McIntyre Community Building
A billboard on the McIntyre Community Building.
The McIntyre Community Building was constructed in Timmins, Ontario, Canada in 1938 by McIntyre Mines owner J. P. Bickell. At the time, it was one of the finest recreational centres in Canada outside of a major centre. Contrary to popular belief, the McIntyre Arena is not a scale version of Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
The arena (commonly known as the "Mac") contains approximately 1300 seats and has a total capacity of 1931 including standing room. It is currently home to the Timmins Majors AAA Midget Hockey Club which plays in the Great North Midget Hockey League.
In January 2008, a "McIntyre Ad Hoc Committee" was formed to examine ways to reduce the operating deficit and explore possible upgrades to the aging building. Some of the recent renovations include the replacement of all of the arena seats, the installation of a new centre ice scoreboard, and a refurbished box office. The McIntyre Arena will be the main venue for the 2010 World U-17 Hockey Challenge to be held between December 29, 2009 and January 4, 2010.
The arena's seating capacity (approx. 1300) is small by today's standards for a city the size of Timmins (pop. approx. 45 000). Most communities of comparable size in Canada have a main arena seating capacity in the 3000-5000 range. In order to host a junior hockey team or other major tenant, the city should expand the Mac and triple its seating capacity to approx. 4000 seats. This would also enable the attraction of larger events such as concerts, ice shows, and other sporting events.
The arena is presently home to the Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, who relocated to the arena after having played in Iroquois Falls, Ontario from 1999 to 2015 after having played in Timmins as the Timmins Golden Bears from 1991 to 1999.