1952 first visit

My 1952 first Aud visit


I remember vividly attending Kitchener Dutchmen Senior A hockey games at the Aud in for the first time in 1952. A huge portrait of King George VI hung at the end of the ARENA....... In 1953 the (Gordie Howe) Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings played an exhibition game against the Dutchmen (Senior Champions) in front of 7,000 fans! The game was tied 3-3 with one minute to go and Detroit's Earl "Dutch" Riebel (from Kitchener) scored the go-ahead goal and a last second empty-net goal clinched a 5-3 Detroit win in a hard fought game. The end boards had metal chicken wire. (no glass in those days). Of course, no netting to protect the fans, so you had to stay alert. I witnessed more than one serious fan injury in the pre-glass days. Once the Kitchener Rangers were established, in 1963, I have attended Ranger games EVERY season since..... and even had a ticket for the March 15, 2020 game which was cancelled by the Pandemic.......So many great memories of many special events at the Aud, including even singing in the mass choirs at the Christmas Public School concerts.

- Tony Pihowich

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Thank you to everyone who shared their stories, photos or videos about The Aud this spring! The video commemorating The Aud’s 70th anniversary featuring your content is now available on this page and on YouTube. Come back and visit this page any time to see the video and read through everyone’s memories.

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