Benjamin Breault isn’t excited about the possibility of his team playing hockey at the Halifax Forum.
“I hate the lighting,” said Breault, laughing. “I don’t have to lie to tell you that much. And hopefully we can attract more than 100 people per game.”
Since arriving at Dalhousie University almost three years ago to play varsity men’s hockey, Breault says Memorial Arena has become, what he calls, a “second home.” And when he found out the university will be demolishing the building in late April of this year and perhaps making the Forum their home rink for a few years, he was, needless to say, surprised.
The rink’s removal means the Tigers will be without an ice surface on campus for about four years.
“The part that hurts me the most is that I painted all the gold you see outside the locker room, and now it will all be gone,” joked Breault, who repainted the hallways where the dressing room is located in his first year with the team. Then-head coach Pete Belliveau suggested the part-time job to him.
First-year Dal defenseman and former Halifax Moosehead Pascal Amyot voiced similar concerns about Memorial Arena closing its doors.
“It is nice, close to home,” said Amyot, referring to Dal’s present rink. “It is also nice to have the Tiger on centre ice. I am not too thrilled about playing on a logo other than ours. It’s definitely going to be weird when we play at the Forum, especially when we play the Huskies. There are going to be two crowds. Hopefully things don’t get too out of control.”
While the university has confirmed the deconstruction of the arena, no official plans have been announced as to where the school’s two varsity hockey teams will soon play.
Regardless of where the teams are placed, the arena change will take some getting used to, said Breault.
“I live in Eastern Passage, so it might be a little bit of a struggle,” he said. “My wife and I only have a car; it’s a lot of busing around. We may have to get away from the system a little, and depending on what time the practices are in the morning I may have to miss a couple. That is out of everybody’s control, though.”
But despite the short-term troubles the new arrangement may cause, both Breault and Amyot agree that it was time for a change. In fact, said Breault, once the new arena is built it may help attract recruits to Dal.
“In the long run, it won’t be that big of a deal,” added Amyot. “We’ll just have to make a few minor adjustments. I mean, if SMU can do it, why can’t we?”
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