Prince George Cougars
Rink: CN Centre
Capacity: 5,971
Built: 1995
League: WHL
City: Prince George, British Columbia
Home Of: Prince George Cougars
Games Attended: 1
Only Game: September 22, 2023 vs Tri-City
Unique Arena: #66
WHL Arena: #13
The CN Centre sits on an area of flat open land near the west edge of town, surrounded by parking lots and other smaller sporting venues like a horseback riding club and gymnastics centre. There is also another ice rink attached to the back corner of the rink. I was pleasantly surprised to find parking is free, which is becoming rarer these days. Post game they also have staff on hand to direct traffic and help flow, which is a big plus. Despite the open land, it’s a nice setting with a forest ridge in the background that gives it a major BC vibe. This is the most isolated franchise/building in the CHL, with the closest team (Kamloops) being a five-and-a-half-hour drive to the southeast, and distances growing from there.
The concourse is on street level and has plenty of windows to let natural light, in which really reminded me of the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga. The team store is a fairly small almost-closet that left a lot to be desired. Perhaps the demand for Cougars merch isn’t there enough for a big store, but the selection seemed fairly small and only included the bare essentials.
The CN Centre has just under 6,000 seats which all have a fantastic view of the ice at a nice, steep angle. Suites run down one side of the top of the bowl and just into the far corner, while the other side holds the press box at the top of the seats. The ends have some open space on the top that can be used for standing room or press overflow or whatever one can think of to use with that space.
As you can see, the crowd we had for the game was a tick under half a full building. Historically the Cougars have not had the rowdiest fan base (from what I’ve been told) but I was pleasantly surprised at how engaged the fans in attendance were for this game. It was by no means a rocking house, but it wasn’t a library either, and for the amount of people that were there it made the atmosphere alright. The team itself has a pretty professional presentation using the video board and lighting very well, and they have a few extras like a Zamboni that doubles as a mini locomotive train that actually shoots out steam to go with the CN vibe.
However, one great thing is the concourse does have an extensive history of the Cougars all around it, with team photos and banners celebrating alumni that have gone on to play in the NHL. There are also plaques of posters showing off advertisements to all of the events to ever pass through the CN Centre like concerts, sports tournaments and wrestling shows.
The best way to sum up the junior hockey experience in Prince George is that I found it middle of the road, but I mean that in a good way. It’s a solid arena that, other that the colour scheme, has aged very well and should be a viable home for decades to come. It’s not glitzy or rocking but it’s not a dump or a library either. It’s a functional building with a group of fans that, despite only one division title in 30 years, cheers for their local team and do it well.
In many ways Prince George sums up what junior hockey is all about, and I really enjoyed seeing a game in the CHL’s most isolated outpost.
