- Windsor Arena
Infobox Stadium | stadium_name= Windsor Arena
location= 334 Wyandotte St. E.,Windsor, Ontario
CAN
broke_ground=
opened=1924
closed=
owner= City of Windsor
construction_cost=
architect=
former_names= Border Cities Arena
tenants= Windsor minor hockey (1924 -)Windsor Spitfires (OHL) (1975 - present)
Detroit Red Wings (NHL) (1926–27)
seating_capacity= Hockey: 4,400
Concerts: 6,264Windsor Arena (nicknamed The Barn, because of its age, wooden construction, and its appearance of a giant barn) is an indoor arena located in
Windsor, Ontario . Its capacity is approximately 4,400 with standing room. The arena's ice is an asymmetrical 80 feet by 195 feet or 15,600 square feet (24.4 m x 59.4 m or 1,449 m²). The arena is the home of theWindsor Spitfires of the OHL.It is often regarded as one of the most difficult buildings to play in the OHL because of the loud fans and the claustrophobic atmosphere. Due to this, the arena is sometimes referred to as the "Madhouse on McDougall" by locals, but more commonly "The Barn".
History
Originally named the Border Cities Arena, it hosted the Detroit Cougars (later re-named the Detroit Red Wings) for the
1926 -1927 NHL season, while the Olympia Stadium was under construction. The Border Cities Arena, built a year before for the local junior hockey team, was expanded from 6,000 to 9,000 for the Cougars. The arena was later renamed the Windsor Arena.Having been constructed in 1924, the arena is among the oldest of its type in
North America . Inside the arena's halls are pictures of teams gone by, of old matches and players, and of the construction of "The Barn", along with historic newspaper clippings related to the hockey teams that played under its roof over the years. Adding to this “throwback” experience is the odor of the arena concourse during Spitfires games, especially near the teams’ respective dressing rooms. The obvious odor of heated OHL competition coats the cramped quarters between bench and locker room.However, its days hosting OHL games are numbered. A new arena has been approved by Windsor city council and is now under construction on the city's east side off Lauzon Road. Windsor city council's decision to replace the arena can be attributed to complaints about Windsor Arena's seating and tiny concourses. Nevertheless, it is still a functional space and considering the heavy demand for ice time in the city's minor hockey leagues, it will likely remain in operation for minor hockey teams after the Spitfires move out.
External links
*"Famous Canadian Arenas" exhibit at the National Library of Canada's "Virtual Museum of Canada" exhibit. [http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Hockey/English/Arenas/windsor.html "Windsor Arena"]
succession box
title = Home of the
Detroit Cougars
years = 1926 – 1927
before = first arena
after =Olympia Stadium
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