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Windsor Spitfires Arena Name: Windsor Arena |
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| Windsor Arena |
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| What's the Arena Like? |
| Old Time Hockey. The phrase itself means different things to different people. It's a t-shirt slogan and a rallying cry. To the neanderthals, it conjures visions of the mythic days when men were men and put foil on their knuckles before trying to kill each other on the ice. To others, it's a helmetless, black-and-white Orr or Howe skating smoothly down the ice before burying one past the goalie. To me, the phrase is best applied to a place where you really feel the crushing weight of history bearing down on you, and nowhere in the OHL is this more apparent than Windsor Arena. The Windsor Arena is the oldest arena in the CHL and among the oldest with a major tenant still in use in Ontario, having been built in 1924. The only older arena in the province is the Galt Arena Gardens in Cambridge, which was built in 1922. Nothing can exist for 80+ years without acquiring a bit of character, and the Windsor Arena is no exception. Its nickname is "the Barn" and when you first see the rink you realise how very appropriate that name is - the place looks just like an old barn down on the farm. The building has painted yellow walls and a huge brown roof, and stands out in the middle of an open area. The rink is located beside a city park but the main entrance is close to a city street, and entering the Arena almost feels like walking into a store. The main entrance is tiny, the Spitfires' ticket booth is almost an afterthought, and you enter into the concourse almost immediately. The concourse is the smallest you've ever seen. You're right under the seats but close to the ice, and consequently the ceiling is only a foot taller than a normal adult male. All of the dressing rooms, concessions, washrooms, and other things of the sort are located on the outside of the concourse. (As are the dressing rooms - the Spitfires and the visitors both have to walk across the concourse six times over the course of a game, often to a dressing-down from fans.) Once you find your section, you step out through a tunnel so narrow it could be called a "doorway" and you're in the seating area. The dark grey paint and dingy lighting give the feeling of being in some sort of cave, and only serves to intensify the magnificent whiteness of the ice upon first glimpse. It is one of the OHL's truly remarkable sights. The building has a high, vaulted ceiling and steeply raked seats, and at the back of every section they dispense with seats altogether and have only wooden benches. Many of the red seats are originals from 1924, but they're surprisingly comfortable. Windsor is one of the few teams in the league that still has obstructed-view seats - there are support columns at the back of every section. If you're in one of the last few rows you could wind up looking through a pillar all game long. The tickets do say "Obstructed" on them, but they're still (unjustifiably) full-price. Windsor's seats are also about as cramped as you can get while still being reasonably comfortable. However, some seats in Windsor are quite simply the best in hockey. The seats start at the top of the glass, like in Val-d'Or, and go up on an incredibly steep angle from there. From a fifth or sixth row seat, you're well above the top of the glass and close enough to hear every word being said on the ice. Windsor also has what must be considered the best old-school seats in hockey in sections 7 and 8 behind the visitor's net. The Arena used to have a smaller ice surface, and so when they expanded it to its present 195' length many years ago, they took out several rows of seats from those sections. As a result, there are only three rows of seats in sections 7/8, and they start right at the very top of the glass and hang over the ice. It's an angle for watching hockey that's not possible to get anywhere else, essentially sitting on top of the glass, and it's amazing. The scoreclock is old and inadequate - it doesn't even have room to put up a player's number beside the penalty time. The announcer is fine, blending into the atmosphere without being annoying. Washrooms are poor - dark, dingy and sparse. The press box is at the back of one section and is almost an afterthought - you could easily walk right in if there wasn't any security. The "team store" is in actuality a kiosk dug out of the side of the building and has a limited selection of gear. Concessions are standard-issue arena fare. The ice surface is small and the Spits always have a team tailored to the small surface and claustrophobic atmosphere. HD video boards have been installed in two corners of the rink, but for some reason, they don't show the play while it's on. Windsor Arena has changed a lot in the past few years with a major renovation taking place a few years ago. The sound system - once one of the league's worst - has been upgraded and can now stand next to any in the league. There are also a lot fewer wooden benches (although there are still a few) as the Spitfires bought the old plastic seats from the London Ice House when that arena closed. My most recent visit also saw a much cleaner and more up-to-date arena than in years past. There have also been renovations which directly improve the game - the players' benches, for example, used to be located in the attacking zones which made clearing the puck along the glass impossible, plus it made changing lines in the second period incredibly difficult. The renovation moved the benches where they belong, and also enclosed them to protect the players from fans. It used to be that fans could hurl abuse and objects at visitors; now, the glass prevents that. Windsor also has more than its share of crazies who do a great deal to add to the general atmosphere. Windsor Arena rocks like new buildings never will, and the crowd noise inside is jaw-dropping. Spitfire fans are easily the second-loudest I've yet encountered on my travels after those in