If you’ve never been to an ice hockey game in Britain, you’re missing one of the best nights out in sport. Manchester Storm play in the Elite Ice Hockey League at the Altrincham Ice Dome – known to regulars as the Storm Shelter – and it’s an experience that has absolutely nothing in common with watching football on a Saturday afternoon.
The rink holds about 1,800 and on a busy night it’s packed, loud, and slightly unhinged. The boards rattle when players get checked into them. Fights happen. The puck moves at speed. There’s a horn that goes off when Storm score. Kids bang on the glass. The whole thing feels like organised chaos, and it’s fantastic. You don’t need to understand the offside rule or icing calls to enjoy it – the speed and physicality are enough on their own.
Storm have been through various incarnations over the years. The original Storm played at the MEN Arena in the late 90s and early 2000s before folding. The current version was relaunched in 2015 and has built a solid following at the smaller Altrincham venue. The EIHL is the top tier of British ice hockey and the standard is decent – most teams carry a mix of North American imports and British players.
Tickets are cheap. Under twenty quid gets you in, and the bar prices inside the rink are well below what you’d pay at a football ground. The Altrincham Ice Dome is right by Altrincham Interchange, so you can get the tram from the city centre – it’s the end of the Altrincham Metrolink line. Journey takes about forty minutes.
Pre-match, Altrincham town centre has plenty of pubs and restaurants within walking distance of the rink. The market area has improved massively in recent years.
Go once. You’ll be back. Ice hockey converts people faster than any other sport in this city.
