William Allman Memorial Arena

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The William Allman Memorial Arena is an ice hockey arena in Stratford, Ontario, at 15 Morenz Drive. It is owned by the City of Stratford and has a hockey capacity of 2,828. The arena opened in 1924 as the Classic City Arena, was purchased by the city in 1941 and renamed Stratford Arena, and received its current name in 1996 to honor longtime arena manager William “Bill” Allman. It has undergone many renovations but has hosted hockey every season since it opened, making it one of the world’s oldest continuously operating arenas. For more information, you can call (519) 271-2161.

Home teams and uses: The arena is home to the Stratford Warriors (Junior B), who have played here since 1978 (they were formerly the Stratford Cullitons). It also hosts the Stratford Fighting Irish (senior) and many minor hockey games, and is the home arena of the Stratford Skating Club.

Notable history: The arena hosted a Howie Morenz benefit game in 1937 after Morenz’s death. Wayne Gretzky scored his first minor hockey goal here. CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada was held here in 2010. Many NHL players who began with the Cullitons went on to big-league careers. In 2024, a book celebrating the arena’s 100th anniversary was published.