A significant infrastructure failure has forced the immediate closure of Centre 70 Arena, leaving local hockey associations scrambling to reschedule games and tournaments for the remainder of the season.
The City of Kingston, Ont., confirmed Tuesday that the facility at 100 Days Rd. will remain closed “until further notice” after a pipe burst inside the building Monday evening.
“The burst pipe caused significant water damage to several areas inside the building, including the ice plant and refrigeration systems needed to create ice for the rink,” the city said in a statement.
Crews from Kingston Fire and Rescue, along with facilities staff, responded to the scene Monday night, but the damage was extensive enough to rule out a quick fix.
The sudden closure comes at a critical time for local sports organizations, as playoffs and year-end tournaments approach.
The Church Athletic League (CAL) called the situation “truly devastating,” warning that the ripple effects will be felt across the city’s minor hockey community.
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“This is truly devastating news for our community and will have far-reaching impacts,” the CAL said in a statement. “As you can imagine, all organizations will be required to share some of the ‘pain’ due to the necessary rescheduling of tournament ice that would otherwise have been at Centre 70.”
The league noted it may have to surrender some of its ice times at other facilities to accommodate displaced tournaments. Specifically, the CAL has been forced to cancel three hours of player development ice on Feb. 20 and is prioritizing the rescheduling of U-13 playoff tournament games set for Feb. 21.
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The Greater Kingston Girls Hockey Association (GKGHA) is also urging patience as it works to rebook practices and games.
“This is a complex task and will take time to coordinate,” the association told families, advising them to closely monitor the Sportzhead app for schedule changes.
Aging infrastructure
While the immediate cause of the closure was Monday’s burst pipe, the facility has long been identified as nearing the end of its life.
A recent report to city council described Centre 70’s renovation costs as “prohibitive” and recommended a “phased exit” from the building.
The report noted critical issues with the building’s core systems, including a concrete ice slab in poor condition, leaking brine lines and deteriorating exterior walls. The city had invested in rehabilitating the ice plant over the last two years to keep it operational, but the report warned that the facility was “approaching the end of its useful life.”
City staff have recommended decommissioning the arena entirely, contingent on first finding replacement ice capacity elsewhere — potentially by twinning the pads at the Memorial Centre.
For now, however, the focus remains on the immediate crisis. City staff are contacting user groups to arrange alternative ice time where possible, following the city’s Ice Allocation Policy.
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