Kelowna Memorial Arena

The Kelowna Memorial Arena is 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 hock ...

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It was built in 1945 and has a capacity of 2,600. It is notable for its small ice surface of 180' X 80'. It once hosted the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

Kelowna Wings The Kelowna Wings were a junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia that played in the Western Hockey League from 1982–85. The Wings were abysmal in their three-year tenure, winning just 56 out of 216 games played. The franchise re ...

and the

Kelowna Rockets The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place. The Roc ...

before they moved into the new

Prospera Place Prospera Place, formerly known as Skyreach Place, is a 6,886-seat multi-purpose arena, in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It replaced Kelowna Memorial Arena, which is still in use for minor hockey Opened in 1999, it is home to the Kelowna Roc ...

. The arena also hosted the Kelowna Spartans of the BCJHL, who won the Centennial Cup in 1993. The old arena still stands and is used for Kelowna Minor Hockey, and the Okanagan College Hockey League. Built with the memorial fund given to the city due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, there is a war museum connected to the arena. The "Memorial Arena" is the centre of Downtown Kelowna, right beside

Okanagan Lake Okanagan Lake ( oka, kɬúsx̌nítkw) is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as i ...

. Indoor arenas in British Columbia Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Sports venues in Kelowna Western Hockey League arenas 1945 establishments in British Columbia Sports venues completed in 1945 {{Canada-icehockey-venue-stub