The OHL Arena Guide - Sarnia Arena, Sarnia Sting

Sarnia Arena was built in 1948 and is the platonic ideal of the old community barn. It's located in a residential area adjacent to Sarnia's downtown. The arena hosted the Sarnia Sting for three years in the mid-90's, but one of the conditions of allowing the Newmarket Royals to move to Sarnia in the first place was that the Sarnia Arena be only a temporary home for the Sting while a new arena was being constructed. When Progressive Auto Sales Arena was finished, the Sarnia Arena went back to its position as an old-style community rink, home to minor hockey and Junior B.

From the outside, the Arena has the classic profile of a postwar arena, looking much like a barn, with tan brick and blue siding. Once inside the main door, the lobby has a snack bar and a few amenities, but surprisingly, there's no lower concourse. The front lobby is it. You then walk upstairs and into the top of the arena bowl, and a grand old rink opens in front of you. The whole arena is painted in shades of blue, with sky-blue walls and navy-blue trim. The ceiling is high and the seats are comfortable and padded in red and blue. The clock is old and there is a large sign in one end reading "Sarnia Arena". All views are excellent. Although the Arena was only used by the Sting for three years, it really made me wonder what it must have been like to attend an OHL game there. The Arena had a reputation as being one of the hardest rinks in which to play in the league due to the small ice, the closeness of the fans and the raucous, rowdy atmosphere.

When the Sting's new arena opened on the outskirts of town, Sarnia Arena returned to community use.