Welcome to The Local Barn
The Local Barn is a community-powered hub for hockey players across North America. Whether you're looking for a place to skate, checking ice conditions before heading out, or managing your own facility, this guide covers everything you need to know.
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Creating Your Account
To get started, click Login and then switch to the Create Account tab. Your password must be at least 8 characters and include an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, and a number.
After signing up, check your email for a confirmation link. Once confirmed, you can set a Display Name in your account settings — this is the name other users will see alongside your contributions.
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User Dashboard
Once you are signed in, you have the option to use the User Dashboard as your default landing page. The User Dashboard aggregates your personalized feeds, including:
Quick Search & Stats — Access rink search and view your community contributions (reputation, favorited rinks).Favorite Rinks Schedule — A consolidated view of stick-and-puck times, open skates, and pick-up games at your favorite rinks.Active Bench Openings — Live listings from team captains looking for players at your preferred rinks.In-App Notifications — Notifications for verified rink updates, schedule changes, or merchandise order updates.You can enable or disable this landing page layout at any time from your Account Settings page by toggling the "Use Dashboard on Load" preference.
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Finding Rinks
Use the Rink Directory to search for rinks by name, city, or zip code. Results are displayed on an interactive map so you can find the closest rink to you. You can filter results by:
Distance — Use the distance slider to narrow results by how far you're willing to travel (5–100+ miles).Facility Type — Indoor (Year-Round), Indoor (Seasonal), Outdoor (Refrigerated), or Outdoor (Natural).Amenities — Skate Rental, Equipment Rental, Sharpening, Warming House, Pro Shop, Concessions, and Restaurant/Bar.Programs — Open Skate, Stick & Puck, Shinny, Drop-in Hockey, Learn to Skate, Figure Skating, League programs (Youth, Men's, Women's, Coed, Travel), and more.Clicking on a rink opens its full detail page with live ice conditions, reviews, schedule, and more.
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Rink Detail Page
Each rink has its own page with the following sections:
Address & Links — The rink's address is displayed at the top. Click the location pin to open directions in Google Maps. If the rink has a website or social media (Facebook, Instagram), those links appear directly below.
Current Conditions — For outdoor rinks, you'll see the current outdoor temperature pulled from weather data. Community-submitted ice condition reports show the latest status (Frozen, Slushy, Unskateable, Closed, Open, or Permanently Closed) with a timestamp.
Overview Tab — A summary of the rink's amenities and available programs. This is the quickest way to see if a rink has what you're looking for.
Schedule Tab — Upcoming events and sessions at the rink. For rinks with multiple ice sheets, you can filter by sheet using tabs at the top of the schedule. Events are color-coded by type (Open Skate, Stick & Puck, Hockey Practice, Learn to Skate, Figure Skating, Drop-in Hockey, etc.).
Reviews Tab — Read reviews from other skaters, or leave your own star rating and feedback.
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Submitting Ice Condition Updates
Anyone with an account can submit an ice condition report by clicking "Update Ice Condition" on a rink's page. You'll choose a status and optionally add notes (e.g. "freshly flooded" or "large crack in the north corner").
For rinks with multiple ice sheets, you can specify which sheet your report applies to.
After submitting, there's a 30-minute cooldown before you can submit again. This prevents misuse and keeps reports meaningful.
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Suggesting Edits
Notice outdated information on a rink page? Click "Suggest Edits" to propose changes to the rink's name, address, description, website, social links, amenities, or programs.
Your edit becomes a Pending Community Edit visible on the page. Other users can confirm or deny the change. Once it receives 3 confirmations, it goes live automatically. If it receives 3 denials, it's rejected.
Edits that are confirmed contribute to your reputation score.
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Reviews & Ratings
Leave a review on the Reviews tab of any rink page. You'll provide a star rating (1-5) and a written explanation of your experience. Reviews help other users decide where to skate.
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Favoriting Rinks
Click the Favorite button on any rink page to add it to your favorites. Your favorited rinks appear on your Account page under Favorite Rinks Schedule — an aggregated view of upcoming events across all your favorite rinks.
