The PMC rafters are now banner free
Team banners moved partly to remove blocking of spectator views
Memorial Centre visitors will notice Peterborough Petes and Lakers championship banners no longer hang from the rafters.
New Petes banners are now displayed on the east bulkhead. Lacrosse banners are not up yet.
Memorial Centre manager Jeremy Giles said several factors went into the decision to not suspend banners on beams above the floor.
Giles said consultants hired to study city arenas suggested removing the banners. The banners blocked some views, including the scoreboard, from high north-end seats and skybox suites, interfered with overhead lighting and acoustics and looked cluttered. They also have to be taken down for concerts.
“We’re in a very advantageous position of having a lot of banners from two storied franchise,” Giles said. “The consultants said if we wanted to make the building feel more grand and improve the sight lines the first thing you should be doing is moving the banners.”
The large number of banners and unique design of the PMC presented some operational challenges other building don’t have.
“It’s certainly not meant to disrespect the past,” Giles said. “The building is here because of the work of those championship teams and people like Ted Higgins and all those who have banners in the ceiling, “Does a building like Oshawa have their banners on the steel? Absolutely
they do. Do they have 65 banners? Not a chance.”
With banners taken down for floor renovations it created an opportunity to make the change, said Giles, who approached both teams in June to discuss alternatives.
Officials from both teams were initially disappointed.
The Petes decided they’d like to see the banners on the east bulkhead so they can be viewed from their bench. They also decided to remake all their banners to create a consistent look.
“The design of the banners had changed as the OHL evolved to the point they really weren’t uniform,” said Petes GM Mike Oke.
“It gives it a real nice, clean uniform look. From an optical standpoint, it opens up the viewing surface to some northend seats where the banners had obstructed some of the view. One thing I have noticed, and the new boards and glass play a role, is the lighting seems to be a lot brighter.”
Lakers chairperson Len Powers said his group is not crazy about one side of the rink not being able to see banners on a bulkhead. He said they haven’t decided what to do with their banners and will discuss it with the city at a Nov. 18 meeting.
“Tradition is something we’d like to keep going forward, the same as the Petes,” Powers said. “We also realize the city is trying to make that into an all-purpose building and not just a sporting rink. Some of the things they have to do to do that, like the cost of taking the banners down for every performance that comes in, we understand.”
They wonder if other options exist like moving banners honouring individuals in the front lobby.
“That takes out a bit of the clutter,” he said. “Are there spots to still hang the banners which won’t interfere with the lighting or sight lines?”
Powers said they may also redo some banners.
Giles believes the banners are more visible now.
“Where they are hanging now two-thirds of the arena can see them which is actually much better visibility than how they used to be hung,” he said. “They used to be hung one in front of the other. The banners at the most south-end weren’t really visible from any point because there were six other beams of banners in front of them. As you get into the bowl seats they are blocking each other. Where they are now 100 per cent of two-thirds of the building can see them perfectly.”