Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Sun Life Financial Arena @ Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex
101 Father David Bauer Drive
Waterloo, ON N2L 0B4
Year Opened: 1993
Capacity: 3,400
Historic Siskins
One of the longest running Junior hockey teams in Canada is the Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins. Founded in 1934 as the Waterloo Tiger Cubs, the Siskins have spent time as the Orphans and Kents until rebranding as the Waterloo Siskins in 1947. They have played at the Junior B level in Ontario for the duration of their history and currently reside in the Western Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). When the Kitchener Dutchmen franchise was sold and moved to Ayr to become the Ayr Centennials in 2020, the Siskins rebranded as the Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins or KW Siskins for short. The Siskins have been tremendously successful accumulating twelve Sutherland Cup Championships as Junior B Champions in the Ontario Hockey Association.
Home for the Siskins since 1993 has been the Sun Life Financial Arena @ Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex. A living memorial to residents of Waterloo Region who gave their lives in World War I and II, the Rec Complex is a community hub with a swimming pool with diving facilities, two running/walking tracks, meeting rooms and gymnasiums to go along with the arena. The naming rights of the arena are held by Sun Life Financial, who have a large office in Kitchener-Waterloo, once the head office.
Food & Beverage 3
Sun Life Financial Arena has one main concession stand open for Siskins games. There is also a small cafe in the lobby with limited hours. The main concession has a decent variety of food items including hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches, muffins, cookies, popcorn, nachos, ice cream and chocolate. The fries are excellent and highly recommended. Beverages include bottled soda, coffee, hot chocolate, tea, and Gatorade. There is also a separate beer cart which sells a limited selection of macro brands.
Atmosphere 3
The Waterloo Memorial Recreation has an attractive, modern exterior featuring light siding and brick with grey trim and plenty of glass at the entry. Fans entering from the main entry at the east side will enter into a large lobby with easy access to the arena and swimming pool and gymnasiums. At the west end of the lobby is the Waterloo Memorial Wall which displays military flags, paintings, lists of residents who served and perished and the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by John McRae who was from nearby Guelph. There are plenty of facilities out there that have the term “Memorial” in their title, but few that put together the effort that is found here to make the facility a true memorial.
At the east side of the lobby is the entry to Sun Life Financial Arena. Between the stairs to the arena and the box office is the provocative “Etched Into Memory” sculpture. Before entering the arena, fans should either have tickets in hand or first visit the box office for purchase. Upon entering the arena, fans will find themselves on the running track, at the top of the seating bowl. The ice is north-south oriented and the north end is definitely a spot of interest. On the north wall is the original sign from the old Waterloo Memorial Arena, which was the previous home of the Siskins before it was condemned and necessitated the building of the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex. A plaque narrates the history of the old arena. Below the old sign is the Waterloo Hockey Wall of Fame. Some significant members found on the wall include Jamie Allison, Don Beaupre, Ron Smith, Bill Goldsworthy and Father David Bauer. Below the Wall of Fame plaques are screened team photos from the various Sutherland Cup Champion Siskins teams. Above the ice surface hang the 12 Championship banners for the Siskins and the retired number 66 for Tyson Downs, a Siskin who died suddenly in 2023 of a heart condition.
The seating bowl has eleven rows of grey, blue and navy arena seats. With a capacity of 4,400, over 3,000 seated, and the Siskins attracting around 200 fans per game, there are plenty of opportunities to find the perfect seat for the best sightlines. Upgrades to the arena were completed in 2024 and include a new LED scoreclock above centre ice, LED lighting throughout the arena and a repaired PA system.
The gameday production at a Siskins game is fairly simple with typical music and announcements found at most hockey games. Promotions include a program draw, Chuck-a-puck and 50/50 draw.
Neighbourhood 4
The Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex is located in the University neighbourhood of Waterloo, on Father David Bauer Drive. It is close to Wilfrid Laurier University and across the road from Waterloo Park. There are a few spots for pre or post game food and drink within walking distance including Sole and Proof Kitchen & Lounge. A bit of a further walk is Uptown Waterloo which has a bunch of other options including Beertown, Piper’s Arms, Famoso and the Heuther. Taking a short drive down King Street to Morty’s Pub or Ethel’s Lounge may be the best choices.
There are a few other sporting options in Waterloo. Sun Life Financial Arena is shared with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks hockey team. Laurier also fields football and basketball teams. The Waterloo Warriors hockey, basketball and football teams are nearby also. The area is best known for the iconic Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, which is home of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The KW Titans, Kitchener Panthers and Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club also play at the Aud Complex. Other tourist type options for KW include Oktoberfest, the Clay and Glass Museum, Waterloo Park and the Jazz Room. For fans wishing to stay in the area, the Delta is close by.
Fans 2
The Siskins average around 250 fans per game. The 2024-25 season has the Siskins averaging 252 fans per game at the time of writing and 245 fans in the previous season. This ranks the Siskins at 18 of the GOJHL’s 23 teams. The area has a competitive sports landscape, but there is plenty of room to improve. The attendance is even more noticeable as the Siskins play in the biggest building in the league.
Access 5
The Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex is located in the University neighbourhood of Waterloo on Father David Bauer Drive. It is 3 km from highway 85 and some driving through town will be necessary to get to the arena, however, traffic should not be an issue when the Siskins are playing. There is plenty of parking at the facility. For fans wishing to take public transit, the Laurier-Waterloo LRT stop is about a 1 km walk from the Rec Complex. There are also GRT buses that run south of the Rec Complex on Erb Street. Fans should consult the Grand River Transit website for fares, schedules and maps. Getting around the arena is not difficult at all and there will be plenty of space to stretch out. The washroom facilities are also more than adequate for the number of fans in attendance.
Return on Investment 4
GOJHL hockey is definitely a bargain and the KW Siskins are no exception. Tickets for the Siskins are General Admission and go for $10 for adults, $8 for students/seniors, and $6 for children. Children three years old and under are free. Parking at the Rec Complex is free and the concession prices are decent. The level of hockey is solid and the Siskins put a good product on the ice. The biggest detractor from a Siskins game is the huge gap in the capacity of the arena and number of fans in attendance.
Extras 3
An extra mark for the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex as a living memorial for residents who gave their lives in combat.
An extra mark for the display of history from the old Waterloo Memorial Arena.
An extra mark for the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex as a community hub.
Final Thoughts
The Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins are one of the most historic teams in the GOJHL and at the Junior B level. They play in a solid facility in the Sun Life Financial Arena @ Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex that is modern yet full of history. Taking in a Siskins game is a good way to get the hockey fix in!
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