Erie. London fans in the old Gardens/Ice House were very close, as are Ranger fans, but I'd still give the title to the blue-collar autoworkers who pack 'em in every Thursday night in Windsor. The weak-willed visitor will probably find Windsor crowds intimidating. In the playoffs, most visitors will find them intimidating. A few illustrations of Windsor crowds seem to be in order. My first game at the Barn was on Halloween 2002 as I drove down with a buddy to see the Knights-Spitfires game. As we were walking across a park from where we parked our car, we noticed the guy in front of us wearing a Rick Nash Knights sweater. "Good," we thought, "more Knights fans." Wrong. The guy was actually dressed up for Halloween as a "typical retarded Knights fan" and spent the game applauding at the wrong time and shouting abuse! Another example is the longstanding feud between Knights trainer Don "Branks" Brankley and the Windsor fans. Whenever a Knight goes down and Branks steps on to the ice, the Spits fans all chant "Waterboy" at him. Branks, for his part, is famous for walking excruciatingly slowly to get back to the bench, and has been known to flip Spits fans the bird when the referee's not watching. Back in the 80's when Windsor city council first began discussing a new arena, Branks got a shirt made reading "Save Windsor Arena" and wore it all year to Windsor games. He also once wore a shirt reading "I Hate Windsor". It's a great old-time building and the rivalries are amazing. That said, facilities are either nonexistent or run-down and the building does need replacing. It'll be a tremendous shame when the arena closes in December 2008, and I'll miss it, but the Barn isn't up to snuff these days. It is recommended that every OHL fan go see the Spits in the Madhouse on McDougall Avenue before it is too late. Interestingly, the Windsor Arena was the original home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, who played one season there while the Olympia was being built across the river. Back then it was called the Border Cities Arena. As of this writing, there's a calendar year left before the old rink closes. If you haven't been, go. My girlfriend, a great baseball fan but a relatively recent hockey fan, told me after her first visit to the Barn that it reminded her of Wrigley Field - not in the pastoral sense of course, but in the sense that it is, as they say, Old Time Hockey. There aren't any suits inside the cramped hallways, and the hot, sweaty and loud arena does its best to put off the fickle. But for real hockey fans, there aren't many better places left to watch a game; a place where you can sit hovering over the ice with a Coke and hot dog in hand and watch a game uninterrupted by sideshows, promotions or distractions. The non-corporate atmosphere will almost certainly disappear when the new WFCU Centre opens, so for one last year, make the trip to Windsor and see pure Old Time Hockey before it's too late. |
| Future Developments |
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After well over twenty years of posturing and bleating, a deal finally been signed for a new arena in the Windsor area. The Spitfires have worked out a deal with a group that wants to build on the east side of Windsor in a largely undeveloped area on the city's fringe. Their building can be seen here. The project website is located at EastSideArena.ca. Shovels are in the ground and the new Spits arena is expected to be finished within the next couple of years - the projected opening date is December 2008. The announced name of the new rink is going to be the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre. |
| What Is It Like For Away Fans? |
| A question that is posed to me somewhat often in running this website is, "Will I have trouble if I cheer for my team in Windsor?" The only answer I can give you is "Probably not, but I can't promise anything." Windsor's reputation in the past, right up until a couple of years ago, was of a crazy house filled with intimidating people - one guy I've talked to was egged in Windsor on more than one occasion back in the 1980's. That reputation is still true to a large extent, but things are a lot calmer now than they were even three years ago. It used to be that the heckling at Spits games could be unnerving for the weaker-willed and there were a few "superfans" who like to make things miserable for visiting fans. Once, in the 2002-03 playoffs I heard racial abuse, had things thrown at me, was heckled and intimidated, and given the finger about thirty times, all in one evening. To a large extent, this has faded into the past. Back during Steve Riolo's ownership, the legendary cheapskate saw no reason to spend money hiring security guards or ushers, and so the fans could get away with pretty much anything. The few security guards that existed tended to be Spits fans first and security second, and so a visiting fan could be ejected without provocation while the Spits' fans could get away with pretty much anything. Now, though, new ownership has hired real police officers for crowd control and there's an usher in every section, and as such, the worst has been calmed. The fans are still loud and act tough in Windsor, but you no longer have any reasons to fear for your safety. If you can ignore the remaining idiots, though, the rest of the Windsor crowd is passionate, knowledgable, and well worth talking to. While some of Windsor's support is still among the worst in the OHL for intimidation, the majority are simply old-time blue-collar hockey fans like they don't make anymore. Being a Windsor fan in Windsor would be incredible. Being a visitor can be unnerving, but if you go and don't make a spectacle of yourself or look for trouble, it probably won't find you. And strangely enough, I'm actually glad that I saw old-school Windsor lunacy a couple of times before it changed. Intimidation Factor: HIGH |
| Inside the Windsor Arena |
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How To Get There |
