All good things can, and do, unfortunately, come to an end.
Such is the case with what has become a landmark for hockey buffs all along the Wasatch Front in Salt Lake DekHockey. After 16 years of promoting hockey practically nonstop, Dave and Marsha Lamson, owners of the facility, have decided to move on in order to spend more time with their two young children.
"I am typically here (at SLDH) 100 or more hours a week, and I just don't have the time to be here that much anymore. My wife and I want to be a normal family again and we felt like now is the right time to get out," said Dave Lamson.
Lamson's dream of owning his own hockey rink was conceived while playing street hockey with his friends as a young man growing up in Connecticut. However, trying to open a hockey rink in Connecticut is like trying to open a coffee shop in Seattle — there's already one on every street corner.
So Lamson put his dream on the back burner and headed off to the University of Connecticut to attend law school. While he was there, his parents moved to Utah, and Lamson followed after graduation.
"I came to Utah after law school and just fell in love with the mountains and decided to stay. After awhile I noticed that there were a ton of kids here and there was no place to play hockey," said Lamson.
So Lamson's dream of owning a hockey rink was reborn.
In 1993, Lamson opened Salt Lake DekHockey in a rental facility on State Street.
"Our State Street location was pretty bad, but we had a lot of fun there. Our boards were made out of plywood and we had a chain link fence as our 'glass.' We stayed in that location until 1998 when we lost our lease and had to leave. We looked for another rental facility to play in, but there was no other place at that time that was suitable for hockey in Salt Lake City," said Lamson.
After a nine-month search for a new rental facility came up empty, Lamson decided that the only alternative would be to build his own building in South Salt Lake.
"I designed the building exactly how I wanted it, and the lot size happened to fit perfectly," said Lamson.
Once the construction began, word began to spread that DekHockey would be reopening, and excitement began to build in the hockey community.
"We were lucky, because when we reopened the majority of players that we had at the old State Street location returned and we were pretty busy from opening day," said Lamson.
And they have stayed busy for 16 years.
"The hardest part about closing is that we have known some of the players for 16 years. We have watched kids grow, get married, and have kids," said Marsha Lamson.
"We've seen these people for years, and now we won't get to see them anymore. We've always tried to have a family environment here, and I think the players really enjoyed that," said Dave Lamson.
"I've really been gratified the past few days, because we have had many people contact us and tell us how much DekHockey meant to them. They tell us that we kept their kids out of trouble. That really means a lot to us," he said.
Lamson is preparing a fitting farewell celebration for all of the people who have played at DekHockey for the past 16 years in the form of a massive tournament that is open to the public. The tournament will run March 20-23, and all interested teams and players may contact Dave Lamson at 975-8805 to reserve a spot.
"We appreciate the loyalty of all the people who have played here over the years. This tournament is a way to say thanks to all the people who have played here over the years. Three other rinks have come and gone while we have been here and we've managed to survive. I would like to think that is because we treated people right," said Lamson.