Father David Bauer Olympic Arena, Ice hockey arena in Calgary, Canada
The Father David Bauer Olympic Arena is an ice hockey arena beside the University of Calgary, in the same complex as McMahon Stadium. Its ice measures 200 by 100 feet, the Olympic size, with about 1,750 seats and standing room for over 2,000. A second rink, the Norma Bush Arena, is attached and has a smaller 185 by 85 foot surface. The facade carries a white sign band reading "HOCKEY CANADA" in red letters with maple leaf logos, above four glass double doors.
Built in 1963, the arena was still called Foothills Arena when extensive renovations were carried out in 1985/1986 ahead of the 1988 Winter Olympics; it was renamed after Father David Bauer at that time. During the 1988 Games it hosted three ice hockey matches and served as a training venue for hockey teams and figure skaters. In 2008 it and the attached Norma Bush Arena hosted the first IIHF U18 Women's World Championship.
The arena carries the name of Father David Bauer, the Hockey Hall of Fame member who coached Canada's first national team at the 1964 Winter Olympics and later became a Catholic priest. His touring national team held tryouts here. The building also houses Hockey Canada, whose red-lettered sign and maple-leaf logo face the street.
The arena sits in the McMahon Stadium complex beside the University of Calgary, with the Foothills and Norma Bush arenas in the same group of buildings. The ice is Olympic size, 61 by 30 metres, while the attached Norma Bush Arena uses a smaller North American rink of 56 by 26 metres. The building is shared with Hockey Canada, whose sign band and red awning face the street.
The arena's name honours Father David Bauer, the Hockey Hall of Fame member who coached Canada's first national team at the 1964 Winter Olympics and later became a Catholic priest. The building was still called Foothills Arena until renovations in 1985–86 renamed it for him ahead of the 1988 Games.
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