Pittsburgh scores new dek hockey court in Lincoln Place with assist from Penguins

Dek hockey is a popular sport in Pittsburgh, but meeting the demand for places to play is sometimes challenging.

On Wednesday, a project that began in 2018 culminated in a new dek hockey court in McBride Park in the Lincoln Place neighborhood. The court was scheduled to be unveiled at 6:30 p.m.

Up until now, young people in Lincoln Place have either had to play their dek hockey on tennis courts or go elsewhere.

Ryan Herbinko, president of the 31st Ward Community Action Group, said Lincoln Place is sometimes a forgotten neighborhood in the city because of its geography, tucked into the area among West Mifflin, Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall.

“It’s a very different ward and there’s not much investment made in it,” said Herbinko. “So, a project like this is huge for us, it’s huge for the kids, and it’s going to help revitalize some of our local businesses as we host tournaments and things like that.”

The new court features an all-weather plastic surface and cost $750,000 to build. Construction began last fall and was slowed by delays due to the pandemic. Most of the funding was secured by the city with the Pittsburgh Penguins donating money as well.

“It’s one of the biggest investments that we’ve had in a very long time in our community,” said Herbinko, whose group partnered with Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor to get the court built.

O’Connor said concerns were raised when Lincoln Place residents saw that kids there were going outside the city to play in various leagues.

“We said wait (McBride Park) would be a great spot for a dek hockey court. Let’s redo the whole park, let’s make it all work,” said O’Connor. “We’re looking at adding a shelter next year. We got small chunks of funding the first year, then we got hit with covid and everything got delayed. But we see a lot of younger kids out in Lincoln Place taking an interest in hockey and this brings a lot of people back up to that park.”

O’Connor said it’s also gratifying to have a new dek hockey court because it allows young people to play hockey year round. He adds that adults can also use the new facility as well.

“It’s a huge addition to Pittsburgh because we’re hockey lovers,” said O’Connor. “Everybody loves the Penguins, everybody loves watching hockey and that’s why you see a lot of the dek hockey courts popping up and leagues starting. And it’s people of all ages playing which I think is great for everybody.”