Robert Guertin Centre
 | |
| Former names | Hull Arena, Robert Guertin Arena |
|---|---|
| Location |
125, rue de Carillon Gatineau, Quebec, Canada J8X 2P8 |
| Owner | City of Gatineau (HULL) |
| Operator | City of Gatineau (HULL) |
| Capacity |
Hockey: 4,000 (total) 3,196 (seated) |
| Opened | 1952 |
| Tenants | |
|
Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) (2003–present) Ottawa 67's (OHL) (1967) | |
The Robert Guertin Centre (formerly Robert Guertin Arena and Hull Arena) is a 4,000 capacity (3,196 seated) multi-purpose arena in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
It is considered by many Gatineau residents, particularly of the Hull sector, as a cultural and sport heritage location for the region.
It was built in 1957 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.
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.[1] Renovations were made to the arena in 2003 and 2004 but it slightly reduced the number of seats due to safety reasons.[2]
In May 2011, it was announced that a new 5,000 seat arena would be built on the same site. The old arena would be demolished. The estimated cost of the new arena is $63 million.[3]
Between 1992 and 1994, the Arena also hosted the March and June events for World Wrestling Entertainment due to the TD Place Arena at Lansdowne Park having other events scheduled. These were held on the last Friday of the month, and unlike the TD Arena which only used four floodlights from the scoreboard to light the ring, Robert Guertin Centre was able to house a fully operating light and laser grid like those seen on televised wrestling events. In June 1994, the Quebecers defeated the Headshrinkers in a WWF Tag Team Championship match by pinfall; however the belts were retained by the Headshrinkers, which caused anger amongst fans present at the event.
References
- ↑ Turbide, Mathieu (March 7, 2001). "Le maire Ducharme est catégorique : Pas question d'agrandir l'aréna Robert-Guertin". Le Droit. p. 4.
- ↑ Brassard, Marc (July 8, 2004). "Un escalier sème la colère des proprios des Olympiques". Le Droit. p. 48.
- ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/05/25/ottawa-gatinuea-robert-guertin-arena.html Excitement builds for new venue at Bob Guertin site
External links
Coordinates: 45°26′3″N 75°43′29″W / 45.43417°N 75.72472°W