Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[megadude]

Where is there a rivalry in the CHL between close teams that could be considered fierce?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by megadude

Where is there a rivalry in the CHL between close teams that could be considered fierce?

The best rivalries that I know of.

Quebec

Quebec City-Chicoutimi
Rouyn-Noranda - Val-d'Or

Maritimes

Moncton-Halifax


Actually Ottawa-Gatineau is a pretty intense one when they play, even if IIRC they are only exhibition games that don't count.

Lots of Ontario-Quebec and English-French shit going on in the stands and on social media.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by megadude

Where is there a rivalry in the CHL between close teams that could be considered fierce?

Fierce doesn't really truly exist anymore now that fighting is mostly down both on and off the ice. Most of the rivalries were most fierce in the 70s/80s.

Can't speak much to the WHL but for the O & Q:

Ottawa/Gatineau
Val-d'Or/Rouyn-Noranda
Quebec/Chicoutimi
Drummondville/Victoriaville/Shawinigan
Sault Ste. Marie/Sudbury
Moncton/Halifax/Saint John
Halifax/Cape Breton
Kitchener/Guelph
London/Kitchener
Belleville/Kingston (RIP)

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Fierce doesn't really truly exist anymore now that fighting is mostly down both on and off the ice. Most of the rivalries were most fierce in the 70s/80s.

Can't speak much to the WHL but for the O & Q:


London/Kitchener

I think London/Windsor is much greater a rivalry, despite the physical distance.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I think London/Windsor is much greater a rivalry, despite the physical distance.

I don’t know - any Ranger fans that I know detest the Knights. Although perhaps not as much as in the days of Khadri ...

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I don’t know - any Ranger fans that I know detest the Knights. Although perhaps not as much as in the days of Khadri ...

I think it has to go both ways though. London fans give more thought to hating Windsor than they do Kitchener and Windsor fans hate London. The London Kitchener thing might get played up during a playoff series but outside of that, I don't think it matters much. I also asked the Knights play by play guy and he said in his opinion, Windsor is the bigger of the 2 as well.

[savevp]

I do follow all three CHL leagues fairly closely and would have to say Rouyn-Val D'Or is the fiercest rivalry. I'd go so far as to call it a 'derby' in that it is an absolute circle-the-date fixture of the season. Second might be Drummondville-Victoriaville.

The OHL has become somewhat corporate and sanitised as it has grown into a miniature NHL. Soo-Sudbury is still quite fierce, which hopefully persists through Sudbury's new arena.

Northern, smaller cities with older arenas definitely have the better atmospheres. That said, Junior 'A' is still pretty incredible in terms of a bygone, working class, air crackling with anticipaton feel. You still get people standing all night, screaming profanities, chanting... the kind of atmosphere that went out with the wave of new arenas in the OHL and hasn't existed in the NHL since maybe the 80s.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by savevp

The OHL has become somewhat corporate and sanitised as it has grown into a miniature NHL. Soo-Sudbury is still quite fierce, which hopefully persists through Sudbury's new arena.

Pretty much the same in the WHL. Even when I was a kid, Saskatoon/Prince Albert games were tense. Somewhere along the way, the WHL started promoting Saskatoon/Regina as the top rivalry and it felt really fake and corporate. The passion just wasn't there, likely because PA was close enough that fans could come to weekday games regularly (1.5 hours away).

[Blitz]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I think it has to go both ways though. London fans give more thought to hating Windsor than they do Kitchener and Windsor fans hate London. The London Kitchener thing might get played up during a playoff series but outside of that, I don't think it matters much. I also asked the Knights play by play guy and he said in his opinion, Windsor is the bigger of the 2 as well.

This is true...and it's why Windsor and London play each other 6 times a season even though they're in different divisions (and thus should only play each other 4 times).

[J.OT13]

I'll put this here. Ottawa's new baseball team. Owned by Sam Katz (Winnipeg Goldeys) and OSEG (RedBlacks and 67's). 4th team in 10 years.

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Ottawa's new pro baseball team gets a name

Tim Baines • Postmedia
Publishing date: Dec 03, 2020 • Last Updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read



Ottawa’s new professional baseball team will be called the Ottawa Titans Baseball Club.

The Titans held a Name the Team Contest, receiving more than 1,200 entries and 700 different name variations. Multiple entries suggested Titans; one of them will be awarded a grand prize through a draw, the others will also be rewarded with a prize.

So why Titans?

“There were a lot of animal names that came up,” said Titans co-owner Sam Katz. “One of the key things for us was the word would be the same in English and French, that was important to us. When you look at the definition of Titans, there’s (Greek) mythology (a race of gods). There’s strength and wisdom in Titans. Plus, we had people working on the logos and when they showed us this one, it stood out. The feedback we’ve gotten is very positive, people are saying they love it.”