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Canada From 401 West: Exit Dougall Rd, drive up Dougall. Dougall will turn into Ouellette, continue along Ouelette until Wyandotte. Turn right on Wyandotte, drive three blocks. Arena is on the left. USA From Tunnel, go right on Park to Goyeau. Turn right on Goyeau, take it until Wyandotte. Turn left on Wyandotte and travel two blocks. The arena will be on the left hand side. From Bridge, go "to Downtown" (Rightmost lane from Booths, turn right onto Huron Church). Turn right on Wyandotte and travel approx. 14 blocks. The arena will be on the left hand side. Your best bet for parking is at the nearby Casino, a few blocks north of the arena on MacDougall. Technically the casino's lot is free for gamblers only, but unless the garage is near full they probably won't raise much of a fight. Other parking options are limited to city streets and private lots nearby. |
| Admission Prices |
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Adult $17.00 Senior/Student $15.00 Child $11.00 |
| Franchise History |
| The Windsor Spitfires originally existed in the OHA back in its formative days but folded in 1953. Today's reborn Windsor Spitfires were added to the OHL as an expansion team in 1975-76. |
| Retired Numbers |
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The Spitfires, bizarrely, choose to "honour" some of their players and "retire" others. The retired numbers are: 9 Adam Graves 15 Ernie Godden 18 Mickey Renaud 23 Scott Miller While the honoured numbers are: 4 Marcel Pronovost 6 Joel Quenneville 11 Gordon Haidy |
| Another Look Inside the Windsor Arena |
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| Local Rivals |
| The London-Windsor rivalry has been epic in the past with fighting being a mainstay of the clashes. Windsor's other chief rivals are Plymouth and Sarnia. |
| About the City |
| By Windsorite Sports Nut: Windsor is a blue-collar city of 210,000 situated in the far southwestern corner of Ontario. Founded in 1797 by French and British settlers, Windsor has become a major cog in the North American automobile industry. Over the years, it has expanded from the original small village of Sandwich, on the city's current far west side, to about 15km wide along the Detroit River. Despite this growth, and the many suburban developments in the late 20th century, the city hasn't made a name for itself on the national map until just recently. When people thought of Windsor, they had to be told "it's across the river from Detroit, Michigan". Windsor is a solid city industrial-wise, as it's home to the "Big Three" automakers - DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors. Realistically, Windsor isn't a bad city. It has endured some problems that are the result of its placement on the map, but development in the city is booming - new houses are going up every day. The city has expanded its boundaries and has grown from 180,000 people only a decade or so ago to near 210,000 at present. Windsor is also a very multicultural city, and it shows during the annual Carousel of Nations festival. Groups from as many as 20 different cultures set up displays all over the city, and people can experience their music, food, and other cultural aspects. This popular festival is well attended throughout the city and spreads over 2 weekends, usually in mid-June. Tourists seem to flock to Windsor for the Casino downtown, but most enjoy other quiet aspects of the city such as the famous Jackson Park, which is located in the heart of the city. This massive park is 6 city blocks wide and 2 deep, and features beautiful gardens, trees, and children's rides. It is also home to an Avro Lancaster bomber which was built in 1945 but unused during WWII, and today is a monument. The park is one of the best relaxation areas in the city. Windsor is also home to two post-secondary institutions - the University of Windsor and St Clair College. The University of Windsor prides itself on being a small University with a lot to offer. U of W features a beautiful campus and while the school isn't at the same level as the University of Toronto or University of Western Ontario, it is still a well-respected institution. St Clair College is a well-rounded industrial school which prepares adults for the working world. Located in the southern part of the city, St Clair offers a wide range of courses, suiting many different tastes, but is small enough to be able to provide a good learning experience. Currently, Windsor is a city that's got its fair share of concerns, but generally is looking up. Two of those concerns are the downtown bar scene and the large border-crossing problem. Windsor's proximity to Detroit coupled with a younger drinking age in Canada means that a lot of young American adults flock to the downtown Windsor area on summer nights. This creates fun and excitement for bar-hoppers, but a minor headache for authorities and local residents. Chaos is generally kept to a minimum and Windsor's downtown is looking up from the tourist trade. The other major problem issue in the city is the border problem. Trucks use the Ambassador Bridge to haul goods from Ontario to the USA and vice versa. To get to the bridge from the 401, trucks must go through the city as there is no freeway connection to the border, and that has created a lot of difficulty with truck gridlock a common sight on city streets near the bridge and tunnel. Nothing has been solved at this point, and the federal government has stepped in, thus becoming a national problem. Windsor has a fresh, new city council and mayor who are determined to make this city the best it can be. Development is high and spirits are generally optimistic. Windsor is finally starting to make a name for itself, instead of "Detroit South", and the city is creating its own identity. Famous Windsorites include music artist Shania Twain, former WCW wrestler Abdullah the Butcher, former NHL enforcer Bob Probert, and actor Oliver Platt. For more information visit Windsor Tourism's website. |
Feedback |
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at  and I'll update the guide. |
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Copyright © Kevin Jordan
2002-08. |