The Pat Stapleton Arena is a 2,302 capacity

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 spectato ...

Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron ...

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 ...

that is home to the Sarnia Legionnaires, one of the most successful teams in Canadian junior ice hockey history. Located at the corner of Wellington and Brock Streets, it is the largest arena owned by the city of Sarnia. It was built in 1948 and is currently home to the Legionnaires of the

Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. The league is ...

, as well as minor hockey teams and minor hockey tournaments. The Legionnaires have won six championships and launched the careers of nine NHL players, including Hall of Famer Phil Esposito. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley credits the Legionnaires with keeping the Pat Stapleton Arena alive. In fact, because the team drew such huge crowds in the 2008–09 season, city council decided to put in new seating, higher glass and to repair the roof. There had been talk of tearing the building down, but that disappeared after the '09 Legionnaires drew more than 50,000 fans to their games. While used primarily for

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

, it is also used for skating lessons, public skating sessions, the circus, high school graduation ceremonies, and other special events. Until

McMorran Place McMorran Arena is an entertainment complex in Port Huron, Michigan consisting of a 4,800-seat multi-purpose arena and a theater. It was designed by Alden B. Dow and built in 1960 for $3.5 million (equivalent to $ million today). The exterior o ...

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

was built in 1960, it was the Blue Water region's primary concert venue. The

Sarnia Sting Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron flo ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

played at the arena briefly in the mid-1990s while the

Progressive Auto Sales Arena The Progressive Auto Sales Arena is a 5,500-capacity (4,118-seated) multi-purpose arena in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the campus of Lambton College and opened in September 1998. The Progressive Auto Sales Arena is currently home to ...

(Formally the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre) was under construction. The arena was not large enough to host the

OHL OHL or Ohl may refer to: Initialisms *Latvian Hockey Higher League, known in Latvian as the ''Optibet hokeja līga'' *Oberste Heeresleitung, the Supreme Army Command of Germany in World War I *Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish construction company * ...

team permanently, and the Sting were only allowed to move to Sarnia on the condition that a new arena be built. In January 1957 the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

of the NHL played an exhibition game at the Sarnia Arena against the Legionnaires. The Hawks won, but the Sarnia Jr. 'B' team got six goals. In 2021, the Sarnia Arena was renamed Pat Stapleton Arena after the late Pat Stapleton.

External links

The OHL Arena & Travel Guide - Sarnia Arena

Sarnia Arena
Indoor arenas in Ontario Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Ontario Hockey League arenas Sport in Sarnia Sports venues in Ontario 1948 establishments in Ontario Sports venues completed in 1948 {{canada-icehockey-venue-stub