November 7, 2014
Rogers K-Rock Centre (Capacity: 5,614)
Kingston, ON
Kingston Frontenacs vs North Bay Battalion
Final Score: 1 – 3
* The arena has been renamed Leon’s Centre
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My third venture into the OHL was part of a hockey doubleheader that began in Kingston and ended with a return to Montreal. On a cold November day, we started in the historic Limestone City, which is Canada’s 40th largest city with a population around 123,000. Originally a settlement founded in the 1600s, Kingston began as a trading post and fort before growing into a shipbuilding center thanks to its location on the northeast shores of Lake Ontario. Now, education and military play a significant role in the city. In addition to having a great deal of Canadian history, hockey is said to have its origins in Kingston along with being home to the first Memorial Cup. Junior hockey goes back many decades and the Frontenacs nickname took over during an ownership change in 1988. The team has perpetually struggled as their last division title came 20 years ago. While an OHL championship is absent, Kingston has not even won a playoff series since 1998. After spending decades in the dumpy Kingston Memorial Centre, the Fronts moved into the K-Rock Centre downtown in 2008. With the advantage of being in a terrific location, the new building makes for a nice, modern home for Kingston hockey.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
With buildings dating back over a century and limestone designs abound, downtown Kingston is an excellent place for the relatively new arena. Eclectic shops, restaurants and pubs fill much of the historic district. The city also boasts a good amount of small museums and historical sites, however many are closed during hockey season and the accompanying winter. During the warmer months, the location near the Kingston Harbour allows for boat tours and cruises. A few blocks from the hot spot of Princess Street is the K-Rock Centre and while the immediate arena surroundings is a little grittier, it is right by Fort Frontenac (see Displays).
Location Ranking: 8 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Surface parking lots are available in three locations near the facility, but the better option is to park in one of the downtown garages and make the 5-10 minute walk. This is best for those eating before or after the game at one of the many places nearby, which is highly recommended. You will also avoid any of the traffic/congestion that occurs near the arena as fans exit the building. Getting into Kingston involves the 401, Canada’s east-west highway that connects Toronto and Montreal. Multiple exits lead to the city from the highway and arriving downtown from any of these accompanying streets is simple.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
From the city, the K-Rock Centre has an understated square appearance with gray as the overlying color. There’s more that meets the eye upon initial impressions as several sections include similar limestone to what can be seen throughout much of Kingston. This is even more notable when walking around to the other side as the visual when arriving from the LaSalle Causeway is striking as the curved appearance is highlighted by the limestone walls and double-decker glass windows above. Multiple spots on the building have the annoying double advertisement arena name, along with a message board.
Exterior Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Concourse
Due to the arena being fit into a city block, entrance space is dispersed through four separate smaller gates, which can lead to some crowding. Inside, the concourse circles only 3/4ths of the arena and the sides are a little narrower than the curving south end, but overall space is not an issue. There was even enough room for a random karate class (that surprisingly went all night long). The design is sleek with the continued use of limestone accents along with dimmed night lighting, while during the day, plenty of windows let the natural light in. Signs of the K-Rock radio sponsor can be seen with the in-house studio and pillars being graced by images of performing acts in the arena. A little past the team store is the Corner Pub and while there is a great collage of old photos behind the bar, it seemed the whole area was kind of sterile and blah. What really sets the arena apart is the use of a “300 level” concourse above the seats. This walkway inside the rink is wide and excellent as it disperses traffic all the while acting as an area to watch the game with drink rails. A few concessions and bathrooms are up here and so is the Restaurant, which is open to all ticket-holders.
Concourse Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Food
Having an on-site restaurant helps in the food department, but you also want to see a good assortment of quick-service items. Unfortunately, these lacked variety and satisfaction in Kingston as only Hot Dogs, Pizza and Sausage were available as hot food. The rest of the food were just snacks (of which fruit cups and hummus/crackers stood out). The Corner Pub offers a few premium beers like Creemore and Granville, otherwise Molson and Coors are prominent.
Food Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Interior
While the wrap-around standing area behind the seating adds a unique element to the arena, the interior itself is quite standard. A uniform oval bowl around the rink features 12-18 rows of slate-colored seats. A standard pitch allows for fine sightlines throughout, though the individual seats lack of cupholders is surprising for a relatively new arena. At the top of sections 102-104, the area is roped off for club members, which also have exclusive access to specialty food behind the bowl. The suites hang above the top walkway and they number plenty as they nestle up close to the low ceiling. Consistent gray coloring and minimal creativity slightly hinder a decent but overall generic inside.
