Kettler Capitals Iceplex

Location: I never would’ve known this complex was here had it not been for an invitation from one of my student’s parents. There are two Ice rinks separated by a concession stand and stairs. We came in through the parking lot on level G5 not knowing that the parking lot went all the way to the top of the roof. Anyway we took the elevator to level G8 and walk around the first ice rink to get to the other ice rink where my student was playing.
Event: I was happy to watch my students get on the ice and play for a little while (about 5 minutes worth). The look on their faces was totally with it. Its pretty cool knowing that the Capitals practice here. I hope to come back and watch the Caps play one day. After the game I saw a lot of kids getting ready to get on the ice so I guess it’s open to the public as well. I’ve never ice skates before so I can see myself coming back here.
Service: I guess the people at the concession stand are there to hel those who need it. I didn’t interact with them so I can’t comment to the service. There is a swag shop where Capitals gear can be purchased.

What a beautiful new rink!
I grew up on Cabin John ice rink, and in recent years, I’ve just been getting my annual fix at those pop-​up rinks that show up between November and late February, so it was great being able to skate at an ACTUAL rink with regular scheduled zamboni maintenance for that smooth ice.
It’s not hard to see why this is the official Capitals’ practice spot!
I DO wish that they would validate parking though. Luckily, it’s only $ 1 for 3 hours, which is more than enough for a public skate session.

Didn’t go to skate, so can’t vouch for that. Went to check out the Capitals practice. Free admission, plenty of seating, coffee bar. The practiced for about 1.5 hrs. I didn’t stick around to meet the team but saw many fans gathered by an outside door, so assuming they come out there and sign autographs. Caps tickets and apparel is for sale there as well.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this ice rink (and I’ve been to a fair amount since I used to go ice skating every week when I was a teenager). Importantly, I was surprised how few people were there and how large the rink was given that the rink is in the middle of Ballston mall. Because of the manageable number of people and large size of the rink, the ice stayed smooth for almost a half hour. That was nice, especially since I wasn’t there at the very beginning of the session. Accordingly, that meant they didn’t clean the rink in the middle of session, so I actually got a full 1.5 hour session without interruption.
There are some downsides though:
–You need to pay for parking in Ballston mall and there’s no parking validation from the rink. It’s only $ 1 to park for 3 hours, but it’s kind of the principle of it.
–The price to use the rink was higher than I’d like ($ 9). Even the Sculpture Garden in DC (which is in a better location and much more scenic) is a bit cheaper.
–The rink is indoors. Yes, that’s great when it’s raining or 80 degrees outside, but in the winter, I like skating outdoors.
–The food at the concession stand is terrible. I personally did not order the food, but a friend of mine did. She said she got the bottom of the soup pot, so it was old, gloopy, and extremely salty. She said even the egg sandwich was pretty bad. (Should I be impressed they managed to mess up an egg sandwich??)
So overall, I’d come back if I was in the area, but wouldn’t go out of my way to go to this rink.

This is not a bad ice rink, and most people enjoy it since it’s where the Capitals practice. For the public skate it gets really crowded and they put these stupid cones in the middle of the ice which is supposed to be a pretend boundary for people taking lessons. The location is really strange, as it’s on top of a mall. The ice gets really choppy fairly quick. All in all, not a bad ice rink but I’ve definitely been to better facilities, and you should really expect more from an NHL team.

Bottom Line: For being the Capital’s practice rink, I expected more from this iceplex in Ballston.
If you have aspirations of being the next start of Unilocalers on Ice, here are some tips about the Kettler Capitals Iceplex:
— Located in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington on top of the Ballston Mall.
— The Ballston Mall is basically defunct so that means plenty of parking for ice rink-​goers but you will have to wind your way to the top of the garage. If you are prone to motion sickness, take Dramamine before you go!
— Inside the Iceplex there are two rinks. There is regularly open skate and you can check the schedule online for times.
— The Iceplex itself is not fancy. The place looks a little beat up and plenty of things in the ladies room weren’t working. I expected something a little more fancy being that its the home practice rink of a NHL team. Having said that, I realize that the nature of ice rinks is that they take a beating, but still, it was a little sad in here.
— Since this is the Capitals practice rink, you can buy Caps gear and tickets here.
— There isn’t a ton of seating for either rink so if you are going here for a popular game then you might want to arrive early to secure your spot on the bleachers.
— As a spectator, I was not cold in here. I found the temperature to be slightly below room temperature. I am sure it helped that the stands were packed.
Admittedly, I have not set blade on this ice so consider this review with that in mind. Toe pick!

I’ve been here a so many times I can’t even count. But, today there was a stick n shoot cancelation 30 minutes before it started. Not right. Not right.

A really great location and nice facilities. From the word in the news and the word around town, the hockey program is going downhill quickly. They just don’t seem to care anymore. My Kettler gift card was rejected and I can’t seem to get anyone in their office to pick up a phone. Dismal.
I was there on a busy day recently and found long lines, surly staff who were nonplussed by the concerns of their customers — right down to the vacant staff member who handed me a rental skate with no laces.
I’m taking my hockey business to Reston. It’s further away (I live in Arlington) and not as new or plush, but they have everything I need.

