Arenas of the Canadian Hockey League
This is a photo gallery of the various QMJHL arenas that I've happened to see in my travels around this great country. Arenas that I have visited contain full profiles. For former QMJHL arenas, click here.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Western Conference
Click here for Eastern Conference
Centre Henry-Leonard
Baie-Comeau, Québec
Home of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Built 1970
GoDrakkarGo.com
Centre Georges-Vézina
Chicoutimi, Québec
Home of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Built 1948
Drummondville Voltigeurs - Centre Marcel-Dionne
Gatineau Olympiques - Aréna Robert Guertin
Québec Remparts - Colisée Pepsi
Colisée de Rimouski
Rimouski, Québec
Home of the Rimouski Océanic
Built 1966
Aréna Dave Keon
Rouyn-Noranda, Québec
Home of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Built 1939
Aréna Jacques-Plante
Shawinigan, Québec
Home of the Shawinigan Cataractes
Built 1937
Originally known as the Shawinigan Municipal Auditorium, the Arena Jacques-Plante was renamed for the eponymous hometown hero in 1994. The building is built in a gorgeous art-deco style and has atmosphere like you wouldn't believe, even when empty. It's never been renovated, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a single thing in the arena that's newer than fifty years old. The seats are wooden, the place is filled with fat iron support columns, and there isn't even a centre-ice scoreclock. In a move that must make the politically-correct shudder, the team wheels out a gigantic cigar-store Indian over the ice after every Cats goal. The place is destined to be replaced soon, and while I enjoyed my look around the empty place one Monday afternoon, I hope I can make it there for a game before it closes.
Centre Air Creebec (Le Palais des Sports)
Val-d'Or, Québec
Home of the Val-d'Or Foreurs
Built 1949
Victoriaville Tigres - Colisée Desjardins
Eastern Conference
Acadie-Bathurst Titan - K.C. Irving Regional Centre
Centre 200
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Home of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Built 1987
Centre 200 is a glass-fronted building wedged on a small lot in downtown Sydney, surrounded by a Tim Horton's and the casino. The building is actually connected to the casino, which means that people can literally leave the rink during intermissions for ten minutes at the slots. The arena, similarly to Moncton, has one main bowl of seats, and then one side of the arena has a large second deck overlooking the first. The concourse is reasonably wide and there is a huge open area behind one of the goals, perfect for congregating during intermissions.
Halifax Mooseheads - Halifax Metro Centre
Lewiston Maineiacs - Androscoggin Bank Colisee
Moncton Coliseum
Moncton, New Brunswick
Home of the Moncton Wildcats
Built 1973
The Moncton Coliseum is a boring-looking, low-to-the-ground brown building built on the outskirts of town near the highway. I have been inside, although you will have to take my word for it since I wasn't allowed to take photos during the RV show that forcibly rearranged my whole weekend trip in March 2006. "We wouldn't want people taking pictures of the RV's", as the security guard said. Anyway, the arena is built similarly to Cape Breton's in that it has a one bowl-plus-upper deck on one side design, and it's bigger than you'd expect, given that most of the arena is excavated underground, which gives it its low-rise nature. The seats are all sky blue and there is a single concourse ringing the building.
P.E.I. Rocket - Charlottetown Civic Centre
Harbour Station
Saint John, New Brunswick
Home of the Saint John Sea Dogs
Built 1993
Harbour Station was built in 1993 and is located on the fringe of Saint John's hilly and compact downtown. From the outside it's done up on landscaped grounds and is attractive in white stucco and brown brick. It has an interesting interior design, with two decks separated by one open concourse overlooking the ice. The rink is one of the better mid-sized new buildings I've been in, and I'd like to get back someday for a game.
St. John's Fog Devils - Mile One Stadium