The Earl Armstrong Arena is an indoor arena in Ottawa,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. It is used as an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

arena in the winter to house the

Ottawa Canadians The Ottawa Jr. Canadians are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They formerly played in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ottawa District Hockey Association. Between 2014-15 and the end of the 2019-202 ...

Jr. team and in the summer uses its slab for

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

where the Gloucester Griffins Jr "B" team call home. It is located in the former city of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, at 2020 Ogilvy Road, adjacent to Gloucester High School. It is named after Reeve Earl Armstrong of Gloucester township. The area was host to the first, inaugural

World Ringette Championships The World Ringette Championships (WRC) is the premier international competition in ringette and is governed by the International Ringette Federation (IRF). Unlike most international competitions, all of the WRC's elite athletes are female rather ...

at the 1990 World Ringette Championships. A Canadian team, Team Alberta, took home the gold medal and the Sam Jacks Trophy whose design was changed in 1996.

History

During the month of May 1971, the Earl Armstrong Arena opens including the Ogilvie Road branch of the Public Library. Immediately following its opening the Ottawa M&W Rangers moved from the then named Leitrim Arena and finished their regular season and playoff run there. The newly completed arena proves lucky as the Rangers draw record crowds and finish their season in 1st place. They continue to not only win the league championship but the National championship as well which was then known as the Centennial Cup (RBC Cup today). In 1975, the Gloucester Fair opens for the first time at the Earl Armstrong Arena. It relocated to Rideau-Carleton Raceway in 1997. On June 18, North Gloucester Branch of Public Library opens at 2036 Ogilvie Road. The former location in the Earl Armstrong Arena closed on May 15, 1984. On January 15, 1988, the Gloucester "Splash" Wave Pool, the first indoor wave pool in Eastern Canada opens. This was formerly Centennial Pool. The pool is located behind the Earl Armstrong Arena. In January 1988, the Gloucester Senior Adults Centre opens at Earl Armstrong Arena.

Facilities

Today the Earl Armstrong Arena host the

Gloucester Rangers The Rockland Nationals are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Rockland, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League. The Rockland Nationals will begin play in 2017-18, after the Gloucester Rangers relocated to Rockland af ...

Jr "A" hockey team as well as the Rangers minor hockey program. Several other teams from the Gloucester Hockey Association play here between September 1 and April 10 of each year. In April the ice surface is removed to make way for the lacrosse season ant the Gloucester Griffins Minor Lacrosse Association as well as the Gloucester Griffins Jr "B" program.

Notable events

The first

took place here, the 1990 World Ringette Championships. The winning team was Canadian. The

Central Canada Hockey League The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey Leagu ...

has held its annual draft there for five straight seasons, from 2011 to 2016. The arena played host to the 1987 Purolator Cup, National Midget Hockey Championships. It was also the home arena for the two most successful Gloucester Rangers minor hockey clubs. In 1989 (1973 births) and 1991 (1975 births) the clubs won the Ottawa District Championships and then went on to capture the All-Ontario Provincial Championships at the Major Bantam AA level (no AAA in Ottawa at that time). That 1989 provincial championship was hosted by the Rangers at the Earl Armstrong Arena. Great North Wrestling came to the venue on August 8, 2008 in with an event featuring former WWE stars Bushwacker Luke, The Honky Tonk Man and Hannibal. Great North Wrestling returned to the Earl Armstrong Arena on August 8, 2009 in an event once again featuring Hannibal. Great North Wrestling will be returning to the arena on May 30, 2015 with a card featuring Brutus ''The Barber'' Beefcake, Hannibal and Canadian Senator Patrick Brazeau as reported in The National Post.

References

{{More citations needed, date=August 2014 Indoor arenas in Ontario Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Sports venues in Ottawa