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Address | 99 Thornton Road South |
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Location | Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
Coordinates | 43°53′16″N78°53′28″W / 43.887795°N 78.890998°W |
Owner | City of Oshawa |
Operator | City of Oshawa |
Capacity | 3,625 (seated) 4,025 (standing) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | February 28, 1964 |
Opened | December 11, 1964 |
Closed | October 29, 2006 |
Demolished | April–July 2010 |
Construction cost | $1.4 million |
Tenants | |
Oshawa Generals (OHL) (1964–2006) Oshawa Crushmen (OPJHL) (1965–1972) Oshawa Legionaires (OPJHL) (1972–2006) Oshawa Green Gaels (OLA) (1965–1996) |
The Oshawa Civic Auditorium was an indoor arena in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It operated from 1964 to 2006, and was primarily used as an ice hockey venue for the Oshawa Generals. The auditorium was built as a replacement to the Hambly Arena, which burned down in 1953. [1] [2] The auditorium was part of a larger multi-purpose recreational complex.
The construction of the auditorium was led by a committee of residents with the slogan: "Let's build it ourselves, for ourselves." [3] Volunteers raised $1.4 million from the community to fund the project, including $476,000 from the local General Motors employees union (Canadian Auto Workers) through payroll reductions. [2] The City of Oshawa provided 20 acres of land on Thornton Road South, previously designated for a cemetery. [2] Groundbreaking for the project took place on February 28, 1964, [3] and the formal opening took place on December 11, 1964. [3] [4] The auditorium capacity was 3,625 seated, and 4,025 including standing room.
The Oshawa Generals began play at the auditorium on December 15, 1964, and won 6–4 over the St. Catharines Black Hawks. [5] While playing at the auditorium, the Generals won five J. Ross Robertson Cups, and the 1990 Memorial Cup. The Oshawa Generals hosted the 1987 Memorial Cup tournament at the auditorium. The Generals played their final at the auditorium on October 29, 2006, and won 8–6 over the Kingston Frontenacs. [5] The Oshawa Legionaires won three regular season Metro Junior B League titles playing at the auditorium. The Oshawa Green Gaels moved into the auditorium partway through their seven consecutive Minto Cups from 1963 to 1969.
The auditorium hosted the inaugural Wrigley Cup in 1974, a national midget hockey tournament for the top 12 teams in the country set up by Jack Devine and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. [6] On April 22, 1979, the auditorium hosted two benefit concerts for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind by the Rolling Stones, after Keith Richards was charged with possession of heroin. [7] The auditorium became home to the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame on May 21, 1986. [8] The auditorium became home to the world's longest hockey stick in 2003. [9] In May 2006, Alice Cooper was one of the final concerts at the auditorium. [2]
In June 2005, construction began on a replacement arena in downtown Oshawa. The General Motors Centre, opened as the city's new primary hockey venue in October 2006. The auditorium sat idle until demolition between April and July 2010. The former site of the auditorium became an indoor turf field. [2]
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately 60 km (37 mi) east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It is the largest municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham. The name Oshawa originates from the Ojibwa term aazhawe, meaning "the crossing place" or just "a cross".
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FirstOntario Centre is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985, it has a capacity of up to 19,000.
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. In November 2016, the General Motors Centre changed its name to Tribute Communities Centre. Its 184 graduates to the National Hockey League are second in the OHL. The Generals have won the Memorial Cup five times -, as well as a record thirteen Ontario Hockey League Championships, the J. Ross Robertson Cup -
The Toronto St. Michael's Majors were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The most recent franchise was revived on August 15, 1996. In 2007, the team relocated to Mississauga, Ontario and became the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors until 2012. The hockey program was founded and operated by St. Michael's College School in 1906, and adopted the name "Majors" in 1934, and was commonly referred to as St. Mike's Majors.
The Red Tilson Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the most outstanding player (MVP) as voted by OHL writers and broadcasters. It was donated by The Globe and Mail, and first awarded in the 1944–45 OHA season by the Ontario Hockey Association. The trophy is named for Red Tilson, who played for the Oshawa Generals, and died during military service in World War II. Winners of the Red Tilson Trophy are nominated for the CHL Player of the Year award. The Red Tilson trophy resides in the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame, in the Tribute Communities Centre.
The Ottawa Auditorium was a 7,500-seat arena located in Ottawa, Ontario. It was located in Downtown Ottawa at the corner of O'Connor and Argyle Streets, today the site of the Taggart Family YMCA. Built primarily for ice hockey, the arena was also used for sports events, assemblies and musical concerts.
The Hambly Arena was an indoor ice rink in Oshawa, Ontario, also known as the Oshawa Arena. It operated from 1930 to 1953, and was primarily used as an ice hockey venue for the Oshawa Generals. The Hambly Arena was built as a replacement to the wooden Bradley Arena, which burned down in 1928. The Hambly Arena was located at the northeast corner of Bond Street West and Arena Street, beside the Oshawa Creek and south of Kinsmen Stadium.
The Tribute Communities Centre, formerly known as the General Motors Centre or GM Centre,GMC for short, is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, which opened in November 2006. The arena was constructed to replace the Oshawa Civic Auditorium. The main tenant is the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, and formerly the Durham TurfDogs of the Canadian Lacrosse League. It features the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame, Prospects Bar and Grill, an Oshawa Generals retail store, executive seating and special club seats. The name was changed to Tribute Communities Centre on November 1, 2016.
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Wren Alvin Blair was a Canadian ice hockey coach, scout and executive in the National Hockey League.
Robert Alan Attersley was a well known Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1960 Winter Olympics. He was born in Oshawa, Ontario, to Ernest and Marietta Attersley. During his lifetime he owned and operated several businesses and had a political career which extended to being the mayor of Whitby.
The St. James Civic Centre is a multipurpose recreation complex located in the St. James district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The complex features an indoor ice hockey arena, swimming pool, and auditorium. Built in 1967, the St. James Civic Centre is owned and operated by the City of Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Auditorium was an indoor arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was the premier site for ice hockey in Winnipeg from the time of its construction in 1898. The Auditorium rink hosted several Stanley Cup championship series. It was located at the intersection of Garry Street and York Avenue. It was destroyed by fire in 1926.
Matthew Leyden was a former ice hockey executive, administrator, and builder with the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). He managed the Oshawa Generals from 1937 to 1953, and built the team which won seven consecutive OHA championships, and three Memorial Cups. He is the namesake of both the Matt Leyden Trophy, and the Leyden Trophy.
Sherwood Bassin is a Canadian ice hockey executive known primarily for 36 years of involvement in the Ontario Hockey League as a general manager, team owner and coach. Bassin successfully turned franchises around, and his teams won five J. Ross Robertson Cups, and appeared in six Memorial Cup tournaments, winning once. Bassin helped the Canadian National junior team win its first gold medal in 1982, and another in 1985. He was twice named OHL Executive of the Year and CHL Executive of the Year, and briefly worked for the Quebec Nordiques.