Interior Ranking: 8 out of 14
Scoreboard
Fitting very nicely in the arena is a scoreboard above center highlighted by four large video screens on each side. Live game action is played throughout as occasional replays mix with fan entertainment. Only time, period and score is digitally displayed above and the lack of room means that power play time goes on the video screen. Along with corner screen ads, circular company promotions are above and below. Shots on goal and time of day can be found at each end.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
History is a big theme with Kingston and the arena site is no different as it sits right by old Fort Frontenac. Remarkably dating back to 1673, the area just outside the arena includes a historical marker and the remnants of the fort. Inside the concourse, the biggest display is for the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame, where member plaques and descriptions can be found throughout the south end (including that of Don Cherry). A little more hidden down at the end of a concourse wall is a set of team photos dating back decades. It’s always fun to look through these with junior teams. The HOF continues upstairs and is accompanied by multiple display cases of city athletic memorabilia. The rest of the team displays are on the north wall, which is a little bare due to the annual struggles. One lone pennant honors the 1995 East Division winners. Flanked on each corner are retired numbers: three from the Frontenacs era and four from when the team was known as the Canadiens. Also in this area, I’m still trying to figure out why Finland’s flag is up there with Canada and the U.S.
Displays Ranking: 5.5 out of 6
Cost
Parking ranges from $3 – $5 depending on how far the lot is from the arena and it is possible to get on-street parking for free during evenings and Sundays. Much of the arena falls in the $17 – $21 range for tickets (near league average) and it is highly advisable to avoid buying them online, where fees add another 25%. Game programs are given out for free while food prices ok as a hot dog costs $4 and a bottled water or soda is $3.50. A 12oz beer runs $6.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
On a Friday Night when the military was honored, there were about 4,000 that came out for the game, thus filling the stands 75% of the way. Interestingly, nearly every suite was occupied. Despite the new arena, attendance figures were surprisingly low during the K-Rock Centre’s first few seasons, but in recent times, the Frontenacs have found themselves closer to the middle of the pack in the attendance standings. During the playoffs last season, the team drew a little better than previous short postseason campaigns and the team almost sold out Game 7. Gear for the Fronts was very isolated thru the crowd.
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Game atmosphere was subdued, though Kingston’s play didn’t help matters. Never did I hear an organized cheer and it was disappointing to not even hear any applause when the team killed a 5-on-3 power play. A late goal drew some to their feet. Like many other league buildings, this has the design to get very loud, it just didn’t happen during my visit. Worth mentioning is the annoying voice of “Reid” who screams into the mic while organizing fan contests. In-game music is a lot of pop and rock.
Atmosphere Ranking: 5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Kingston Memorial Centre was the hockey home before the new arena and this cramped, crumbling and generally uncomfortable arena opened in 1951 with seating for 3,079. It is still standing thanks to those in the community who fought hard to save the building, park grounds and the memorials to veterans. Along with other recreational activities, the Memorial Centre hosts Queen’s College hockey…..Speaking of that school, an ancient rivalry continues to this day with Royal Military College. Each winter, the two teams play an outdoor game on the frozen lake using rules and uniforms from the 1800s. How awesome is that!?…..More history can be found at the International Hockey Hall of Fame, however the original HOF is fledging and looking for a permanent home as just a temporary exhibit exists currently…..Popular musicians The Tragically Hip is from Kingston and the street in front of the new arena is known as “The Tragically Hip Way”.
Game
Not a good showing by the home folks on this night as they were sloppy, lethargic and offensively challenged. North Bay opened the scoring in a rather dull game with a goal by Nick Paul at 11:21 of the 2nd. The killer was a power play goal with just 3.4 seconds left and the Battalion were in control as they led the shot total 22-13. A pair of bad Kingston penalties led to another North Bay goal and it wasn’t until this point (halfway thru the 3rd) that the Frontenacs woke up. Spencer Watson finally scored with a little over 3 minutes left and they were close to getting a second. Alas, North Bay added an empty netter and won 4-1.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
