Brantford Bulldogs
Rink: TD Civic Centre
Capacity: 3,000
Built: 1967
League: OHL
City: Brantford, Ontario
Home Of: Brantford Bulldogs
Games Attended: 4
First Game: November 1, 2023 vs Guelph
Most Recent Game: November 23, 2024 vs Kingston
Unique Arena: #72
OHL Arena: #28
The TD Civic Centre in Brantford sits very close to downtown, and as you drive up to it, it appears to be a small building. That’s because it is. There is a lot of parking on site with the newly repaved lots on the arena grounds itself, but there’s also a large strip mall across the street and a huge parking garage nearby. It’s more than enough to accommodate 3,000 fans. There is a small casino next door, but its lot is not open for game use and security is on site to make sure as much. One thing I love about the exterior is that it’s been redone in Bulldogs black and yellow. Before the Bulldogs moved in, in 2023, it was a very gross-looking flat faded yellow. Now it really stands out.
The small addition on the side (which isn’t new, just repurposed) holds the main team store as well as a bar/lounge that can be rented pre and post game, but is open to all during the game itself. There is no view of the ice from this lounge though, just TV’s showing the game. A small new addition was built on the back corner of the building for the new Bulldogs dressing room and offices.
Make no mistake about it, the TD Civic Centre is pretty small, and is not quite up to standards of the modern-day CHL. But with only about 7-8 months’ notice, the work that has gone into it to try and make it the best it can be has been great. There are problems, but these are ones that simply cannot be fixed with the current building. The main entrance of the building is behind one of the nets. The ice level concourse is really only open to fans down at that end of the ice and in the corners. This is where most of the concession stands are, as well as an extra smaller team store. There are a pair of stairs in each corner leading up to the small narrow concourse at the top of the bowl. The small ice level concourse is blocked off down the sides of the building for the team dressing rooms: Bulldogs on the bench side and the visitors on the penalty box side. The small ice level concourse also grants access to the bar/lounge area and main team store that I mentioned in the previous photo. The main concourse around the top of the bowl goes 360 degrees around the bowl, but is very narrow. With standing room it’s a very tight fit to get around.
The four corners of the bowl have stairwells that lead down to ice level. Extra concession stands have been built on large platforms above these stairwells. Three of them are mainly drinks and small snacks while the fourth is another team souvenir stand.
In addition to the new press box, new lighting system, sound system and concession stands, all of the seats are brand new. I found them to be on the smaller side, but I am a large man, and I have also encountered far worse in my travels. Normal sized people would probably find them adequate. With a low roof and exposed metal, and so far nothing but packed houses, the atmosphere in the Civic Centre is pretty good when the crowd gets going. When I attended my first game here, I had complained that the music levels were far too loud. You expect it to be loud, but it was ear-piercing loud and only the loudest of shouting to the person next to you could be heard. Upon my second visit four months later, I was happy to find that the music, while still loud, is now at a much more appropriate volume. It’s the correct amount of loud. I should also point out that the game presentation in Brantford is very good. The video board is used to great effect with good graphics packages, camera work and not over the top on advertising.
I can sum up my visit to the TD Civic Centre mostly by saying it’s a great rink to visit, but I would not want to be a local fan that has to come back week in, week out. The lineups are god-awful to get around the building and even to get out of the building post-game, and that’s before you even tackle exiting the parking lot. But I do love the renovations and the effort to make the building as functional as possible, and at the same time make it feel like it belongs to the Bulldogs with team colours and signage everywhere. When the Bulldogs moved into Brantford in the fall of 2023 it was just a three year lease and there was a possibility they would just move back to Hamilton when the renovations at Copps Coliseum wrapped up had the team not gotten support in Brantford. The team however has been very well supported in Brantford, and the team has since signed a new 15-year lease with the city on the condition that a new rink be built soon and it appears ground will break soon on a new arena right next to the current Civic Centre which will make the Bulldogs future in Brantford very secure. While they don’t currently have the best rink to play in, it’s always fun to watch major junior played in a small barn and I am happy this barn from the OHL’s past was brought back into service.
