Robert Guertin Centre

infobox Stadium | stadium_name=Robert Guertin Centre


Place, Gatineau, Quebec]
location=125 Rue Carillon
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 3Y9
broke_ground=
opened= 1952
owner= Gilles Sauve, Alain Sear
operator=
construction_cost=
architect=
former_names= Hull Arena, Robert Guertin Arena
tenants=Gatineau Olympiques
(Since 1973)
Ottawa 67's
(1967 only)
seating_capacity=Hockey: 4,000 (total)
3,196 (seated)

The Robert Guertin Centre, formerly Hull Arena, is a 4,000 capacity (3,196 seated) multi-purpose arena in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1952 and is home to the Gatineau Olympiques ice hockey team. The arena also briefly hosted the Ottawa 67's in 1967, while the Ottawa Civic Centre was under construction. The arena hosted the Memorial Cup in 1997, 1982, and 1958. It is also the site of an international midget hockey tournament which is held every January. It is considered by many Gatineau residents, particularly of the Hull sector, as a cultural and sport heritage location for the region.

There were several discussions regarding the future of the arena as the structure showed signs of deterioration. It was in 2001, that team owners of the Olympiques first discussed the idea of playing at a new rink with a larger capacity. [ cite news | author = Turbide, Mathieu | title = Le maire Ducharme est catégorique : Pas question d'agrandir l'aréna Robert-Guertin | publisher = Le Droit | date = March 7 2001 | page = 4 ] . Renovations were made to the arena in 2003 and 2004 but it slightly reduced the number of seats due to safety reasons. [ cite news | author = Brassard, Marc | title = Un escalier sème la colère des proprios des Olympiques | publisher = Le Droit | date = July 8 2004 | page = 48 ] .

New Arena

In 2005, discussions at the new city of Gatineau intensified about the construction of a new arena. During the summer of 2005, there were reports from Le Droit that the Olympiques would move into a new arena in the Gatineau sector, but that proposal was later shelved. Former mayor Yves Ducharme, who was initially opposed in 2001 into the construction of a new rink mentioned that a new 25-million dollar and 8000-seat arena would be needed. [ cite news | author = Boivin, Mathieu | title = Le nouvel aréna est un "projet très sérieux", dit le maire Ducharme | publisher = Le Droit | date = October 17 2005 | page = 7 ] [ cite news | author = Duquette, Patrick| title = L'aréna Robert-Guertin pourrait "déménager" dans le secteur Gatineau | publisher = Le Droit | date = July 26 2005 | page = 3 ]

Gatineau's Robert Guertin Centre will be renovated or rebuilt to double its capacity and add a second rink, Gatineau city council has decided. City council chose the current Hull sector site for the proposed 6,000-seat arena, which was recommended in a report presented by the engineering consulting firm Dessau-Soprin. Three alternative sites were also considered. The consultants recommend demolishing the old Robert Guertin Centre and building a new, bigger building in order to add 3,000 seats along with constructing a second rink with limited seating capacity.

The construction is intended to bring the home arena of the Gatineau Olympiques hockey team up to the standards required by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The consultants said the site of the Olympiques' current home arena is most suitable because it is highly visible and accessible by public transit.

Council has not yet determined whether 3,000 extra seats and a second rink will be added through renovations, at an estimated cost of $27 million, or by demolishing the old arena and starting over, at an estimated price of $29 million — the option recommended by the consulting firm. The consultants chose the Robert Guertin site for the new arena because it is highly visible and accessible by public transit. The consultants' report suggested that a brand new arena could be built to stringent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) environmental certification standards, while renovations might bring unforeseen problems and costs.Council plans to fund the renovations or construction through a public-private partnership, but has not yet found partners or determined what the public contribution will be.

The Robert Guertin Centre currently falls short of the Quebec Junior Hockey League's requirements for at least 3,500 seats, as well as its standards for media galleries, locker rooms, washrooms and concessions. [ cite news | author = CBC.ca | title = 6,000-seat arena to take over Gatineau's Robert Guertin site | publisher = CBC.ca | date = February 7 2007 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.ohlarenaguide.com/guertin.htm Information on the Robert Guertin Centre]