Barton Street Arena, also known as the Hamilton Forum, was the main sports
arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
located in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, on
Barton Street between Sanford Street and
Wentworth Street. It was built in 1910 at what was at that time the east end of the city by
Andrew Ross (original owner) who was a local Hamilton businessman.
Originally, the arena had a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 4,500 and standing room for roughly 500 people. By 1977 it had a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 2800 people. It was torn down in 1977 when the ice-making equipment broke down and the city decided it would be cheaper to demolish the arena than replace the old machinery. A new and much larger arena,
Copps Coliseum
Hamilton Arena (originally Copps Coliseum, later renamed FirstOntario Centre) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985, it has a capacity of up to 19 ...
, was constructed six years later. Today, the Barton Street Arena site is occupied by residential housing.
There were six entrances—three on Barton, and three on Bristol Street. The north side of the arena (the Barton Street side) housed the coat-check and the ladies' washroom. The five dressing rooms were located on the Bristol Street side, as well as a "smoking room". The press box was also on the south side, above the stands. The building was
steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
heated so patrons could watch the game in comfort. The ice surface itself, at 200-feet by 80-feet, was lit by twenty-eight five-hundred-candle-power lights. After the first
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
game was played in the arena between Hamilton and the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
; Montreal owner
George Kennedy
George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), winning the Academy Award for Best Supp ...
commented: ''"This is a fine arena. It's a lot better than I looked for. The lighting is excellent, the seating fine, and the ice surface the largest in the NHL. I am surely surprised."''
It was home arena to the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
's
Hamilton Tigers, the minor pro
Hamilton Tigers, and the
OHL's
Hamilton Tiger Cubs,
Hamilton Red Wings and
Hamilton Fincups. The arena hosted the first game of the 1962
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...
. The Hamilton Red Wings won that game 5–2 versus the
Edmonton Oil Kings
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, that play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team, founded in 2006, shares an ownership group with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The te ...
.
Licences for private commercial radio stations in Canada were first granted in 1922, when Hamilton's
CKOC went on the air. In 1923,
Ivan Miller began broadcasting games on CKOC from the Barton Street Arena.
References
Sources
The OHL Arena & Travel Guide - Hamilton Forum* Hamilton's Hockey Tigers, Sam Wesley w/ David Wesley (James Lorimer & Company Ltd., 2005)
* 20th Century Hockey Chronicle, Stan Fischler, Shirley Fischler, Morgan Hughes, Joseph Romain, James Duplacey (Publications International Ltd., 1999)
* Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, Vol III.(1925–39), Thomas Bailey Melville (W.L. Griffin Ltd., 1981)
* Hamilton Herald Newspaper articles, (1920–1925)
Defunct ice hockey venues in Canada
Ice hockey venues in Hamilton, Ontario
Ontario Hockey League arenas
Defunct National Hockey League venues
Defunct indoor arenas in Canada
1910 establishments in Ontario
1977 disestablishments in Ontario
Sports venues completed in 1910
Sports venues demolished in 1977
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