The team will align with a traditional look in the Ottawa sports market, with a colour scheme of red, white and black – similar to those of the CFL’s Redblacks, OHL’s 67’s, and NHL’s Senators.

“It was important (to keep the colours),” said Katz. “It seems to be the tradition there and why would you (go away from) tradition?”

The Titans logo features a muscular red slugger, standing above the Parliament buildings, with a Canadian maple leaf tattooed on its bicep. The logo and name exemplify the history, strength, and pride in the Nation’s Capital, with a twist of fun. A secondary logo will see the initials O and T used on both the teams’ uniforms and caps.



The Ottawa Titans are scheduled to hit the field in Spring of 2021 playing in the Frontier League, a partner league of Major League Baseball. It’s expected the team will announce player signings in the next week or two.

Recent team names for Ottawa baseball teams have included Champions, Fat Cats, Rapidz and most prominently – the Lynx. Pro baseball in Ottawa dates back to 1951 when the New York Giants located their Triple-A affiliate at Lansdowne Park.

Merchandise, ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities for the Titans will be available early in 2021.

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/bas...am-gets-a-name

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by logan5

BC Place slowly being consumed by the on going dense development in the downtown core. To have such a huge stadium so tightly integrated into the urban fabric is an impressive feat. Is there another city that has pulled this off? Even mighty Toronto with all its dense development, and Roger Centre is still fairly isolated from the rest of downtown.

Originally Posted by The Macallan

“BC Place slowly being consumed by the on going dense development in the downtown core. To have such a huge stadium so tightly integrated into the urban fabric is an impressive feat. Is there another city that has pulled this off? Even mighty Toronto with all its dense development, and Roger Centre is still fairly isolated from the rest of downtown.”

I’ve lived in both Vancouver and Toronto and attended events in the stadiums and arenas of both cities. I loved Vancouver. As it happens, just last night my wife and I were enjoying a small and much too expensive fillet of salmon. It provoked an exercise in nostalgia, with fond memories of driving down to Steveston to buy a whole salmon or a bag of of spot prawns directly from a fishing boat. Vancouver is a wonderful city and I am not motivated by any sense of Toronto hauteur or fancied superiority compared to Vancouver.

But, in fact, Rogers Centre is not “fairly isolated from the rest of downtown” in Toronto. Union Station might be considered the centre of downtown and it is an easy stroll along the Sky Walk from Union Station to the Stadium. It is a still closer walk to the Scotiabank Arena, formerly the Air Canada Centre, which is virtually out the back door of Union Station. One of the pleasures of attending a ball game at Rogers Centre is sitting in the 5th deck on a day when the roof is open and leaning back to look at the skyscrapers and the CN Tower looming over the field.

Apparently the days of the old SkyDome, as it remains for me, are numbered. I can only hope that it’s replacement will be as accessible a part of the city as the present structure.

Some memories:I had tickets to (I think) the second game the Jays ever played in the Dome. The Jays won in extra innings as I recall. I also recall attending 2010 Olympics events at GM Place and Lions games at BC Place. The Toronto venues are no less integrated into the city than the Vancouver ones.

Honestly, because of the Georgia Viaduct, I find BC Place and Rogers (Arena? Centre? Place? Stadium? Where the Canucks play) less integrated than other cities. Awesome location, but somewhat isolated in their own bubble. I would probably place Rogers Skydome in a similar category because it's between train tracks and a parking lot.

AC (or I guess Scotiabank) is one of the best urban integration, but it took years to achieve. Same with Bell Centre in Montreal.

MTS in Winnipeg and the Edmonton Rogers (whatever) were built with urban integration in mind. The redevelopment of Lansdowne has also created a great urban district around the stadium/arena well meshed within the existing streetcar suburb.

In Montreal, we can barely see Molson Stadium because it's behind University buildings. Urban integration of the early 20th Century.

Some terrible integrations, and that to me means a sea of parking, CT in Ottawa, McMahon and Saddledome in Calgary (though that will change with the new arena) and Centre Videotron in Quebec City.

[The Macallan]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Honestly, because of the Georgia Viaduct, I find BC Place and Rogers (Arena? Centre? Place? Stadium? Where the Canucks play) less integrated than other cities. Awesome location, but somewhat isolated in their own bubble. I would probably place Rogers Skydome in a similar category because it's between train tracks and a parking lot.

AC (or I guess Scotiabank) is one of the best urban integration, but it took years to achieve. Same with Bell Centre in Montreal.

MTS in Winnipeg and the Edmonton Rogers (whatever) were built with urban integration in mind. The redevelopment of Lansdowne has also created a great urban district around the stadium/arena well meshed within the existing streetcar suburb.

