These days, it seems an NHL arena doesn’t last more than a
few decades before it needs to be demolished and rebuilt bigger and better.
Other than a few of the post 1967 expansion teams, all the NHL teams are in new
digs. A number of teams have been through several homes during their existence.
Test and expand your knowledge of NHL teams and their
original homes with the following four hockey trivia questions.
Q. What was the original home of the San Jose Sharks?
A. The Sharks began in the Cow Palace (aka the California
State Livestock Pavilion). The Cow Palace began operation in April of 1941 and
housed 11,089 for NHL games. The Sharks played their home games at the Palace
for their first few seasons until their present home, the HP Pavilion, was
ready for use.
Before the Sharks moved in, the Cow Palace had previously
been the hockey home of the San Francisco Seals of the WHL from 1961-62 to
1966-67. The San Francisco Spiders of the IHL called the Cow Palace home for
the 1995-96 season. The venue is still active, acting as home rink to the San
Francisco Bulls of the ECHL since the 2012-13 season.
Q. What arena was the original home of the Calgary Flames (in Calgary,
not Atlanta...)?
A. The Flames moved from Atlanta in 1980 and played their
first three seasons in the Calgary Stampede Corral. The Corral was built in
1950 and held just 6,475 plus standing room for hockey. The Flames currently
play at the Saddledome.
Still in existence, the longest standing tenant of the
Corral was the Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders played semi-pro hockey in the
PCHL and WHL. The Calgary Centennials of the junior WCHL played at the Corral
from 1966-67 to 1976-77 before moving to the U.S. to become the Billings
Bighorns. That franchise is the present day Tri-City Americans. The World
Hockey Association also called the Corral home with the Calgary Cowboys calling
it home for two seasons, 1975-76 and 1976-77.
Q. What arena did the modern day Ottawa Senators (1992) first play out
of?
A. The Senators played most of their first four seasons at
the Ottawa Civic Centre, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s. The
arena houses 9,862 for hockey. Like the Calgary Corral, the Civic Centre also
housed WHA hockey briefly. The Ottawa Nationals called the arena home for the
inaugural 1972-73 WHA season. In 1975-76, the Denver Spurs moved to Ottawa
midseason to become the Civics. However, the franchise lasted just two home
games before folding.
Q. In their first season in the NHL, 1926-27, the Detroit Red Wings
were dubbed the Detroit Cougars. Where did the Cougars play their home games
that season?
A. The Cougars played out of the Border Cities Arena in
Windsor, Ontario while the Olympia was being built across the river. The Border
Cities Arena would later be named the Windsor Arena and housed the OHL’s
Windsor Spitfires until 2008. For the Cougars, the Arena was upgraded to seat
9,000. When the Spitfires left the building, the capacity was 4,400 with
standing room.
The Spitfires have moved into the WFCU Centre but the old
barn remains. The new tenants are the University of Windsor Lancers, a team in
the OUA.