I don’t ice skate or play hockey, but was here to catch the Wounded Warriors hockey team play. I’ve not really used the facilities or bought any snacks here, so I can’t review much. There are two ice rinks. The two times I’ve been there, I’ve seen kids have skating classes, regular and figure skating. The other rink is for hockey games for players of all ages. The side for classes doesn’t have much seating and the other has bleacher seating on one side. Everything seems to be kept up well and the garage parking is only $ 1.
This place is centrally located to all kinds of eateries so don’t feel like you have to eat at the iceplex. Will I be back to do my own skating? Probably not, but I’d be back to support the Wounded Warriors hockey team.

Bad management as others have described. Must be a contagious thing against managers of rinks that NHL clubs use, like this:

This review is for the INOVA Blood Drive on 3−1−14 rather than the entire Kettler Capitals Iceplex.
The Kettler Center is a great venue for the Capitals blood drive since it is also their practice location. Inova does a great job organizing, publicizing and managing the blood drive.
When I entered the facility signs directed me upstairs to the event. At the top of the stairs a friendly and uniformed boy scout directed me to the registration table. There was no wait to confirm my appointment and registration to the event and the desk volunteer provided me with the required Red Cross blood donation questionnaire, a pen and a clipboard. She directed me to the preliminary waiting area so that I could complete the paperwork. Within 5 minutes of returning the documents I was called back for the personal interview where a worker checked by blood pressure, iron levels, and temperature. She also made sure that my arms were free of needle marks. All of the workers and volunteers that I encountered were friendly, polite and considerate.
After a short wait, I was escorted to the recliners to for the actual donation. The phlebotomist was kind and empathetic, easing my anxiety and putting my fears to rest. I had a great view of the practice ice below and it was fun to watch the ongoing youth games. It was also a great people watching spot.
Once the donation was complete I was encouraged to help myself to complimentary juice and snacks before checking out and receiving my participation thank you gifts. At this even the gifts were a Nicklaus Backstrom bobble-​head doll; however, the bobble-​heads were unavailable due to a shipping and customs delay but they rewarded me with a voucher for the bobble-​head, a Caps hat, T-​shirt and hat. I left tired but happy.
Washington Capitals, thank you for sponsoring and supporting this event. It is such a help to the community and very well-​attended due to your success on the ice!

I have played ice hockey at Kettler for a couple of years now mainly because I want to play with my buddies, but there is A LOT to be desired from this place. The facility itself is nice and is in a great spot, but its pretty obvious that management there doesn’t take care of the place like it should. Locker rooms are almost always a disaster as if a tornado has gone through them, especially the shower area where broken shower heads and mold infested shower liners are the norm.
The two people who are mainly in charge of overseeing the leagues (Dan & Kristen) are two of the most worthless people I have ever come across in all of my years of playing league hockey. When inquiring about league concerns, they are always either very unresponsive (Dan) or give you an attitude and won’t listen (Kristen). Other teams in the league I play in tell us similiar/​exact issues with these two, and it definitely reflects given how poorly my league is run. The scorekeepers are hardly that… they are constantly playing on their phones and the boxscores are constantly wrong week in & week out. The skill difference in our league as well is a total joke… with multiple teams having obvious ringers that has been addressed multiples times… but yet nothing is ever done. The «referees» that they also have officiate the games are a complete joke. A few of them are good, but most of them have a total attitude issue and seem to just come into games with a chip on their shoulders. I am a hockey referee in another hockey league in the area, so I definitely can see poor officiating when I see it and Kettler is not short of that.
If you want to head over for a public skate or even a class, the place is good for that. However, STAY OUT OF THE LEAGUES. They are a total disaster and there is no light at the end of the tunnel as long as Dan and Kristen are in charge.

Terrible customer service! After purchasing a class, I decided to withdrawl from the class as it appeared to be not the appropriate skill level. After asking for a refund several times and being deferred for weeks, they finally told me that they do not process refunds for classes. I play hockey here and like the rinks themselves just fine. Just the customer service is very bad.

Easily some of the best ice I have been on in the DC area. Two rinks with clean ice, a capitals store and pro shop, cozy locker rooms, and close to the metro. The two level designs reminds me of my favorite rink, Sharks Ice in San Jose minus having an awesome ski chalet style bar on the top level. Bundle up too, I am usually comfortble at ice rinks with leggings and a t shirt but even racing around I was pretty chilly.
My friend decided to visit the pro shop to look for skating tights. The staff was super friendly, but had no idea what she was talking about. So note that the pro shop is more hockey oriented.
Only downsides, it is hard to find the elevators to go up to the eighth foor for the rink (hint: exit towards the parking lot). They use the goal buzzer to get people off the ice, it is borderline heart attack inducing to hear.
They offered a reduced price furlough day skate for Feds for which I am greatly appreciative of. It was not crowded at all and I meet some fun people.

