Flint Firebirds
Rink: Dort Federal Event Center
Capacity: 4,021
Built: 1969
League: OHL
City: Flint, Michigan
Home Of: Flint Firebirds
Games Attended: 2
First Game: November 7, 2015 vs Guelph
Last Game: October 14, 2023 vs Guelph
Let’s not beat around the bush here. Flint has had a rocky start to its life in the OHL and it’s not exactly the prettiest place in the world to play or visit for an outsider. The rink was built in the late 60s, and it shows from the outside. Luckily the inside has gone through a ton of great renovations. A huge parking lot on site that will cost $10 but watch out for potholes, there are many.
The rink itself is the larger part of the building on the left side of the picture above with the main lobby and atrium being under the building marquee which is a good spot to mingle pre and post-game.
The rink also sits right next to I-69 so you should have no problems finding it as its easily seen from the highway. But if you even somehow miss the rink there is a giant video billboard several stories tall that announces its presence and advertises upcoming games.
The Flint Firebirds have done a fantastic job of renovating the Dort over the years. When they initially moved in, they transformed the player facilities into some of the best in the entire OHL. The bowl only so much can be done and that process took a little longer but now the seats are among the comfiest in the CHL as all of them are club seats from that they got from the Palace of Auburn Hills when it closed down some years back. They also took the Palace’s ribbon board. Black seats are not something you usually see but recently when it has been done in sports, I find it to have an intimidating look.
The Dort in Flint is one of the smallest buildings in the OHL but it has a very intimate setting. While neither game I went to had particularly big crowds they have gotten some over the years and from what I’ve been told those crowds can hang with the best of them in the league for noise. The sight lights in Flint are good with an average rake to the seats. The concourse that runs around the top of the building is honestly pretty bare even 8 years later. Concessions are in the corners and there’s enough bathrooms to go around but hopefully as the team builds some more history, they can maybe use all the blank wall space to show off some team photos and colours, especially since the team themselves own the building.
The music in Flint can be a tad too loud and the PA announcer is one of those centre of attention types but beyond those nitpicky things going to a game in Flint is a very enjoyable experience that every OHL fan should try at least once.
