown Arena, JBA.

Hockey’s been missing from our area for more than a decade, but could it come back?

It’s ice ice … maybe? While a new hockey rink isn’t part of the James Brown Arena renovation plans, the conversations about unfreezing the past have some putting all sticks on deck.

“One thing that we’re lacking is ice right now. The closest rink is about an hour away. There are a lot of people that move to town, especially with Fort Gordon and the cyber center. They’re missing ice hockey, figure skating, and public skating. It’s not just hockey,” said former Lynx player John Whitwell.

Whitwell is part of the group missing the ice.

“I used to play hockey. That’s what brought me to town, and 25 years later, I’m still here,” he said.

The Canadian flocked his nest to fulfill a dream in the Garden City in 1998.

“It was fantastic. When we first started, the crowds were so into it. Hockey was new. It was the new thing in town. It was so much fun to play. We had many, many sellouts most nights, and it was just an absolute blast. It was the best time of my life,” said Whitwell.

Whitwell believes hockey would still be here if pipes in the JBA weren’t the reason for the downfall.

“They will probably still be playing now if the JBA could hold ice. The pipes encased in the flooring have eroded over the years because it was inserted after the fac,t and with that erosion in the pipes, it can’t keep the ice frozen,” he said.

So is ice coming back? Officials say even with the feasibility study showing positive impacts, there are other steps that must see a green light first.

Chairman of the Coliseum Authority Cedric Johnson said: “We have talked about hockey, and we are not opposed to hockey at all. I think that needs to be said. Right now, our main focus is getting people out to vote and educating them about why it’s important to have a new James Brown Arena.”

There isn’t a written plan, but investors are interested right now.

“We don’t have a written plan. But Oak View has said that they will invest up to $10 million in the area for an ice floor,” said Johnson.

One of the big things the Coliseum Authority wants you to know is this is still an idea. It’s not set in stone.

But if it does become a thing, it wouldn’t add to the price tag of a new JBA. If it happens, they say investors will take on that money.

But until the November vote, hockey is definitely frozen in time.

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