Home to the Border Bruins KIJHL hockey team , Grand Forks Minor Hockey and the Grand Forks Figure Skating Club as well as men's and women's recreational hockey teams. Not a large arena, it has seating for a maximum of about 500.
The facility operates from late August until the end of March. Public skating, drop in hockey and Parent and Tot skating sessions are scheduled regularly as well as several special events throughout the season.
We visited the arena when it was still just the Grand Forks Arena. However, the next year, 2014, the arena was renamed the
Jack Goddard Memorial Arena in honour of a past mayor of Grand Forks who was involved in sports in many capacities and was instrumental in seeing the arena built. Jack Goddard passed away in 2013 at the age of 93.
There were actually two dedication ceremonies, the first at centre ice in mid December and this one, covered by the Grand Forks Gazette, in May of 2014.
Arena renamed for Jack Goddard
by Craig Lindsay - Grand Forks Gazette
posted May 28, 2014 at 12:00 PM
The weather could not have been nicer on Saturday as friends and family of Jack Goddard gathered for the renaming ceremony at Grand Forks Arena which will now be known as Jack Goddard Memorial Arena.
Speaking at the event were Mayor Brian Taylor; Roly Russell, RDKB Area D director; John Mackey, RDKB director of facilities; Michael Wirischagin, councilor and RDKB recreation commission vice-chair; and Jack Goddard Jr.
After the speeches and the official renaming by Mackey, the children of Jack Goddard Sr. gathered to cut a celebratory cake...
..The RDKB already had a ceremony during the Old-Fashioned Christmas event in mid-December when the scoreboard with the new name was unveiled.
“Basically, it was the same presentation but on the ice,” said Mackey.
“We’d just been waiting on the weather to get the awning stripped off and get it redone. We’re still waiting on the final sign for the other side of the building. I have to hand it to my crew, they got up a temporary sign so the family could see what it will look like.”
Jack Goddard, who passed away last year at 93 years old, was a former Grand Forks mayor and councillor. He was instrumental in getting the arena built. He was very involved in all different sports and recreation.
Jack Jr. said it was great that so many family members were able to come out to the ceremony.
“Everyone was here,” he said. “His two sons and two daughters, all his grandchildren. It just worked out great. It was just super. It’s a great honour. Now every time someone comes to town they’ll see his name and they’ll remember who Dad was.”
From the Grand Forks Gazette