Kitchener Memorial Auditorium - Kitchener Rangers
- Dave Cottenie
- Apr 14
- 9 min read
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.43
Dom Cardillo Arena at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium 400 East Ave Kitchener, ON N2H 1Z6
Year Opened: 1951
Capacity: 7,777
Ranger History
In 1963 Kitchener businessman Eugene George facilitated the move of the Guelph Royals, formerly the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, affiliate of the New York Rangers, west to Kitchener. George purchased the team from the Rangers for $1 when their Rangers sponsorship ended in 1967 and turned them over to the season ticket subscribers in one of the most unique community-based, not for profit ownership models ever. The Rangers maintained the colours and identity of their former parent team and became one of the cornerstone franchises in the current Ontario Hockey League and greater Canadian Hockey League. The Rangers have pumped out a ton of NHL talent, including a number of Hockey Hall of Fame Members, and enjoyed the ultimate success in 1982 and 2003 as Memorial Cup Champions. They have also accumulated four J. Ross Robertson Cups as OHL Champions. Rangers alumni who have made an impact in the NHL include Jeff Skinner, Gabriel Landeskog, John Gibson, Mike Richards, David Clarkson, Dwight Foster, Derek Roy, Brian Bellows and Hall of Fame members Bill Barber, Paul Coffey, Larry Robinson, Al MacInnis, and Scott Stevens.
Home for the Rangers is the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Built in 1951 as a “mini–Maple Leaf Gardens” The Aud has morphed over time to remain a viable and treasured venue with some of the best reviews for any arena in its class. Rumblings about replacing the Auditorium seem to have dissipated and it is set to become the oldest venue in the OHL very soon. The arena itself, now part of a larger sports complex, is named after longtime mayor of Kitchener, the late Dom Cardillo making the official home of the Rangers Dom Cardillo Arena @ Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Food & Beverage 4
Dom Cardillo Arena offers a good selection of concession options. At the time of writing, a new, full-service restaurant was still under construction. Expected concession options can be found throughout the arena including fries, poutine, burgers, hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and candy. Pizza Pizza provides pizza slices. Unfortunately, with the new restaurant opening in the future, Beaver Tails has vacated the Aud. In the upper concourse, freshly carved roast beef sandwiches are available. Pre-game buffets may be an option and need to be purchased with tickets.
The soft drink selection for Dom Cardillo Arena are Pepsi products, which can be found in both bottle and fountain form. Baden Coffee Company provides the java. Molson Canadian, Heineken, Miller Lite, and Coors Original and Light round out the beer selection. Rangers Lite Lager provided by Four Fathers Brewing may be the best local, choice.
Atmosphere 5
The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium is one of the most unique facilities in hockey. The front facade on East Avenue is striking, grey concrete with some windows and the name of the Aud etched at the top. Although this is the front entrance, most people do not enter this way, and doing so will have fans missing some interesting pieces. The main concourse of the complex, which joins the three arenas, is best accessed from the south, along Eugene George Way, which links Ottawa Street and East Avenue through the Auditorium grounds. Through that main concourse fans will find a number of interesting items to look at. Unfortunately, recent renovations have removed the wooden signs which were carved for previous events at The Aud and replaced them with bland decor with names of entertainment acts that have played over the years. A concession is available for a coffee or quick snack before entering Dom Cardillo Arena. The highlight, however, of this area is the Kraut Line display. The Kraut Line was one of the most productive lines in Boston Bruins history consisting of Hockey Hall of Fame members Bobby Bauer, Woody Dumart and Milt Schmidt, who were all products of the Kitchener Minor Hockey system and were of German descent.
Fans will ascend the staircase to the main concourse and are met with a mural welcoming them to Dom Cardillo Arena. The concourse is littered with items to look at. It seems that every piece of real estate in the concourse has a purpose. A large mural honouring the career of longtime radio broadcaster Don Cameron is of note. Murals for the four championship Ranger teams can be found as well as a Captain’s Wall, and team photos from every team. The most unique feature in the concourse is definitely the support beams, which are numerous, and are painted with the names of past Rangers who have made a significant contribution to the team. Not only are those Rangers who have had significant NHL careers here, but so are local legends such as Steven Rice, Boyd Devereaux, David Latta, Mike Eagles and a whole host of others. Continuing with the Rangers history is McClellan Hall, which is inside the Rangers Authentics team store. This is where many artifacts are found including the original championship banners, trophies, jerseys and a terrific display of goalie masks.
The awe continues inside the seating area. The ice is west-east oriented with the south side being the best spot for a centre ice logo picture. Seating is divided by colour with golds being the bottom and reds being the top. Blue seats on the south side are the newest and are part of the latest arena expansion. The north and east sides are where the luxury boxes are and the Blueline Club is at the top on the west side. A state of the art video board is found above centre ice with two rings at the top. Seating is on the steep side and offers terrific sightlines. The blue seats on the south side may have an obstructed view of the videoboard due to the massive support beams, however, large TV screens provide all of the videoboard info so fans don’t miss out.
The sheer volume of banners that hang above the ice is daunting as well. The east side is for players. Honoured numbers for Barber, Robinson, Coffey, Stevens and MacInnis are found here. Jim McEachie and Gary Crosby, who died while with the Rangers also have honoured numbers. A banner hangs for broadcast legend Don Cameron as well as franchise scoring leaders Dwight Foster and Andre Benoit. New for the 2025-26 season is the Level of Legacy, for Rangers who are not members of the Hockey Hall of Fame but elite contributors to the Rangers franchise. Coach Peter DeBoer and Brian Bellows were the first enshrined. The west side is where the team accomplishments can be found. OHL Championship banners for 1981, 1982, 2003, and 2008 are found here along with the 1982 and 2003 Memorial Cup banners. Sprinkled in with these are various conference and division title banners.