In Montreal, we can barely see Molson Stadium because it's behind University buildings. Urban integration of the early 20th Century.

Some terrible integrations, and that to me means a sea of parking, CT in Ottawa, McMahon and Saddledome in Calgary (though that will change with the new arena) and Centre Videotron in Quebec City.

Molson Stadium may not be in the middle of downtown but I think it may be the best place to watch a football game in Canada. The old Varsity Stadium on Bloor Street in Toronto was a classic urban stadium. The new version is doubtless a better use of space and less costly to maintain but it has no character whatever.

Thunderbird Stadium at UBC is in a gorgeous location. One that I have driven by but never stopped at is the stadium of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. It is the centre of a very attractive college town.

Another memory is of the old Maple Leaf Baseball Stadium near the CNE, the home of the international League Maple Leafs. In, I think, 1958 my Dad took me to an exhibition game between the International League All Stars and the World Series champs, the Milwaukee Braves. (They later moved to Atlanta.). The more motivated minor leaguers won the game 7-1 but the lone Braves score was provided by a homer by none other than Hank Aaron. That stadium was a classic old style urban ball park.

[savevp]

Speaking of urban integration, I've just heard that Sudbury's plan to build a new suburban arena might be faltering... And there is now a plan to renovate their historic current home in the very heart of the city. A rare second chance for the city to reverse an ill-advised decision and preserve a downtown arena.

https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/p...-arena-2527397

[JHikka]

Hamilton managed to escape an Ottawa-sized suburban mistake so perhaps Sudbury can, too.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by savevp

Speaking of urban integration, I've just heard that Sudbury's plan to build a new suburban arena might be faltering... And there is now a plan to renovate their historic current home in the very heart of the city. A rare second chance for the city to reverse an ill-advised decision and preserve a downtown arena.

https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/p...-arena-2527397

I hope so.

Next to the municipal dump is such a bad idea.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by The Macallan

Molson Stadium may not be in the middle of downtown but I think it may be the best place to watch a football game in Canada. The old Varsity Stadium on Bloor Street in Toronto was a classic urban stadium. The new version is doubtless a better use of space and less costly to maintain but it has no character whatever.

Thunderbird Stadium at UBC is in a gorgeous location. One that I have driven by but never stopped at is the stadium of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. It is the centre of a very attractive college town.

Another memory is of the old Maple Leaf Baseball Stadium near the CNE, the home of the international League Maple Leafs. In, I think, 1958 my Dad took me to an exhibition game between the International League All Stars and the World Series champs, the Milwaukee Braves. (They later moved to Atlanta.). The more motivated minor leaguers won the game 7-1 but the lone Braves score was provided by a homer by none other than Hank Aaron. That stadium was a classic old style urban ball park.

That's a great story. Thanks for sharing.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Honestly, because of the Georgia Viaduct, I find BC Place and Rogers (Arena? Centre? Place? Stadium? Where the Canucks play) less integrated than other cities. Awesome location, but somewhat isolated in their own bubble. I would probably place Rogers Skydome in a similar category because it's between train tracks and a parking lot.

I don't know. I guess everybody's interpretation of things varies, but it looks to me like BC Place has a lot less empty space around it compared to Rogers Centre.

https://earth.google.com/web/search/...FAIaP71M_Vb2FA

https://earth.google.com/web/search/...ZE1fT3ZjLXcQAg

[someone123]

On the Beatty side BC Place has a small plaza and some buildings right next to it. I am not sure how it could be more integrated there, and more towers are shoehorned in around it every few years. Expo Blvd runs underground so while it does have the service entrances and underground parking and whatnot it's not really the main path to the stadium. Stadium SkyTrain is maybe a 5 minute walk.

If there's a valid complaint about that area it's the nothingness between the terminal/stadium and Quebec Street. But some of the aspect of above-ground and underground streets around that area will stay regardless of the viaduct because Beatty is higher in elevation than the other side. I think it is smart to have 2 levels there and hide the service stuff underneath.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by logan5

I don't know. I guess everybody's interpretation of things varies, but it looks to me like BC Place has a lot less empty space around it compared to Rogers Centre.

Go back to Google Earth and back the clock up to 2002. The ACC and Skydome are separated by grass. To the west of Skydome is a golf course. Look at the same time frame with Vancouver. The arena and stadium are much closer but they are surrounded by a sea of parking lots. Both areas have developed greatly in the intervening years, although I would say Toronto has more, probably because there is simply more land around those areas. While there may be some open space around Skydome now, that's not due to lack of urban integration, much of it is parkland.


If anyone is into podcasts, the Bob McCown podcast last week had Paul Beeston, former President of the Jays, talking about this.

[davidivivid]

Stade Canac baseball Stadium