Remembering the old barn

[Renard]

The old Arena is long gone, although I miss it every time I drive past the old site.

I saw many games there. In the early years of the francise, people got dressed up to go the hockey game. Some men wore coats and ties. Women wore skirts. People could and did smoke in the stands.

There was plenty of fighting on the ice and that attracted a rowdy kind of fan. Fans occasionally fought in the stands or in the corridors. Lots of Hawk fans would come in and taunt the St. Louis fans with insulting signs.

Hockey has become more polite on the ice and in the stands. But it was sure fun to watch Bob Gassoff beat the tar out of opposing thugs.

Please share your memories of the old place.

Click to read more...

 

[Celtic Note]

My first game I saw there I was when I was 3 with my dad. Needless to say, I fell asleep in that loud arena. I guess I was just so comfortable there, especially with how “cozy” the seats and corridors were. It felt like home.

Especially when I was younger, I was not known to show what I considered weak emotions (how naive I was), but standing on a mound in Forest Park watching the wrecking ball tear through the place I had grown to love, it was hard to keep my eyes from watering.

I had lots of fond memories there. It certainly had a different atmosphere than our current home. It got so loud in there you could feel the vibrations flow through you, like being next to a loud speaker at a concert. The stomping in the stands caused the seats to shake too. The energy was intoxicating and riveting. It certainly was something else.

I also vividly remember walking through the parking lot through tailgating on our way to the “White House” bar. Seeing fans and players mingle in the local neighborhood was special.

Such community was felt there. I certainly miss it!

 

[Mike Liut]

I also these there

wrestling
Journey
Bon Jovi
Dr J
Mizzou vs Illinois hoops

 

[Ridge1982]

I regret not asking my parents to take me to a Blues game. I only went there for ice capades, circuses, and Disney on Ice shows. It was a dump, but it was OUR dump and I miss it.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Unfortunately I’m of the age where my only memory of it is watching on it TV when it came down, but my old man and other family friends have told me stories over the years about it. Wish I could’ve experienced it myself.

 

[Reality Czech]

Man, so many memories of that old place. I probably saw 40-50 games there as a kid because my dad shared season tickets with his friend. When I was really little he would pick me up over his head when the Blues scored a big goal. I also remember the "upper loge" section (which my dad always referred to as "hog heaven") and how it would literally shake whenever the crowd went wild.

I was also lucky enough to play two youth hockey games at the old Arena before the Blues game. A few of the players would come out and watch our game before they got ready for the Blues game. My sister went up and got Vincent Riendeau's autograph one of those times, and she got me his signature along with the message "Bonne chance!"

 

[Blueston]

I also these there

wrestling
Journey
Bon Jovi
Dr J
Mizzou vs Illinois hoops

Most of my fondest memories of the place were of hockey, but it was also where I saw I saw Jordan play live for the only time when Mizzou beat UNC in '83.

 

[Ridge1982]

Most of my fondest memories of the place were of hockey, but it was also where I saw I saw Jordan play live for the only time when Mizzou beat UNC in '83.

That game is on YouTube.

 

[ChuckLefley]

I learned how to play hockey on that ice, taught by the Plager brothers.

Many Blues games. Many concerts. A few high school games.

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

My Grandma made ammunition there during WW2. I went to the circus there once as a kid, but my Dad didn't start taking me to hockey games until the Kiel center.

 

[Blueston]

My Grandma made ammunition there during WW2. I went to the circus there once as a kid, but my Dad didn't start taking me to hockey games until the Kiel center.

I also miss Kiel Auditorium. Saw Bills there, lots of concerts, and got stranded there when my car wouldn’t start after wrestling card.

