Varsity Arena

Varsity Arena
	Interior view of the arena in 2009
	Varsity Arena Location in Toronto Varsity Arena Location in Ontario Varsity Arena Location in Canada
Address	299 Bloor Street West; Toronto, Ontario; Canada
Coordinates	43°40′01.5″N 79°23′46″W / 43.667083°N 79.39611°W
Public transit	St. George
Owner	University of Toronto
Operator	University of Toronto
Type	Ice hockey arena
Capacity	4,116
Current use	Ice hockey
Construction
Opened	1926; 99 years ago
Construction cost	$61.7 million
Architect	Professor T. R. Loudon
Main contractors	Messers. Pearson and Darling
Tenants
	Toronto Varsity Blues (U Sports) teams:; men's and women's ice hockey; (1926–present); Toronto Toros (WHA) (1973–1974); Toronto Tornados (CBA) (1983–1985); Toronto Planets (RHI) (1993);
Website
	utoronto.ca/varsity-arena

Varsity Arena^[1] is an indoor arena located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus, and opened on December 17, 1926. The arena is primarily home to the Toronto Varsity Blues men's and women's ice hockey teams.

Varsity Arena also hosted the Toronto Toros of the WHA from 1973 to 1974 and the Toronto Planets of the RHI in 1993. It is located beside Varsity Stadium.

Overview

One of the first indoor arenas to be built without pillars in the seating area blocking the line of sight, Varsity Arena sat close to 4,800 in double wooden chairs at the time of its construction. It was designed by Professor T. R. Loudon along with architects Messers. Pearson and Darling and had an interior volume of 151,595 cubic metres (5,353,500 cu ft). Originally the floor under the ice surface consisted of iron pipes covered in sand.

The seating capacity was reduced to 4,116 by renovations in 1985–86, which expanded the ice sheet to professional standards and eliminated fire code violations that had been found in 1977. The current gross floor area is 6,560.03 square metres (70,611.6 sq ft).^[1]

It is also the home of the University of Toronto Intramural hockey league, which comprises (as of the Winter term of 2006) of 46 men's and eight women's teams of varying skill levels (from recreational to near-varsity calibre) competing in six men's and two women's divisions.

Prior to 2009, the university also used the arena to host examinations.

The first goal in the arena was scored by future NHL player Dave Trottier of the Varsity Grads in a two-period exhibition game against the Varsity Blues on opening night.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b retrieved from http://rrs.osm.utoronto.ca 2007-10-22
^ "Skating and hockey open U. of T. arena," The Globe and Mail, December 18, 1926, p. 10.

External links

Media related to Varsity Arena at Wikimedia Commons

[UofTRRS-1] retrieved from http://rrs.osm.utoronto.ca 2007-10-22

[2] "Skating and hockey open U. of T. arena," The Globe and Mail, December 18, 1926, p. 10.

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