Hockey

Help Save Mel’s Rink

(via Mel’s rink)

This outdoor rink in Poolesville, Maryland is known as Mel’s Rink. Marc Kohn made it to honor his stepdaughter, Melanie Osborne, who succumbed to a respiratory disease in July at age 35. Kohn is a Boston native who loves hockey, a passion he shared with his stepdaughter.

“I grew up in a small town in the Boston area, played on the ponds and backyard rinks, so I’ve been playing my whole life,” he said. “If it was like a Friday night, we’d have pizza and puck nights. That was one of her favorite things.”

Kohn believed this would be a perfect way to honor her. The rink is 2,100 square feet with regulation goals along with red and blue team benches. The rink works with both skates and shoes and is  a half-inch thick ultra-high-density polyethylene plastic because real ice would not work with our weather according to Marc.

Sadly, Kohn is facing a legal case from Montgomery County, which says the rink is illegally built on an agricultural reserve, despite it being in his backyard. Kohn has started a gofundme where you can donate to help his legal funds.

I really hope somehow things can work out and Kohn gets to keep his rink. It is truly more than just 2,100 square feet of ice to him. It is a way to remember his stepdaughter. To others, it’s an outdoor rink for young kids to work on their game and try to make it to the NHL. Best of luck Kohn.

UPDATE: Owner of backyard ice rink now willing to work with Montgomery County

Brandon Alter

Brandon Alter covers all three teams in the Washington Capitals Organization. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in May of 2021.

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