Went last night to watch a club hockey game that my boyfriend was playing in. Clean environment and lots of seating room.
Be ready for a crazy ride up/​down through the express exit.

Kettler is a great place to catch an afternoon or early evening pick-​up game. The pro shop is small but well stocked and manned by knowledgable staff. The ice is good do primarily to the fact that this is the Capitals practice facility which is contrary to the norm, ice, like the hockey programs, sucks in this part of the country.
Kettler loses a star and sits at 4 for two reasons:
1. The snack bar is weak, has no definable options. Concessions staff is slow and lazy.
2. Front desk workers are ill tempered, and maintain no semblance of customer service skills.

This is a great place to go ice skate any time of year. During hockey season, you can watch the Washington Caps practice.
Even now with weather close to 90 degrees outside you need bring jacket for nside the rink.
It’s located on top floor of Ballston Commons Mall.
Just one thing that is a bit annoying is that they don’t tell people to keep it moving. Anyplace else I been skating always they tell you keep going, not just stand there. The last few times I went to KCI there were groups of teenagers just hang out in clusters of 3 to 5 against the boars but on the ice. Makes it difficult. Other than than, this is a great place!

One problem I have with my reviews is that sometimes I show heavy bias and am unable to be impartial in any way, shape, or form.
This is one of those times.
I’ve played adult league ice hockey once a week at Kettler for years now, it’s like a second home. The staff is very friendly and have always been helpful, whether it be the hockey department, the pro shop, or whatever, I’ve always had little to no issues with doing business at Kettler.
As a hockey player, the pro shop is decently stocked and I’ve bought more than a few items from there. While I could go online and buy some of it for cheaper at wholesale prices, I always like supporting the pro shop because you just never know when they are really going to save your ass when you leave a piece of gear at home.
The Caps also practice here, and all practices are free and open to the public. Pretty cool for a major sports team to be so open access in terms of that and player availability to sign autographs. I’m not an autograph hound myself, but I see a lot of kids there who are and it’s pretty cool the rink allows fans to do that.
I play for a C league team on Friday nights, so again, the place is like a second home. I hope it remains such for a long time to come.

Weeeeeeeeee! What fun! This place made me feel like a kid again.
Maybe it was the fact that I was chaperoning a gaggle of 12-​year-​olds.
Maybe it was lacing up those ice skates and circling the public rink until my ankles hurt.
Maybe it was the giddiness that bubbled up as we watched The Caps doing skill drills in their practice rink. Or the puck that ricocheted of the Plexiglass directly in front of us with shotgun-​like intensity, scaring the daylights out of my coworker and providing me a good belly laugh.
Whatever it was, this place is good old fashioned fun.
Can you name a Capital other than Ovechkin?, husband asked me before the field trip. No. But there’s something to be said for the sheer excitement of being *that* close to any professional athlete practicing their craft. Not a whole lot of other places where you can get so near you can make eye contact, wave like an idiot, and get an autograph afterward (for the kids, of course). Public is more than welcome to watch practice — for free — from the observation deck whenever the Caps are there.
The public rink is good-​sized. The free-​skate schedule changes, but the hours can be found on the Kettler website. It’s $ 12 for adults, $ 11 for kids, or $ 8 per person for a group of 10 or more. There’s a snack bar serving typical snack bar fare, locker rooms, lockers for rent, a pro shop, and a Capitals store.
I wish I’d known about this place sooner. I lived in Ballston for 3 years, passing through Ballston Mall twice daily on my commute, and I never had any idea the Kettler was 7 storeys above me. But I’ll be back now!

Broomball Rocks!!!
Every once in a while, Kettler Iceplex opens up an ice rink for pick-​up broomball games. Generally, this happens on Saturday nights from 10:30pm to 11:30pm at $ 10 per person. If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, then think about playing hockey with sticks while wearing tennis shoes. Broomball is tricky. The essential skills include sliding, blocking, pass, and standing up. That’s right, «standing up» as in not falling. Ball control is beyond many pick-​up players so the better strategy is to keep making short passes towards the goal. Most of the game involves scrums of players batting away the rubber ball (puck) or deflecting a long pass. The remainder of the time is about laughing at your fallen teammates when they maneuver too quickly (it hurts). Here are some general tips:
1. Bring your own helmet (bicycle, hockey, skateboarding, etc.) because it’ll be a lot more comfortable than the communal helmets at Kettler Iceplex.
2. Keep a low center of gravity. It’ll help you extend your reach whenever needing to deflect or block a ball.
3. Use your hand, feet, and body whenever necessary to stop a ball. Kicking is okay to keep the ball moving.
4. When you fall — and you will — try to fall on your side (along shoulder and hips) or with your arms tucked (along your forearm). Do not try to break your fall by using your hands or locking your arm because you could break your wrist.
5. There are several bars at the street level of Ballston Mall. Alcohol will help numb the pain afterwards.
[Original Visit: Feb. 21, 2009]