Oliver and District Arena’s Half Century Anniversary Hockey Game – Montreal Canadians set to visit….

It’s hard to believe that the Oliver & District Arena, one of the oldest facilities in the province, is 50 years old. To celebrate the anniversary of the grand opening back in 1969, and to kick off a year-long celebration of this special milestone, Oliver Parks and Recreation is hosting the Montreal Canadians Alumni Tour for a special Charity Hockey Game on Friday, Feb 8, 2019.

Following a special opening ceremony involving the surviving members of the original Building Committee and a ceremonial puck drop, the Montreal Canadians will face off against the “Oliver Big Horns”, a team of local players formed for this specific event, for 3 periods of Canada’s favourite game.

The local team name was chosen to pay homage to the many players who proudly wore the Big Horns jersey for many years once the Oliver Arena was built, even representing Oliver on an international tour to Sweden in the 1970’s. The game will also feature intermission contests and activities, a beverage garden, and memorabilia displays from many years of sport at the arena.

Come to watch the game with your friends and family! Want to play? Want to be a sponsor? You can.

Advance General Admission and VIP tickets go on sale at the Oliver Community Centre on Tuesday, Dec 11 and can be purchased in person with cash, debit or credit or over the phone with a credit card.

Any proceeds from the event will go towards the much-needed capital improvements to the Oliver & District Arena.

Although the building structure itself has at least 25 years of life remaining, the brine lines under the slab that allow for the surface to be cooled for ice and the concrete slab itself have reached their end-of-life and are prematurely failing. The arena washrooms and dressing rooms lack accessibility and need updating, plus the original bleachers, stairs and hand rails up to the mezzanine level present concerns that need to be addressed. A concept design and budget to address these concerns as well as other potential improvements to the facility are currently being developed and will be on display in 2019 for the community to review. The work is tentatively scheduled for 2020, dependent on confirmed project funding.

For more information about the event or the Oliver & District Arena facility please contact Carol Sheridan, Manager of Parks and Recreation, at 250-498-4985