BDO Centre for the Community

The BDO Centre for the Community, more commonly known as the Portage Centennial Arena, is an indoor recreational facility and community centre in the city of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. The Centennial Arena was the city's main ice hockey facility from 1967 to 2010 and was a venue for the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The arena has been the community's secondary indoor recreation facility since the opening of Stride Place in 2010 and since been renamed the BDO Centre.

BDO Centre for the Community
Former namesPortage Centennial Arena (1967-2011)
Location390 1st Street NW
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
Coordinates49°58′44″N 98°17′31″W
OwnerCity of Portage la Prairie
OperatorCentennial Community Club, Inc
Construction
Opened1967
Expanded1980
Tenants
Portage Terriers (MJHL) 1967-2010
Central Plains Capitals (MMHL/MFMHL) 1986-present
Website
bdocentre.com

History

1967-2010

The Portage Centennial Arena was constructed in 1967 and was one of several projects across the country partially funded by the federal government as part of Canada's Centennial celebration. The same year, the Portage Terriers junior "A" hockey team was revived and became one of the arena's major tenants, along with the city's minor hockey teams. The city explored the idea of building a new sports complex to replace the Centennial Arena in the 1970s, however, this project was rejected by local residents. The city then expanded the Centennial Arena in 1980, adding a second indoor rink on the west side of the building.

The east rink, with a maximum capacity of 1,350 and affectionately known by local hockey fans as the "Dog Pound", hosted seven Turnbull Cup (Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship) and five ANAVET Cup series in which the Terriers appeared between 1973 and 2009.[1] The city was one of the several Manitoba communities that co-hosted the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with Winnipeg. Russia and the United States both played matches at the Centennial Arena.[2]

The future of the Centennial Arena was uncertain after the city and joined together with the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie to build a new state-of-the-art recreational facility, the Portage Credit Union Centre (now Stride Place), which opened in 2010. A group of local residents petitioned Portage la Prairie city council not to decommission the old arena, citing the need for a third indoor rink to accommodate the community's minor hockey and other recreational programs. The city, not willing to provide further funding to the aging arena, agreed to transfer control of the Centennial Arena to the Centennial Community Club Inc. (CCCI), a non-profit organization operated by local volunteers.[3]

Current Use

Since 2010, CCCI has operated the facility entirely through private fundraising efforts. The naming rights to the Portage Centennial Arena were sold to BDO Canada in 2011, after which it was renamed the BDO Centre for the Community.[4] The older east arena has been converted into a storage shed, while the west arena continues to be used for ice sports.[3]

Events hosted
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See also

References
  1. "mjhl championship Portage fans lift Terriers to title". Winnipeg Free Press. 8 April 2009.
  2. "No Place Like Home". Rogers Sportsnet. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  3. "CCCI did at $56k what the city wouldn't at $900k". Portage Daily Graphic. 12 January 2016.
  4. "BDO buys naming rights to Centennial Arena". Portage Daily Graphic. 2 November 2011.
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