Sarnia Legionnaires
Rink: Pat Stapleton Arena
Capacity: 2,302
Built: 1948
League: GOHL
City: Sarnia, Ontario
Home Of: Sarnia Legionnaires
Games Attended: 1
Only Game: October 16, 2025 vs London
Unique Arena: #112
GOHL Arena: #3
Opened in 1948, the originally-named Sarnia Arena was rechristened for Pat Stapleton in 2021, after the recently-departed defenceman who hailed from the city. As a youth, he skated on the very rink’s ice surface that now bears his name. The arena from the outside looks like so many post war arenas that dot the country, and is the definition of an old hockey barn. The signage was replaced in 2022 to reflect the new name, and a mural of Pat playing for Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series adorns the front of the building. The arena has a small parking lot on the side, but is otherwise surrounded by homes and some apartment buildings in a quiet neighbourhood just a few blocks from the St. Clair River.
The main entrance at the front of the building has a small lobby and ticket booth inside. There is also another entrance on the parking lot side of the building. The main lobby sits behind one of the nets at ice level and was heavily renovated in the late 2010s, which makes this area of the building feel fairly new. There is a large trophy case which holds many relics of Sarnia’s hockey history through the decades. There were even a pair of televisions playing old games from the arena in the 80’s and 90’s on a loop, which was neat to see. One thing that did surprise me, however, was despite so much history being on display, there was no indication anywhere that the OHL’s Sarnia Sting ever played here, which they did from 1994-1998.
While I don’t talk about concessions much, I was surprised to see how cheap the prices at the one main concession stand were, and we aren’t just talking about popcorn and drinks either. They had a wide variety of hot food options and candy/desserts all for a much more reasonable price than anyone would expect these days. There is also a lounge area tucked away down the side of the building, but it appeared there was no team merchandise available for purchase anywhere. Not that I was looking to buy any Legionnaires gear, but it definitely reinforced my decision that I wouldn’t buy team pucks at the Jr A or Jr B level.
In the lobby there were a set of doors that would lead you directly to the boards behind one of the nets, but this seemed to be closed off for fans. Instead, fans are directed to stairways at each side of the building that lead you up to the top of the seating bowl in the end of the ice that has a large sign announcing the arena’s new name. In front of you is a bowl of about 2,000 or so new blue plastic seats around an ice surface that is definitely not regulation size. We guessed it’s about 180 feet long, but we also noticed it’s probably about 5 or so feet narrower than regulation as well. There is a lovely arched roof clad in silver insulation and all of the supports and the two press boxes that hang on either side of centre ice are painted in a sky blue colour that I have not seen in perhaps any other arena I’ve been in. There is also a new modern digital clock hanging above centre ice. The pathway around the ice at the top of the bowl is very narrow, and I assume it would be extremely difficult to navigate in the days that the rink had sold out crowds. The walls of the rink are very plain, with only very large section numbers painted on them, but it makes finding your section (if seating were to be assigned) very easy.
While my Jr B experience as of this writing has been limited, this felt like the most Mom n’ Pop game day operation I’ve come across thus far. I don’t necessarily mean this in a negative way. It’s junior B hockey, not every franchise has the budget to make it feel like the NHL, and in some ways that is the charm of it all. I will say though if you intend to attend a Legionnaires game, be ready for the team’s goal horn which is insanely loud.
There have been two different franchises to call themselves the Sarnia Legionnaires that have called the arena home. The first started as the Junior Sailors in 1950 but changed their name to the Legionnaires in 1954. The team had a lot of success and featured alumni like the aforementioned Pat Stapleton and future NHL Hall of Famer Phil Esposito. However, the team suddenly folded in 1970 after financial losses from dwindling attendance thanks to the new Sarnia Bees Jr B team, which started in 1968. The Bees spent the next several decades as the main tenant with lots of on ice success, but in 1994 the OHL came to town with the Newmarket Royals becoming the Sarnia Sting. The Sting’s first four seasons in the OHL found them playing at the Sarnia Arena while the new Sports & Entertainment Centre was constructed and eventually opened in 1998. During that time the Junior Bees went through a few name changes with the Steeplejacks, the Steeplejack-Bees, the Blast and finally to bring everything full circle the team’s name was changed to the Legionnaires in 2008. They have held onto that identity ever since. Success for the franchise has dried up in the last decade unfortunately, as the Legionnaires have not had a 20+ win season since 2019 and haven’t had a 30+ win season or made the second round of the playoffs since 2015. Combine that with having to play second fiddle these days to the OHL’s Sting, and the crowds that once sold out the old arena have dwindled to just a few hundred. I will say the attendance on the night we were there was probably greatly affected by the fact the game was up against the Toronto Blue Jays playing in the ALCS as well as the 2025 version of the Legionnaires being winless nearly a dozen games into the season. They would fall on this night to the London Nationals 10-5.
I walked away from my experience seeing a Legionnaires game at Pat Stapleton Arena very content that I had done it, but also a feeling that I don’t need to go back, seeing as it’s a near two and a half hour drive each way for me. The rink felt like it was in very good shape considering its age, but unfortunately things aren’t doing so well under the surface, as there are structural problems with the rink that the city estimates will cost nearly $10 million to fix. While no final decision has been made as of this writing, the future of the arena is definitely up in the air, and its days may be numbered. With that in mind, if you are a fan of old arenas, I suggest checking this one out while you still can.