The Favorite Rinks Schedule includes filters for:
Rink — Filter events to a specific rink.Event Type — Show only certain event types (Open Skate, Stick & Puck, etc.).Sheet — If events span multiple ice sheets, filter by sheet name.Search — Free-text search across event titles, rink names, and notes.---
Reputation System
Your reputation score reflects your contributions to the community. You earn reputation points by:
Submitting ice condition reports.Having your suggested edits confirmed by other users.Having your ice condition reports confirmed by others.Your reputation level is visible on your profile and shows how active and trusted you are in the community.
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Badges
As you contribute to The Local Barn, you'll unlock badges that appear on your profile. Badges are awarded automatically for milestones like:
Submitting your first ice condition report.Having your first edit confirmed.Reaching reputation thresholds.Reviewing multiple rinks.Badges are displayed as icons on your account page and serve as a visible record of your community involvement.
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Submitting a New Rink
Know of a rink that isn't listed? Click "Submit a Rink" on the Rink Directory page. You'll provide the rink's name, address, type, and whether it's public or private. After submission, the rink is immediately listed and open for community edits.
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Free Agency
The Free Agency board connects players looking for ice time with team captains who need subs. Access it from the Free Agency link in the main navigation bar.
Bench Openings
If your team needs a sub for an upcoming game, post a Bench Opening. You'll provide:
Rink(s) — Search and select one or more rinks where the game takes place.Game Date & Time — When the game is scheduled.Position Needed — Goalie, Defense, Forward, or Skater.Skill Level(s) — The competitive tier (A, B, C, D, or Open/Drop-In).Contact Info — Phone or email so interested players can reach you.Notes — Optional details like jersey color or arrival time.Your contact information is only revealed to signed-in users who click "Reveal Contact."
You can mark an opening as Filled or delete it from the board at any time.
Becoming a Free Agent
To list yourself as available for sub opportunities, enable Free Agent status from your Account page under the Free Agent Settings section.
Your Free Agent profile includes:
Positions — Which positions you can play.Skill Levels — The competitive tiers you're comfortable playing in.Preferred Rinks — Rinks you're willing to travel to.Availability — A weekly grid where you select which days and time slots (Morning, Afternoon, Evening) you're available.Contact Info — Phone or email, protected behind the same "Reveal Contact" gate.Free Agents who haven't updated their profile in 30 days are automatically hidden from the board. You can Reactivate at any time from your account settings.
Filtering the Free Agency Board
Both the Bench Openings and Free Agents tabs share the same filter panel. You can filter by:
Position — Find a specific role (Goalie, Defense, Forward, Skater).Skill Level — Match your league tier.Rink — Search and select rinks to narrow results.Day — Filter by which days a player is available (Mon–Sun).Time Slot — Filter by Morning, Afternoon, or Evening availability.Favorited Rinks — If you're logged in and have favorited rinks, they appear as quick-select chips in the filter panel. Click any favorited rink to instantly filter the board to only show openings or agents at that rink.Your Free Agent info (positions, levels, preferred rinks, and availability grid) is also displayed on your public profile page.
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Schedule Prioritization
When visiting a rink's Schedule tab, you may see one of three states if there are no upcoming events:
"No upcoming events scheduled." — The rink has a schedule syncing, but there are no upcoming events at this time."Prioritize this rink" — The rink does not have a schedule synced yet. Logged-in users can click "Prioritize this rink" to let The Local Barn team know you'd like this rink's schedule added. This helps us prioritize which rinks to reach out to next."Unable to sync this rink's schedule." — We were unable to obtain a schedule feed for this rink. The message encourages you to let the rink know you're interested in seeing their schedule on The Local Barn.---
Merch Store
Visit the Merch page to browse and purchase official The Local Barn merchandise. Support the platform while repping your favorite hockey community hub.
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Theme Settings (Dark Mode)
The Local Barn supports both light and dark themes to optimize readability whether you're under bright rink lighting or checking ice conditions in the early morning. You can toggle your preference under Account Settings > Dark Mode.
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