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North Bay Memorial Gardens

Coordinates: 46°18′51.07″N 79°26′56.30″W / 46.3141861°N 79.4489722°W / 46.3141861; -79.4489722
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North Bay Memorial Gardens
North Bay Memorial Gardens is located in Ontario
North Bay Memorial Gardens
North Bay Memorial Gardens
Location within Ontario
North Bay Memorial Gardens is located in Canada
North Bay Memorial Gardens
North Bay Memorial Gardens
Location within Canada
Location100 Chippewa Street West
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates46°18′51.07″N 79°26′56.30″W / 46.3141861°N 79.4489722°W / 46.3141861; -79.4489722
OwnerCity of North Bay
OperatorCity of North Bay
CapacityIce Hockey: 4,262
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke ground1954
OpenedNovember 14, 1955[1]
Renovated2013
Construction cost$714,000[1]
($37.9 million in 2023 dollars[2])
Tenants
North Bay Centennials (OHL) (1982-2002)
North Bay Trappers (NOJHL) (2002-2014)
Nipissing Lakers (OUA) (2009-present)
North Bay Battalion (OHL) (2013-present)

The North Bay Memorial Gardens is an arena located in North Bay, Ontario. It was built in 1955 and has a capacity of 4,246. The Gardens hosted the North Bay Centennials ice hockey team from 1982 to 2002, before they moved to Saginaw, Michigan. The arena's primary tenants today are the North Bay Battalion of the OHL and the Nipissing Lakers men's and women's ice hockey team of the OUA.

In 2007 Memorial Gardens played host to the Atlanta Thrashers and New York Islanders for a pre-season game after the city of North Bay was crowned as Hockeyville. The City and the Committee that brought Hockeyville to North Bay used the prize money to put up a new electronic rink sign.

The arena underwent a $12 million renovation for the new OHL franchise, the North Bay Battalion's arrival for the 2013–2014 season, also signing a 15-year lease with the arena. As part of the renovations, the seating capacity was increased, the ice surface was reconfigured to new OHL standards, 10 private boxes were added as well as a new 2-level team dressing room. The renovations were first $600,000 over budget even though promises were made to cut the renovations if it went over the $12 million mark by local government who ended up making special funds out of reserve to pay the cost overruns. Six weeks later a further $4.5 million was announced as spent on the project without the knowledge of local government from city taxpayers accounts, with an audit being called that later revealed little paper work and no communication of costs were done on the city's largest municipal project.

It hosted the 2013 World Ringette Championships as well as the 2018 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Arena's Cost Will Be Under $714,000 Goal". North Bay Nugget. November 14, 1955. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  2. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
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