Niagara IceDogs
Rink: Jack Gatecliff Arena
Capacity: 3,145
Built: 1938
Demolished: 2023
League: OHL
City: St. Catharines, Ontario
Former Home Of: Niagara IceDogs
Games Attended: 14
First Game: February 28, 2008 vs Brampton
Last Game: January 9, 2014 vs Guelph
Unique Arena: #12
OHL Arena: #8
Technically this was called the Gatorade Garden City Complex, but it was a two-rink complex and the IceDogs played in the Jack Gatecliff Arena half. The rink was just up the hill from the new one and was home to the St. Catharines Falcons, Teepees, Blackhawks and Saints over the years before the IceDogs moved in during the summer of 2007. I used to park on the site of the new rink to go to games here. The main entrance was added years after the original rink was built in the late 1930s. You would head up a flight of stairs then pass by a small team store and a concession stand before going through a bank of doors that had you at the top of the bowl behind one of the nets.
The only real concourse in the bowl was at the top, and it was barely wide enough for any foot traffic to get through. A person with a standing room spot on the rail could easily stick their foot out behind them and rest it against the wall. The seats were all two-man benches and pretty tight, and god help you if you were sitting in the top row which for some reason had even less legroom. Being a large man, I usually would just buy a standing room ticket. I cannot think of any other CHL arena I have seen a game at where being at the top of the bowl would still have you so incredibly close to the on-ice action. There was no videoboard above centre ice where the ancient (by today’s standards) score clock hung. Instead during the IceDogs years they had four projection screens hanging up near the four corners of the rink. So, while it was a bit fuzzy you did actually get instant replays.
The atmosphere at IceDogs games however was incredible. A packed house of 3,145 was the norm and I would imagine it was a very intimidating place to play for visiting players. I don’t think I ever did an afternoon game in Niagara but seeing the natural light during play would’ve been cool courtesy of the small square windows at the top of the bowl.
It’s hard to believe that the modern-day OHL was played out of this building for seven seasons. The Jack was a dump, don’t get me wrong, but I do miss going to games there.
Being a Brampton fan for many years I saw many Battalion games here. Brampton was the first road team (in the IceDogs era) to win a game here, and Brampton’s final road win ever before moving to North Bay (which I attended) was also in this building. After the Battalion moved to North Bay, they won the final OHL game at the Jack when they beat Niagara in the first round of the 2014 playoffs.
The Jack is now just a memory as it was torn down in the summer of 2023, and the site is now a vacant grass lot. I had not been inside the rink since my last OHL game in January 2014, so I was thankful to spend a good 45 minutes inside one last time to check it out in November 2021, and thank John from the city of St. Catharines for letting me do so.
Games Attended
February 28, 2008: Brampton 4 – Niagara 2
September 27, 2008: Niagara 4 – Brampton 2
December 17, 2009: Sudbury 3 – Niagara 1
January 28, 2010: Niagara 5 – Erie 3
February 18, 2010: Niagara 4 – Brampton 3
March 4, 2010: Niagara 2 – Brampton 1 SO
February 5, 2011: Niagara 2 – Brampton 0
November 24, 2011: Niagara 6 – Brampton 1
May 9, 2012: London 4 – Niagara 1
October 18, 2012: Niagara 3 – Brampton 2 OT
December 1, 2012: Brampton 6 – Niagara 5
March 14, 2013: Brampton 5 – Niagara 2