Former names | Quinte Sports Centre |
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Location | 265 Canifton Road, Belleville |
Owner | City of Belleville |
Operator | City of Belleville |
Capacity | Ice hockey: 4,400 |
Field size | 200 feet (61 m) X 85 feet (26 m) |
Surface | Mechanically-frozen ice |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1976 |
Opened | 1978 |
Tenants | |
Belleville Bulls (OHL) (1981–2015) Belleville Senators (AHL) (beginning in 2017) |
Yardmen Arena is a 4,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1978, and was then known as the Quinte Sports Centre. It is the former home of the Ontario Hockey League's Belleville Bulls, who moved to Hamilton, Ontario following the 2014-15 season and became the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Yardmen Arena has hosted the OHL All-Star Game twice, in 1983 and 2006. It is the future home of the Belleville Senators American Hockey League (AHL) team starting in 2017.
The arena's name is in honour of a small group of railroaders known as "The Belleville Yardmen" who raised more than CA$3 million to contribute to its construction. The arena was built with an international sized ice surface of 200 ft. length by 100 ft. width. It was the largest ice surface in the Ontario Hockey League. This has since been converted to a standard NHL-sized rink. The arena is one of four ice rinks in the Quinte Health and Wellness Centre complex.
Yardmen Arena has two balconies, on opposite sides of the ice. It was the only arena in the Ontario Hockey League to have a second level of seating until Budweiser Gardens was built in London, Ontario in 2002. The Quinte Sports Hall of Fame is located in the lobby at the south end of the arena. Many photos and memories are located in there. The Belleville Bulls annual team photos are on display at the north end of the arena on the second level.
The arena was opened in 1978. The Belleville Bulls started as a Junior Tier II team in the OHA. On February 2, 1981, the OHL granted an expansion franchise to the city of Belleville and the ownership group of Dr. Robert L. Vaughan & Bob Dolan, and the Bulls joined the OHL. The team played in the arena until 2015, when it was sold and moved to Hamilton.