 

[joe galiba]

I was very lucky growing up
the family business had 4 tickets center ice 2/3rds up in the lower bowl and we also got tickets from reps and manufacturers
the late 70’s and early 80’s it was really cold so tickets would come available at the last minute as people decided they didn’t want to go out and once my buddy got his driver’s license we went all the time in his Jeep
our feet would be sweating as the rest of us was freezing from the wind blowing through the soft top coming home at midnight listening to hard rock way too loud

the Arena Club was also something else, nowhere I have ever been quite like it

my uncle was best friends with Mr Caron so when I got a little older, I would occasionally get to be in the box with him and my all time favorite memory was when we were playing Toronto right before Christmas and I was back from college
we were terrible
Mr Caron ripped the phone off the wall, smashed it, kicked it, then put a hole in the wall before leaning out of the box and started screaming cuss words in French at the French-Canadian broadcast team in the next box over
it was absolutely amazing

the only thing I don’t miss about the Arena is the bathroom lines
we have a picture of it up in our living room over the tv

 

[joe galiba]

 

[SaintLouHaintBlue]

Is this about the old Checkerdome?

...is there any logical reason why it was knocked down? My family reminisces about it all the time, although I never got to see anything except pictures.

It's pretty amazing to see stained glass (featuring a hockey scene) in a professional venue.

Naturally, some eyesore office building was put in it's place, because what else would you replace it with.

 

[Blueston]

Is this about the old Checkerdome?

...is there any logical reason why it was knocked down? My family reminisces about it all the time, although I never got to see anything except pictures.

It's pretty amazing to see stained glass (featuring a hockey scene) in a professional venue.

Naturally, some eyesore office building was put in it's place, because what else would you replace it with.

The Arena was briefly renamed Checkerdome when Ralstin Purena owned team.

 

[Renard]

The stairs in the seating area were very steep. You did not have to be drunk to fall down them.

Women wore skirts to the games in those days, and some of the skirts were short. Some fine legs were on display climbing those stairs.

 

[ort]

I remember how steep everything was. When you were in the upper bowl it almost felt like you were looking straight down at the ice. The whole place would shake when the fans started going crazy. The building always felt like it was going to collapse. The bathrooms had those group troughs you pee in too... those were nuts.

 

[Renard]

I loved it when the flying Frenchmen came to town in the red jerseys, led by the totally grey-haired Henri Richard.

 

[SaintLouHaintBlue]

The Arena was briefly renamed Checkerdome when Ralstin Purena owned team.

I was wondering why I was remembering it by that name..

 

[joe galiba]

I was wondering why I was remembering it by that name..

there was a commercial with Emil Francis around 79 or 80 with him saying something along the lines of “we put the check back in the checkerdome”

 

[Mike Liut]

I remember watching the Steamers there in the early 80’s. They packed the house. Pecher, Glavin, Ebbert, Rose, Caccatori, Slobo. That’s all I remember now. It was fun though.

 

[mike1320]

there was a commercial with Emil Francis around 79 or 80 with him saying something along the lines of “we put the check back in the checkerdome”

I was fairly young at the time, but I do remember that slogan very well. Thanks for the memory!

 

[EastonBlues22]

I remember watching the Steamers there in the early 80’s. They packed the house. Pecher, Glavin, Ebbert, Rose, Caccatori, Slobo. That’s all I remember now. It was fun though.

Moser, Hundelt, Reiniger, and of course Doran.

 

[EastonBlues22]

My first game at the arena was vs the Flyers. Went with my dad.

Blues got killed, but it was fun, fast, and loud. Never forget it.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Is this about the old Checkerdome?

...is there any logical reason why it was knocked down?

When Kiel Center was built, the stipulation on it was that The Arena couldn't be used for any event that could be held at Kiel Center. That's ... well, everything. From there, the city has no reason to maintain it [there might have even been a clause in the agreement at the request of Civic Progress to not do maintenance] and it quickly fell into disrepair.

From what I gather, even in the final years the maintenance costs were high and going up every year. I forget which sports reporter it was who was really against leaving it and having it eventually torn down, and he was taken in less than a year later; that's what convinced him it had to go and that there was no way to rehab it, and he was surprised they were able to make it last as long as they did.

TL;DR: Civic Progress said it had to go.