Rimouski Océanic
Rink: Colisée Financière Sun Life
Capacity: 4,851
Built: 1966
League: QMJHL
City: Rimouski, Quebec
Home Of: Rimouski Océanic
Games Attended: 9
First Game: September 23, 2018 vs Victoriaville Tigres
Most Recent Game: June 1, 2025 London vs Medicine Hat
The Rimouski Oceanic may have been the first ever Q team I had ever heard, about back when Vincent Lecavalier was a can’t miss prospect. I never thought I would actually get to a game there.
The rink was built in 1966, but as you can see the front facade is much newer, as renovations were done in preparation of the arena hosting the 2009 Memorial Cup. There is a small parking lot to the right of this photo, which during normal games is open and free (though totally blocked off for the Memorial Cup to host fan fest). Many people also take to parking on the residential streets in the area. There is also a strip mall directly across the street, but during the Memorial Cup they had strict security to make sure nobody going to the game parked there.
Upon entering the Colisée in Rimouski you will notice things are extremely tight. The main entrance is behind one of the nets. There is an ice/street level concourse that upon entering has a large concession stand, the well-stocked team store and a Budweiser-sponsored VIP lounge area, as well as a couple staircases leading up to the top of the bowl. However much of the ice level concourse is blocked off past the near blue lines, as the team dressing rooms are down these hallways and the teams need to cross the concourse to get to the ice. There is a moat arena between the ice and seats that can be used to get to your seats, but again this only goes as far as the penalty boxes and benches. To go further you must go up the very steep staircases to the top of the bowl, where a very narrow concourse that is maybe two people wide awaits you. The moat does continue at ice level on the other side of the benches and boxes.
The renovations for the 2025 Memorial Cup also saw the addition of suites on what is now the penalty box side of the rink. This unfortunately was only able to be achieved by taking out about 4 rows of seats which has lowered the capacity, but such is life in a world where corporate boxes pay bills. Despite being such an old barn, the seats in Rimouski are fairly comfortable. Centre ice on both sides of the ice has very wide and very thickly padded club-style seats which would be the envy of any team across the CHL. But even the non-padded seats in the rink have lots of room. I am a large man and am usually pretty tightly packed in. But despite sellout crowds at the Memorial Cup every night, I had plenty of room. The views of the ice are fantastic too with the seating being so steep.
The photo above is taken from roughly the same spot as the previous one, and you can see how many more rows of seats existed before the suites were added. Also, this is what the rink looked like with the benches on opposite sides. The suites in one end were installed before the 2009 Memorial Cup, when the building’s new front facade was added. The roof in Rimouski is another sight to behold as it kind of bows inwards like the old crushed can in Moose Jaw, but obviously not to such an extreme degree. The woodwork is a fantastic touch which adds to the old barn vibe.
After my visit to Rimouski for a regular Océanic home game in 2018 I was very impressed, and it quickly became one of my favourite stops in my CHL journey. Having returned in 2025 for the Memorial Cup and going to games night in, night out for over a week I can say it still remains one of my favourites. The crowds are loud and passionate for their Nics, the rink is definitely an old barn but also has the comforts of a new rink as well. Yes, it can be a bit tough to navigate around, but the experience in Rimouski is top notch and if you can make the long journey, I suggest doing it.
Games Attended
September 23, 2018: Rimouski 9 – Victoriaville 0
May 23, 2025: Medicine Hat 5 – Rimouski 4
May 24, 2025: London 3 – Moncton 2 OT
May 25, 2025: London 3 – Rimouski 1
May 26, 2025: Medicine Hat 3 – Moncton 1
May 27, 2025: Medicine Hat 3 – London 1
May 28, 2025: Moncton 6 – Rimouski 2