Windsor Arena (nicknamed The Barn) is an

indoor 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

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

. Its capacity is approximately 4,400 with standing room. The arena's ice is by or . The arena was the home of the

Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975� ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

from 1975 to 2008, at which time the team's home was moved to the

WFCU Centre WFCU Centre is a multi-sport complex, including arena and entertainment centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The facility includes 3 public rinks, the “Main Bowl”, a swimming pool and a gym. WFCU Centre replaced the 84-year-old Windsor Arena ...

History

Originally named the Border Cities Arena, it hosted the Detroit Cougars (later renamed the Detroit Red Wings) for the 1926-1927

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 ...

season, while the

Olympia Stadium Detroit Olympia, also known as Olympia Stadium, was a multi-purpose arena in Detroit. Nicknamed "The Old Red Barn", it was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from its opening in 1927 to 1979. Hist ...

was under construction. The Border Cities Arena, built in 1925 for the local junior hockey team, was expanded from 6,000 to 9,000 for the Cougars. The arena was later renamed the Windsor Arena. Having been constructed in 1924, the arena is among the oldest of its type in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. In 2006, the WFCU Centre, located in the city's east side off Lauzon Road, was approved by the Windsor city council. The decision to replace the arena is attributed to complaints about Windsor Arena's seating and tiny concourses. The Spitfires' final game at the Windsor Arena was played on December 4, 2008. Windsor beat the

Guelph Storm The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre. History The franchise started as the Toronto Marl ...

2-1, giving the Spitfires a perfect 12-0 record at The Barn for the 2008-09 season. From 2009 until 2013, the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

Lancers A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

hockey teams took over as the major tenants of the arena. Also, the Windsor Minor Hockey Association used this arena for games until 2013. In February 2014, the arena was used as a site for salt storage. I In April 2014, Catholic Central High School proposed a plan to construct a new school on the site, with the full demolition of Windsor Arena being part of the plan without any emphasis. The City of Windsor approved the plan to build the new Catholic Central High School on the site, but the plans never came to fruition and the school was constructed elsewhere. Windsor Arena panoramic 2012

References

External links

*"Famous Canadian Arenas" exhibit at the National Library of Canada's ''Virtual Museum of Canada'' exhibit
"Windsor Arena"

Board recommends building $25-million downtown Catholic Central high school

Catholic school board to continue to push for new Catholic Central at arena site
{{Former NHL arenas 1924 establishments in Ontario Boxing venues in Ontario Defunct indoor arenas in Canada Defunct National Hockey League venues Detroit Red Wings Ice hockey venues in Ontario Ontario Hockey League arenas Sports venues completed in 1924 Sports venues in Windsor, Ontario