May 30th, 2004

There's more similarities to the Memorial Arena in Peterborough and the Memorial Auditorium other than the names of the two arenas.  Apparently making buildings war memorials has lost its luster, of course the absense of some of those wars is a blessing in itself.  Of the 20 teams in the OHL there are only 4 left that are housed in arenas that are war memorials, the two others in the Soo and Kingston both born in 1949 appear to be destined for the scrap heap in the very near future.
 

The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (1950) and Peterborough Memorial Arena (1951) are the fourth and fifth oldest arenas in the OHL respectively.  They are the only two arenas which have elevated seating with a large gap between the glass and the first row of seats.  The only other possible exception would be the Ottawa Civic Center.  The Peterborough Petes franchise originated in Kitchener, and it's rather unique that a building only one year newer would receive upgrades in the summer following those to the Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, by the same company and in some ways in a very close likeness, including the positioning of the boxes, resturant and outer walls of the building.
 

The similarities between the two franchises don't stop with the buildings.  The teams also share some aspects in common, the Rangers and the Petes were the only two franchises in the OHL to have not seen second round action from 1998-2002, the Petes have still not seen the light of the second round since 1997, though they have fallen in overtime of game 7 in both the 2001 postseason as well as the 2003 postseason.  Rick Allain a former overaged defender who played on the 1990 Rangers' team that went all of the way to the Memorial Cup final coached the Petes for 6 seasons, and until the last year of his tenure his teams finished above .500 each year.
 
 

In all the rennovations to the Peterborough Memorial Center costed in excess of 11 million dollars.  At the midpoint of construction, the building was nearly transparent from side to side with the notable exception of the seats on either side.  The Memorial Center was, prior to the rennovations the OHL's shinniest arena, both sides were pushed out to allow for better concession access.  The home and visitor benches switched sides, and the visitors were given a new dressing room on the opposite side of the arena for the first time.  Accustic panels were installed to improve the sound, a sound system which was extensively upgraded midway through the 2002-'03 season.

The building was once a multi-purpose facility with a massive stage at the south end.  That end would be replaced with several rows of seating on the bottom with a resturant backing on.  On the second level there is 8 boxes, and on the very top a pair of party rooms for rent.  The west side of the arena was designated club seating with a lounge immediately beyond the seating, there is also a media area around center ice.  On the east side there is now 16 luxury boxes.  Standing room which was formerly plentiful in the Peterborough Memorial Center has effectively been eliminated.

The Rangers and Petes are both thought of as the oldest continually running franchises in each of the OHL conferences.  Both teams have incredible pasts, fierce rivalries and and a shared history.  The rennovations done to buildings in Kitchener (summer of '02) and Peterborough (summer of '03) ensure the long term survival of the OHL in both communities as well as keep two arenas that were at one time state of the art looking like brilliant war memorials which will be enjoyed and celebrated by future generations.