Rink Rater — Rate where you skate

Rink Rater mascot on the ice. Headline: Rink Rater is back on the ice! The story of how a simple idea became the go-to resource for hockey families.

Our Story

How did it all start, you ask?

Rink Rater was born in the stands! I was freezing! I came quite ill-prepared for how cold this particular rink was (you know the one) and ultimately, that was the reason I literally bought the domain: RinkRater.com right there in the stands! It’s been a journey ever since, but one that I felt giving another chance to provide our Hockey Community with a helpful resource, was worth it.

2015The Lightbulb Moment

Sitting in the stands, an idea clicks

Sitting ’in the stands during one of our kids games and absolutely freezing as I had come ill-prepared, I had a thought: “Man, I wish I knew how cold this rink was before we got here!”

“Man, I wish I knew how cold this rink was before we got here!”

After thinking about possible solutions, I bought the domain name, RinkRater.com, right then and there — and started jotting down every idea I had.

2016Sketches to Screens

From notebook scribbles to a real app — and launch

Early sketches turned into wireframes, then mockups — slowly becoming a real vision for the ultimate rink resource, built specifically for hockey families: help hockey parents, build community, improve every rink.

By the end of 2016, Rink Rater launched — built for hockey parents, by a hockey parent.

2019The Community Grows

Reviews rolling in from rinks across North America

The community grew fast — hockey families from Vancouver to Boston, Dallas to Montreal, sharing honest, five-star-and-otherwise reviews about the rinks they knew best.

2020COVID Changes Everything

COVID hits — and a heartbreaking decision

Rinks closed. Tournaments were canceled. Usage dropped dramatically, and unfortunately the app updates became unsustainable — and Rink Rater had to be pulled down from the App Store and Google Play. I remember the exact moment I had to do it.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. It was just the beginning of the next chapter.

2024The AI Spark

What if you could just ask?

I began learning various AI models and soon had a new vision for Rink Rater: an assistant that reads through thousands of real reviews and gives instant, helpful answers — like “How cold is The Ice Haus?” — backed by real hockey parents’ reviews.

2026Rink Rater 2.0

Rink Rater 2.0 arrives

Now powered by 14,400+ real reviews from hockey parents across North America — plus a new partnership with For the Love of Hockey.

Ask TJ Anything, earn XP and badges, save your favorite rinks, and get honest reviews on what matters most to hockey families.