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The roar of the crowd
From big-city arenas to a small-town shrine, Globe and Mail sports editor Tom Maloney opens the turnstile to Canada’s ultimate fan experiences

ONCE, JUST ONCE, let them play the Brier at the Granite Curling Club in Winnipeg. Forget the ginormous gate revenues to be earned at cash-cow NHL arenas. Bring the sport back to its roots, to a place where curling came off the lakes and rivers in the latter part of the 19th century. OK, it is to dream a fantasy. And in truth, as with curling, Canada’s sports shrines are big and small, new and old, nostalgic and not-so. They evolve, sometimes stubbornly, but always from a foundation of undeniable history.

The Colisée, Québec
Joe Sakic played here before the Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche, but the likes of Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have something else in common with the arena: they all skated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. The 51st edition, scheduled for February 11 to 21, 2010, is expected to draw 2,300 players from 16 countries and 200,000 fans.
www.tournoipee-wee.qc.ca

Parc Jarry, Montréal
Rusty Staub, “Le Grand Orange,” became larger than life in the diminutive, ramshackle stadium that gave birth to Major League Baseball in Canada in 1969. The Montreal Expos later moved to Olympic Stadium and, ultimately, to Washington, D.C. Parc Jarry now shares the Canadian Open tennis tournament with the complex at York University in Toronto.
www.tenniscanada.ca

Bell Centre, Montréal
The 24 Montreal Canadiens’ championship banners that hung in the Forum were reproduced for the 21,000-seat Bell Centre in 1996, as was the rousing verse from “In Flanders Fields,” first inscribed on the dressing room wall in 1952: “To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.” An $8 tour includes the room, when it’s available.
www.montrealcanadiens.com

Naismith Museum & Hall of Fame, Ottawa Valley
James Naismith grew up in the Ottawa Valley in the 1860s before moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, and inventing basketball. His life and times are celebrated at the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area.
www.naismithmuseum.com

Woodbine Race Track, Toronto
The Royal family is still represented each June at the 150-year-old Queen’s Plate thoroughbred race and the road through the stables is named after 1964 Kentucky Derby winner Northern Dancer. Best of all, you can still park for free, sit in the stands for free and bet $2 on a longshot to win.
www.woodbineenertainment.com

Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto
Ice maker Trent Evans buried a loonie at centre ice in the E Center and, presto, Canada’s men’s hockey team ended a 50-year drought by winning the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The lucky loonie is on display here, along with NHL trophies and myriad other exhibits.
www.hhof.com

Granite Curling Club, Winnipeg
After the Scots introduced modern curling to Canada in the mid-19th century, the debate raged: granite or iron? Those selecting the former as the rock of choice established the Granite. Its Tudor-style clubhouse and arch-roofed rink were built in 1912. Among improvements over the years, bar service was introduced in 1957.
www.mts.net/~granitec

Taylor Field (Mosaic Stadium), Regina
Where “The Little General,” Ron Lancaster, once decimated defences, the biting prairie winds lure rabid fans to the home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. To dive into the penultimate CFL experience, paint your face green and white and carve a watermelon to wear as a hat.
www.saskriders.com

Canada Olympic Park, Calgary
Where Brit ski jumper Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards and the Jamaican bobsled team made worldwide headlines at the 1988 Winter Games, aspiring Olympic athletes now train. Plus: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame is moving here.
www.winsportcanada.ca

Red Mountain, Rossland, B.C.
A stretch of highway named after Nancy Greene hints at the Olympic glory nurtured in the Kootenays. Greene and Kerrin Lee-Gartner learned to ski at Red en route to winning Olympic gold medals; skiers adore the province’s oldest hill — established in 1896 — for its 890 metres of vertical, dry powder and lack of lift lines.
www.redresort.com

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