Victoria Memorial Arena was 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 ...

arena, located in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, Canada. It was built in 1949 and demolished in 2003 due to poor acoustics and climbing maintenance costs. Its nickname, the "Barn on Blanshard", was due to its design (rectangular with a curved roof, resembling a barn or aircraft hangar). The

Victoria Shamrocks The Victoria Shamrocks are a Senior A box lacrosse team, based in Victoria, British Columbia. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association (WLA). The Shamrocks entered the former Inter-City Lacrosse League, which is now the WLA, ...

of the Western Lacrosse Association began play in 1950, one year after the arena's opening. The

Victoria Maple Leafs The Victoria Maple Leafs were a minor pro ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) that played three seasons in Victoria, British Columbia, beginning in 1964. They were the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The previous season the te ...

of 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 ...

played in the arena in the 1960s. The arena hosted the

Victoria Cougars The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...

of the

between 1971 and 1994, when the team moved to Prince George. Afterward, the arena hosted the

Victoria Salsa The Victoria Grizzlies are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at The Q Centre. The franchise was foun ...

of the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Ca ...

from 1994 to 2004. The replacement, Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, now occupies the site. In 2004, the

Jim Pattison Group The Jim Pattison Group is a Canadian conglomerate based in Vancouver. In a recent survey by the Financial Post, the firm was ranked as Canada's 62nd largest company. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur, is the chairman, CEO, and sole ...

agreed to pay $125,000 per year for 10 years to the City of Victoria for the Save-On-Foods name rights on Victoria's new arena,
March 2012. amidst unpopular public opinion.
October 24, 2005.

References

1994 Commonwealth Games venues Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Sports venues in Victoria, British Columbia Western Hockey League arenas Defunct indoor arenas in Canada Victoria Maple Leafs Sports venues demolished in 2003 {{Canada-icehockey-venue-stub