PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — No skates? No problem. Dek hockey fans in Allegheny County will soon have a wide choice of rinks.

“We’re here to officially open the first of 12 dek hockey rinks in the region,” said Penguins CEO David Morehouse.

He made the announcement at Banksville Park on Crane Avenue Tuesday.

“Project Power Play” is backed by a $600,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, and $1.5 million from Highmark.

“We believe that by encouraging kids to be physically active, they will develop healthier lifestyles,” says Highmark Executive Vice President Dan Onorato. “One of the first steps for them to be active is to have a safe environment in which to play, evidenced by what you see here today.”

“Probably about 20 Penguins employees were here to volunteer to put the deck down,” says Penguins Foundation President Dave Soltesz.

They snapped tiles into place for a deck 155-feet long, 75-feet wide.

Plans call for four city rinks and eight more in the county, within the next four years. Next up: the Hazelwood rink. It’s scheduled to open before Christmas.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says the rink is a far cry from playing in the basement of a North Side church, growing up.

“The facility I played in wasn’t even a quarter of the size of this, and we had a great time, learned the game of hockey, but never had an experience like this,” said Mayor Ravenstahl.

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