Hockey - OHL in Niagara Falls, The end of an Era

[Rick Denham]

On Sunday March 1st, the Niagara IceDogs defeated the Ottawa 67's in what is to be the Last Major Junior hockey game played at the Niagara Falls Memorial Arena. It was built in 1950 and will be torn down as a new arena will be built on the other side of the city. Both the OHL's Niagara Falls Flyer's & Thunder played out of this arena with many players going on to have great career's in the NHL. Below are a few of my favourite images from the game. The first shot is almost a carbon copy of one that was taken on the opening day of the arena.

http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483664549_pMETc-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483789262_fwQs3-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483789566_Gnvq9-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483789050_a2uu2-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483788903_U5DNk-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483788975_DPHgj-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483789199_LrDsb-O.jpg


http://alteredimages.smugmug.com/photos/483789132_w8uav-O.jpg

Also, go check out my blog at http://rickdenhamphoto.blogspot.com/ for a cool time lapse video we did, make sure you click the HD link as it works much better.

Cheers
Rick

[Sypheed]

i think the colors are a tiny bit too saturated, but in all, good job!

[Darsk47]

Nice series. Brings back memories. I grew up in the Falls and the NFMA was the second arena I ever skated in. Stamford Memorial down the road being the first.

I played many a game there and also watched the Flyers lots too - Jim Schoenfeld was the big name at the time. My buddies and I rented ice there before school in the mornings for $12 an hour.

I'm not sure what's in the factory beside the barn now, but for years it was a full tilt Nabisco - you got within a 2 blocks of the rink and you could smell the wheat / cereal they were producing.

I was lucky enough to wander through it about a year ago with one of my kids - showed off the silly dressing rooms you had to walk down a set of stairs to get into, they were below ice level.

Ahh well....life goes on - thanks for posting this...I'm going to go pull out some old snap shots.

[Rick Denham]

Good old Jim Schoenfeld, I had a Sabres jersey with his name and #13 on it. The smell is not as bad, but the nabisco/kraft plant is still there, and still going strong.

[Apollo11]

Great pics. You really caught the action---thanks for sharing.

I'm over the river but play Sunday nights at Stamford, sometimes Jack Bell. We were at NF Memorial Arena until last year. Great arena, and it will be sad to see it no longer there. From what I understand, all the city's arenas are closing once the 4-plex opens.

Also, About 3-4 times per winter we play at Ridley College in St. Catharines. Nice arena, there, too.

[Apollo11]

Good old Jim Schoenfeld, I had a Sabres jersey with his name and #13 on it. The smell is not as bad, but the nabisco/kraft plant is still there, and still going strong.


Schoenfeld wore number 13 during his second stint as a player. He had been coaching in Rochester, and was called up and played again with the Sabres---he wore #6 for his first tenure here. Great player, a fan favorite to the level you rarely see---everybody in and around Buffalo loved him, and he sort of transcended hockey locally.

[Rick Denham]

Also, About 3-4 times per winter we play at Ridley College in St. Catharines. Nice arena, there, too.

Ridley's tender for a new arena actually just closed. I believe it is slated to be finished in 2 years. I think it is being built across the street from ridley at the old produce warehous that backs onto the train tracks. shoud be a nice facility when it is done.

[Alextee]

I really enjoyed that first photo, seems like it will be a piece of history

[Sauk]

Great shots. I believe you are strobing these, what type of strobes and how many being used?

[canonnoob]

I agree on the saturation of the colors.. other than that i really love the series.. nice work.

[Rick Denham]

Great shots. I believe you are strobing these, what type of strobes and how many being used?


Matt, yup they were strobed and I am diggin the looks of them. Personally I think the saturation is a little, and I mean little, like minuscule even, more than most people like but that is my style.

I used 4 WL-1600's at full power, but here's the kicker.....the ceiling was arched like a typical 3200 seat facility built in the 50's and was covered with insulation that was silver and very reflective. I simply put 2 strobes on one side of the ice at the blue lines, and than the other 2 directly across, and pointed them straight up at the roof. The insulation sent light everywhere so no shadows, no nothing.