Robert Guertin Arena
Robert Guertin Arena is a footnote in Ottawa 67's and OHL history, but it has been used by Hull/Gatineau hockey teams for a generation. The building is filled with reminders of one of the QMJHL's most historic and successful teams, and it is as a QMJHL building that Robert Guertin stands today.
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How To Get There
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| From Ottawa: From Ottawa, take Sussex Dr to the Alexandria Bridge. Cross the bridge and continue straight along Charlevoix. Turn right at De Carillon. (If you come to Autoroute 50, you have gone too far.) The arena is about 100 metres down the road, on your left. The parking entrance is off De Carillon, just before the rink. |
| What's It Used for Today? |
| Robert Guertin Arena was built in 1952 as the main arena for the city of Hull/Gatineau, Quebec. Over time it has hosted numerous shows and games. The main tenant is today's Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, who have been resident at "The Bob" since their founding in 1973 as the Hull Festivals. In 1967 an expansion OHL team was granted to our nation's capital, and the city pledged to build Lansdowne Park as a home for both the new 67's and the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders. It wasn't finished in time, though, and the 67's were forced to play half a year out of the only suitable arena in the Ottawa Region, which was Robert Guertin Arena across the Ottawa River. The old Ottawa Auditorium at the corner of O'Connor and Argyle Streets downtown, where the original NHL Senators had played, had been torn down earlier in 1967 in anticipation of the completion of the Civic Centre. Construction was finished in January of 1968 and the 67's moved into their new home after a mere half-season in Hull, leaving Robert Guertin Arena behind forever. |
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