The Robert Guertin Centre (formerly Robert Guertin Arena and Hull Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the Hull sector of Gatineau,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, with a capacity of 4,000 capacity (3,196 seated). It was built in 1957. The original tenant hockey team was the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens from 1957 to 1961, until the team relocated to become the Montreal Junior Canadiens. The Ottawa-Hull Canadiens hosted the 1958 Memorial Cup between the Hull Arena and the Ottawa Auditorium across the river. The Canadiens defeated the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

four games to two to win the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

. The Hull Arena hosted various teams in the Ottawa-Hull District Junior Hockey League during the 1960s, and briefly hosted the

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play their h ...

in 1967 and 1968, while the

Ottawa Civic Centre TD Place Arena, originally the Ottawa Civic Centre, is an indoor arena located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, seating 9,500. With temporary seating and standing room it can hold 10,585. Opened in December 1967, it is used primarily for sports, inc ...

was under construction. Since 1973, the arena has been home to Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams. The Hull Festivals joined the QMJHL in 1973, and later became known as the Hull Olympiques in 1976, and finally the Gatineau Olympiques in 2003. The Hull arena hosted the

1982 Memorial Cup The 1982 Memorial Cup was held May 8–15, 1982, at the Robert Guertin Arena in Hull, Quebec. It was the 64th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The champions ...

. The Gatineau Olympiques won the 1997 Memorial Cup on home ice, defeating the

Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the ...

. The arena is also the site of an international midget hockey tournament held every January.

Replacement

In 2001, team owners of the Olympiques first discussed the idea of playing at a new rink with a larger capacity. Renovations were made to the arena in 2003 and 2004 that slightly reduced the number of seats due to safety reasons. On May 25, 2011, city council announced that a new 5,000 seat arena would be built on the same site, and the old arena would be demolished. The estimated cost of the new arena was to be $63 million, but the project never went further. On February 22, 2017, city council approved a new 4,000 seat arena and recreation complex with three community rinks. Cost is estimated at $79 million. The new arena, Slush Puppie Centre, located east of downtown, was opened in August 2021.

References

External links

OHL Arena Guide profile of Robert Guertin Centre
{{coord, 45, 26, 3, N, 75, 43, 29, W, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Gatineau Indoor arenas in Quebec Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Ontario Hockey League arenas Quebec Major Junior Hockey League arenas Sport in Gatineau Sports venues in Quebec