The large open space of the exhibition hall was suitable for other uses. In later years, the hall would house a natural ice skating rink in the winter, and was one of the first indoor skating rinks in Canada. The skating rink was used by McGill University students to play Ice Hockey and the rink is the site of the first known photograph of Ice Hockey players in hockey uniforms, taken in 1881.
The rink also housed the Crystal Skating Club and Crystal Hockey Club, more commonly known as the Montreal Crystals which played men's senior-level amateur Hockey in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada.