The Franklin P. Nelson Recreation Center ("Nelson Center") is a 2,100-seat multi purpose ice

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

and recreational facility located in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The ice arena has two

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

regulation-sized

ice sheets In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the Last Glacial Period at La ...

. It is the home to the

Springfield Jr. Blues The Springfield Jr. Blues are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Midwest Division. The team plays their home games at the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois. History Founded by John D. O'Laughlin and Al ...

of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

and former home of the Robert Morris–Springfield Eagles men's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team competing at the ACHA Division III level in the

Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association The Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) is an ACHA club hockey league comprising colleges and universities in the Midwest. Organizational structure The MACHA is made up of three divisions, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The Gold Div ...

. The Nelson center is also home to several local high school ice hockey teams, and is used by local figure skating clubs, youth, and adult recreational ice hockey leagues, as well as public skating. The Nelson Center was opened with one ice rink in the early 1970s. The second rink was opened in 2002. On May 30, 1976, the rock band Rush played the Nelson Center, a stop on the band's 2112 concert tour.Archived a
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and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

Official siteSpringfield Jr. BluesRMU-Springfield Hockey
Indoor arenas in Illinois Indoor ice hockey venues in Illinois Robert Morris–Springfield Eagles Sports venues in Springfield, Illinois Tourist attractions in Springfield, Illinois {{Illinois-sports-venue-stub