Hockey games, skating proposed for Fenway Park

Move over, boys of summer: Fenway Park may be open for Christmas.

The Red Sox want to open the 93-year-old ballpark to public ice skating and college hockey games during the winter, as they look for ways to keep the park active year round.

The team plans to apply to the city soon for a license permitting it to host skating and hockey in a rink on top of the field, said Mike Dee, the Sox's chief operating officer. If all goes well, he said, the project could be open by the end of the year.

''We'd try to make it a Fenway tradition," he said.

The Sox would probably charge a small fee for public admission, Dee said.

The idea is being discussed as the team has declared its intention to stay in Fenway Park. Though the Red Sox organization likes the rink plan, Dee said there are several hurdles.

The team has not determined whether a rink could be constructed on the field without damaging the new turf that was installed over the winter. When an outdoor hockey game was played at Michigan State University's Spartan Stadium in 2001, the college installed a portable ice surface over a layered platform and a series of aluminum plates, which were kept frozen by a 281-ton refrigeration unit.

The organization also needs permission from the city, and it plans to present the proposal to neighborhood groups as well. The team's entertainment license allows it to host baseball games, but it must receive special permission from the city for other events.

The idea is part of a push by the Red Sox to establish business ventures during baseball's off-season and to bring more life to the area surrounding the park on nongame days. In the past several years, the team has increased its efforts to attract weddings, corporate parties, and other events. The organization partnered with nightclub entrepreneur Patrick Lyons this year to open a restaurant at Fenway called Game On!, which is likely to attract customers even when the team is not playing.

Concerts also have become a draw: The Sox hosted Jimmy Buffett last year, Bruce Springsteen the year before, and they may host the Rolling Stones for this year.

A spokesman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino declined to comment on the ice skating idea, saying Menino has not seen the Sox's proposal.

Councilor Michael Ross of Beacon Hill, who represents the Fenway neighborhood, expressed support yesterday for public skating at the park. ''It's a great idea," he said. ''It's consistent with the year-round use that fits in well with the neighborhood."

The team has said that it was looking into college hockey at Fenway Park, which could involve matchups of local teams such as Boston College and Boston University. Dee said the Sox are still debating whether to stage a game or two, or even a tournament. The Sox would sell tickets to the hockey games to recoup the cost of putting down the ice, he said.

The team has not decided, if it builds a rink, how long it would operate. Other outdoor rinks, such as Frog Pond on Boston Common, stay open from late November through mid-March, and are able to host skating as long as the temperature outside is 50 degrees or colder.

Fenway Sports Group, a Red Sox business venture headed by Dee, formed a partnership with Boston College this year to help market its athletic program more aggressively to fans and corporate sponsors. The group wants to attract business from other colleges as well.

But some neighbors of the ballpark voiced concerns about the idea of crowds at college hockey games. ''We want to be a little cautious about opening it up to big hordes 365 days a year," said Carl Nagy-Koechlin, executive director of the Fenway Community Development Corp.

Outdoor hockey has drawn big crowds when it has been tried in recent years. When the University of Michigan and Michigan State played each other in 2001 at Michigan State's Spartan Stadium, 74,554 fans attended. In 2003, the National Hockey League staged an outdoor game in Edmonton, when the temperature was minus-2 degrees Fahrenheit. The game attracted 57,167 fans.

Sasha Talcott can be reached at stalcott@globe.com.