The gameday production at a Ranger game is not too over the top. The pregame festivities are full of lasers and video projected on the ice. During the play, a more classical production is found with typical music and promotions. The Rangers mascot, Tex, is often interacting with fans. The Rangers goal song is very similar to the original song used by the New York Rangers.
Neighbourhood 3
The Aud is located in the Auditorium neighbourhood, just east of Downtown Kitchener. For the most part, the Aud is a community arena. There are almost no pre and post game meal options within walking distance. Fans could hike up Ottawa Street to the Tim Horton's or Dairy Queen. Strykerz Kitchen and Bar in the same plaza may be an option, but it is pretty small. The best bet would be to head downtown or take the highway out to Sportsworld. Downtown, fans might want to try The Grand Trunk Saloon, TWH Social, or Bobby O'Brien’s. Out by Sportsworld, The Moose is a terrific option, as is Borealis. For a truly genuine Kitchener experience, fans should look into eating a pre-game meal at the Concordia Club or The Metro. Kitchener's Oktoberfest is the largest Bavarian festival outside of Germany and these options provide the best schnitzel in the city.
The Aud is shared with the KW Titans of the BSL and Kitchener Kodiaks. The summer months find the Kitchener Panthers at Jack Couch Park, also part of the Auditorium Complex. Other sporting options locally would include hopping over to Kitchener’s twin city, Waterloo to catch some local university action. The Waterloo Warriors call the PAC home to basketball, Warrior Field home to football and Columbia IceField Arena home to hockey. The Laurier Golden Hawks play their football games at Knight-Newbrough Field at University Stadium, their hockey games at Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, and their basketball games at WLU Athletic Complex. The Waterloo Siskins of the GOHL are another hockey option. Other tourist options include The Museum, Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, Bingeman Park, and Schneider Haus. Kitchener is most well known for Oktoberfest, which takes place starting with the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
Fans who are staying in town overnight should head downtown. The Walper Hotel and Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo are good selections.
Fans 5
The Kitchener Rangers enjoy some of the strongest support in the entire Canadian Hockey League. At the time of writing, in the 2025-26 season the Rangers averaged more than 6,500 fans per game. This is the normal attendance the Rangers enjoy. This ranks them 2nd in the Ontario Hockey League, a spot that the Rangers seem to have a lock on. London, Halifax, Edmonton and Québec usually have higher attendance than the Rangers, however, all four teams play in larger buildings. Friday nights are definitely Rangers night in Kitchener, with the biggest attendance on those dates. Midweek and Sunday games still have high sales, but often have more empty seats as compared to Fridays. Ranger fans are loud and proud and help add to the Auditorium mystique.
Access 4
The Aud is located in the Auditorium neighbourhood, which is east of Downtown Kitchener. Getting to The Aud is not difficult. It is immediately west of Highway 7, which is the main artery through Kitchener. Parking is on both the north and south sides of the complex, which should be entered from Ottawa Street or Stirling Avenue. Getting to the Aud early is a good idea as parking can fill up quickly. The west lot from Ottawa Street is designated a car pool lot and there must be three fans in the vehicle for the ability to park here.
For fans wishing to take public transit to the Ranger game, there are buses that travel both Ottawa and Weber Streets. The light rail Ion train is a fair hike from the nearest station, so that may not be the best option. Fans should check out the Grand River Transit website for maps, fares and schedules.
Traversing the concourses during intermission is definitely a challenge as the concourses are definitely not large enough for that kind of traffic. Expect long lines at concessions and washrooms around intermission time as well. The blue seats inside the arena are the newest and provide the most space and legroom, which can be a bit of an issue for some in the red and gold seats.
Security protocols are not too intrusive, however, bags will be checked and there are some restrictions on bag sizes. Stadium Journey strongly encourages fans to check the Auditorium and Kitchener Rangers websites before heading out for the most up to date information.
Return on Investment 4
The price of Kitchener Ranger tickets have definitely increased over the years. Adult tickets now go for $32 with tickets at $28 for kids under 12. All seats are the same price regardless of location. Parking at the Auditorium Complex remains free and concession prices are not terrible. Although the investment continues to rise, as it seems to be across all sports, the return remains high. The Rangers are one of the top experiences in the entire league and the opportunity to see a historic franchise on the ice with just the right amount of gameday production in a truly unique building is not one that should be passed up.
Extras 5
An extra mark to the City of Kitchener in recognition of the contribution of the late Eugene George. The city has renamed the street travelling to the west of the Aud, from East Ave to Ottawa St, Eugene George Way. His gifting of the Rangers to the subscribers created a unique ownership situation that galvanized the bond between city and team.
An extra mark for the special events the Rangers run, specifically Teddy Bear Toss Night and Don Cameron Potato Night. Seeing thousands of stuffed animals strewn to the ice just before Christmas is an experience in and of itself. Potato Night is a unique evening run by legendary retired Rangers broadcaster Don Cameron where fans bring in donations of bags of potatoes.
An extra mark for the long and illustrious hockey history of the Rangers and the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and the great job the Rangers do of putting that history on display.
An extra mark for the City of Kitchener and the Rangers in not abandoning their classic arena and instead improving upon it to bring it up to today’s technological and luxury standards.
An extra mark for all of the Kitchener Minor Sports history on display at the Auditorium Complex
Final Thoughts
The Kitchener Rangers offer one of the elite experiences in all of Junior Hockey. Dom Cardillo Arena and the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium provide one of the greatest spots to watch a hockey game in the world. It would behove hockey fans everywhere to make the trip to Kitchener to catch hockey history in action.
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