The OHL Arena Guide - North York Centennial Centre, Toronto Marlboros

One day in 2006 I was doing unrelated research in the London Free Press archives for my Masters degree. I was reading a newspaper from the spring of 1970 and I happened, purely by luck, to notice a story referring to the Knights playing the Marlboros in the second round of that year's playoffs. The note reminded fans travelling to the game that that evening's game, on March 22nd, would be played at the North York Centennial Centre, as Maple Leaf Gardens was otherwise booked.

So, purely by chance, I discovered another OHL building, and I checked it out later that year. North York Centennial Centre is an aluminum-coated 1960's edifice located in a high-density residential area in North York. Its neighbours are mainly high-rise apartment buildings, and it is also located relatively near to a city park.

Inside the building, there is a small main lobby which leads into the main arena bowl. The arena only has seats on one side of it. There are 15 rows along the one side of the building, separated by a main concourse halfway up, but the other three sides of the arena only have standing room. There is also a second level of standing room around the building which affords a decent view, and a press box high above the ice on the side without the seats. The arena is decorated by 1960's pop art, and even without the "Centennial" name, it is easy to guess its age based upon its construction and decoration.

From my research, it appears that once the Markham Centennial Centre opened in 1974, the Marlboros preferred that building's higher capacity to the smaller North York Centennial Centre, and to the best of my knowledge never returned to North York. The arena is not an OHL-calibre building by any stretch, but it is still an interesting footnote to the league's history.