A ceremonial puck dropped inside Dalhousie’s Oulton-Stanish Centre Thursday (March 12), marking the official opening of the university’s new home for varsity hockey, physiotherapy, community events, and more.
The facility’s NHL-size ice surface will support competition, training, and recreational programming for athletes of all ages in the wider community.
“This day has been a long time coming,” said Tim Maloney, Dal’s assistant vice-president, Athletics and Ancillary Services, in remarks at the opening, which drew a mix of students, staff, supporters and neighbours. Construction of the Centre began in 2023 after years of planning. The new facility replaces the former Dalhousie Memorial Arena, which was demolished in 2012.
“I speak on behalf of our fantastic student-athletes, club teams and community partners when I say thank you for being a part of the vision to bring this arena and wellness hub to life,” Maloney said.
This 60,000-square-foot facility includes a new ice rink, event space, and an expanded home for the Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic, serving as an on-campus wellness hub for Dal students, faculty, staff, and the greater Halifax community.
Attendees mingle at the opening Thursday, March 12.
Support for student athletes
“Having a state-of-the-art arena back on campus is critical to our success as current student-athletes, and we know it will help Dal attract and retain talented student athletes in the future,” said Robbie Forbes, a third-year student and member of the Dal Tigers Men’s Hockey Team.
We know it will help Dal attract and retain talented student athletes in the future.
Dalhousie had been renting ice time four kilometres away at the Halifax Forum. With the new arena on campus, travel time for home games and practices is greatly reduced for the Dalhousie Tigers women’s and men’s varsity hockey teams. The new facility also brings fans back to campus, with more than 900 spectators able to attend games at the Centre’s South Street location.
Dedicated ice time for recreation programs, Tiger hockey camps and public skates also provide new opportunities for community members to stay active. Ice rentals are also available.
Serving the wider community
“This space not only serves our varsity, club teams and recreational programming at Dal, but, particularly through the expansion of the Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic, it serves the wider community,” Maloney said.
Fundraising through Dalhousie’s Bringing Worlds Together campaign helped finance the project. To date, Dalhousie has fundraised $10 million towards the Oulton-Stanish Centre. This project would not have been possible without generous donor support. Fundraising continues with opportunities to support at many levels.
An arena like this is built by a community for the community.
“An arena like this is built by a community for the community,” Maloney continued. “Thank you to our sponsors and donors who supported our seat sale, bought a plaque on our legacy wall, named a level or a community locker room, or who just cheered us on from afar.”
Donor-funded spaces promote wellness
The Oulton-Stanish Centre includes the new Fred & Elizabeth Fountain Lobby, recognizing the generosity of Drs. Fred (LLB’74, LLD’00) & Elizabeth Fountain (LLD’22) to the project, along with The Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Community Wellness Level that includes the expanded home of the Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic.
Tim Maloney (left) and President Brooks (right) thanked Fred and Elizabeth Fountain for their contribution to the project.
The Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic currently serves about 15,000 people annually. The expanded facility allows for increased capacity while providing access to additional services, specialized care and hands-on learning opportunities.
Dalhousie President Kim Brooks said the newly expanded clinic will also allow for more student placements and experiential learning opportunities for Dal Faculty of Health students.
“It’s a perfect example of how sport and recreation are the ingredients for healthy communities,” she said in remarks at the event.
‘The friendship project’
President Brooks offered special thanks to the many donors and partners who brought the Centre to life — particularly its namesakes, alumni Ian Oulton (BA’66) and Dr. William (Bill) Stanish (MD’70). Their more than 60-year friendship that formed during their time as Dal students and members of the Tigers varsity football and hockey teams endures.
“I talk about this project as the friendship project,” she said. “Their (Oulton’s and Dr. Stanish’s) optimism was consistent, while their leadership and generosity were contagious.”
“It’s been a pleasure working with Bill on this project,” said Ian Oulton, founder of RKO Steel, while noting it took a long time to build and that hard decisions had to be made.
Legacy wall in the Oulton-Stansish Centre.
Dr. Stanish, an orthopedic surgeon, spoke directly to the Centre’s donors, saying they should be very proud that they’d come forward to support the initiative. He called his friendship with Oulton “a great bond,” adding “We love Dalhousie. School, sport and a great caring for each other — it gave us everything.”
Recreation programs restarting
Grace Beer, a fourth-year student and member of the Dal Tigers Women’s Hockey Team, spoke about how quickly people have gravitated toward the Centre.
"It is already becoming a space on campus where students and community members can gather and engage in recreational or varsity sports.”
There was a community free skate after the opening event, followed by a friendly game between two Dal residences.
Maloney thanked everyone who attended for coming out to help celebrate the opening. “While we have been fortunate to use the Forum to continue running and building our varsity teams, recreational programs and hockey camps, we sorely missed having a dedicated arena on campus.”
Varsity hockey players, Grace Beer and Robbie Forbes with Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore.