40. Sleeman Centre, Guelph
The road arena I've visited more than any other, Guelph's generic CHL clone rink does a lot of things right. The hardest rankings are those in the middle, and there's very little I have to criticize about Guelph, I just happened to like all the arenas ahead of it on the list better. Location in the heart of downtown is great, and the atmosphere is generally pretty good as well.
39. TD Station, Saint John
The Sea Dogs run a tight, professional ship, the Station is in a great downtown location, and again, I have very little to criticize about it other than that it's another CHL clone rink that doesn't have much about it that stands out. The game I went to had a decent enough atmosphere.
38. Avenir Centre, Moncton
The best junior hockey facility on this list, bar none. If this was only a ranking of how class your video board was or how nice the building is, this could easily be first overall. But it's in Moncton, and Wildcats fans have never exactly been known for making a lot of noise in support of their team, or showing up in huge numbers. If this place sold out every night and had an atmosphere like the Colisée in Quebec City, this easily could be number 1 in the CHL.
37. CN Centre, Prince George
Outdated decor and a car-dependent location surrounded by parking lots are my only real criticisms of the CHL's most isolated arena. The Cougars fans were louder than I'd heard they usually were, and the arena otherwise was lovely. I'd wager that a more long-term successful team would make the atmosphere even better, but I was still impressed by my visit to PG.
36. Essar Centre, Sault Ste. Marie
The old Sault Gardens was one of my favourite old barns I ever went to. The new rink is a fairly generic CHL clone. A good atmosphere and the historic stained glass and angel from the Gardens makes me rank this as the best of the three OHL identical triplets. Downtown location is a big plus as well.
35. Keystone Centre, Brandon
A spiritual twin to Owen Sound, only larger and slightly nicer. The Keystone Centre is bigger on the inside than it seems like it would be on the outside, and it's a classic CHL dank pit of a rink in the best possible way. Despite attending a sold-out game against Winnipeg, the atmosphere was only just okay. Location on the fringe of the city also isn't ideal, with one of the coldest walks in from the parking lot in the CHL.
34. DFCU Center, Flint
I wandered around this rink back in the UHL days and marvelled at how run-down it was. The amount of money that's gone into upgrades since then is astonishing, and it's no longer run-down, but they preserved all that lovely mid-century modern charm to it as well as adding some of the most comfortable seats in hockey. Bland whitewash decor is about my only criticism – back in the UHL days everything was Flint Generals blue and gold, and painting the rink in blue and orange now would make it feel even homier.
33. Sasktel Centre, Saskatoon
Better than I expected it would be. Sure, any NHL-sized arena with a curtained-off upper bowl is never going to win any contests for intimacy or atmosphere, but I still came away impressed with Blades fans. The team makes the absolute most of its branding and I loved the creativity with showing the Pac-Man logo eating pellets and PA Raiders logos on the big screen. Location is a big minus, in an industrial park on the fringe of the city.
32. Brantford Civic Centre, Brantford
Like going back in time to my childhood and watching games in an updated, smaller London Gardens. Sure, it's difficult to get around, but the sightlines for hockey are incredible and the atmosphere is terrific. That new arena is coming, so definitely see the Civic Centre while you still can.
31. Sandman Centre, Kamloops
Could be higher on the list if the sound system volume wasn't so damned loud. The prototype clone and still one that does it better than most, Kamloops' rink is small enough to be intimate by clone standards. Great downtown location and I loved the tiny upper level seating; high and close is always a great view of a hockey game.
30. Colisee Desjardins, Victoriaville
The smallest full-time rink in the CHL, and you never forget that while inside. As intimate as a CHL rink gets and a pretty great atmosphere to boot. Navigating around inside is hard, and it's surrounded by parking lots, so it's absolutely not perfect, but I still really enjoyed my visit here. Sort of like Utica in the AHL, in that it's hard to believe such a small, intimate rink holds such a high level of hockey.
29. Toyota Center, Tri-City
A rarity in that it's an American arena built entirely and specifically for hockey. Gameday ops aren't the best I've seen, and lack of a centre scoreboard isn't ideal, but the sightlines are fantastic and the crowd was pretty decent, too. Location in the middle of suburban sprawl could be better, but it's still a solid 80's coliseum.
28. Meridian Centre, Niagara
We're well into “good rinks that I like” territory by now. Niagara did a lot right with their rink, building it downtown. There's loads of history on display and usually a good atmosphere. It's a very above-average clone rink, but still a clone at the end of the day. Someone not as biased towards older rinks as I am would certainly have this one ranked higher.
27. Erie Insurance Arena, Erie
The run-down old Tullio would have been significantly lower. Erie managed to keep the character and atmosphere of their old barn when they expanded and upgraded it, and well done to them. Historically one of the best crowds in the OHL, when they get going, they can still really get going. An 80's coliseum that's been maintained and updated into a genuinely good modern building, while still keeping the soul and atmosphere of an older one.
26. Videotron Centre, Quebec
Junior in an NHL rink is never going to be the best experience, even when the crazies in Quebec manage to sell out their giant rink. Hard to figure out where to rank this one, because comparing an NHL-sized crowd and experience to the rest of the CHL is somehow unfair. I wound up with Quebec at 26, a decent ranking, but reflective of the fact that at the end of the day going to see the Remparts doesn't feel like going to a junior hockey game. I've been to 27 of the 32 NHL rinks as of this writing, and if I were comparing this to an NHL rink I'd have it somewhere in the middle as well.
25. North Bay Memorial Gardens, North Bay
Very difficult to get around in, but it's got character like crazy and terrific sightlines. Atmosphere is usually pretty decent. I've never been a fan of the Battalion branding, but I am glad for that team that they've finally got a community to embrace them for who they are.
24. Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane
One of a trio of medium-sized rinks in the CHL, Spokane was the OG and still does a lot well. I loved how unashamedly and completely 1990's all the decor still was in Spokane, the atmosphere was good, and the location is pretty decent as well. Very little to criticize other than the playing of sound effects during play and the lack of a centre scoreboard, but I'd still call this one of the better arenas I've been to.
23. Tribute Communities Centre, Oshawa
Why, oh why, did they build it with maroon seats when that's their archrival's colour? Oshawa's clone rink is about as good as they come, with a lot of thought put into things like coat hooks for the standing room only sections. Team history on display everywhere, which is wonderful. Downtown location is excellent. My old rink bias is showing in having this ranked at 23. Miles ahead of the old Civic Auditorium, which even in the early 2000's felt like the OHL had long ago outgrown it.
22. Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett
I probably would rank this higher if I'd seen a normal Everett crowd and not a Sunday afternoon game while the Seahawks were home. I've heard the atmosphere in Everett can be out of this world; I only got a crowd that was pretty decent, but still enough to make me really enjoy my experience there. Basically a slightly newer copy of Spokane's rink, which I rank just slightly higher than Spokane because of the centre scoreboard and lack of basketball-style sound effects during play.
21. Centre Slush Puppie, Gatineau
Best atmosphere at a new arena I've ever had, dark, forbidding, the use of all that Olympique black in the decor is absolutely spectacular. The atmosphere from the Bob has mostly made the trip over to the new arena. There's very little not to like about it... except that they built it in a suburban strip mall with not nearly enough parking, and the city does nothing to help control traffic flow before and after the game, with no traffic wardens and poor transit access. Leave earlier than you think you should have to, and plan to stay later after the game waiting for the parking garage to slowly empty. A top 10 CHL rink once you're finally inside, but the worst gameday access in the entire CHL forced this one to slide down the rankings for me.