Kitchener Memorial Auditorium

Kitchener Memorial Auditorium sits on East Avenue as a war memorial, built to honour veterans of the first and second World Wars. Construction began in 1950, and the venue officially opened on May 24, 1951, replacing a predecessor called the Queen Street Auditorium that had been destroyed by fire two years earlier. The original design took its cue from Maple Leaf Gardens.

The building is a complex rather than a single rink. The main ice surface is called the Dom Cardillo Arena and measures 200 feet by 85 feet, while the complex also includes the Kinsmen and Kiwanis Arenas as community pads. A major expansion in 1988 added the twin Olympic ice pads and changed the name to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex. Seating capacity changed again in 2008 with 437 permanent seats added for the Memorial Cup tournament, followed by another addition in 2012 that brought the total to 7,777 including standing space.

The Kitchener Rangers have played here since 1963, and the KW Titans of the Basketball Super League moved in during 2016. The arena has hosted the Memorial Cup four times, in 1962, 1975, 1984 and 2008, as well as the 1986 World Junior Championships. Concerts have been held here alongside the ice hockey, with Led Zeppelin, Kiss and Bob Dylan among the acts that performed at the venue.

The complex remains under municipal management, with facilities administered by the City of Kitchener.