Events: Hockey (also the venue for Paralympic Sledge Hockey)

Venue Capacity: 6,800

Cost: $47.8 million ($38,445,000 contributed by VANOC)

Status: Renovated arena along with two new ice sheets

Opened: July 7, 2008 (official re-opening)

Elevation: 90 metres

Distance: 12km from Vancouver Athletes' Village

The UBC Thunderbird Arena, part of the Thunderbird Winter Sport Complex, will be the secondary hockey venue at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It will host the majority of women's hockey during the preliminary round and two men's hockey games, including one quarter-final. The complex's additional two ice rinks will be used as practice facilities for the teams during the 2010 Games.

The original venue was built in 1963, on the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC). The creation of Canada's first national Olympic hockey team under the coaching and leadership of Father David Bauer was assembled at UBC in September 1963. Forty-five years later, the same ice rink was re-opened, after renovations and upgrades, on the UBC campus along with two new ice sheets in preparation of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

After the Olympics, the main arena will be used for the sledge hockey tournament at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. After both events conclude, the arena complex will be turned into a recreational and high-performance multi-sport legacy facility for the university and residents of Vancouver.

UBC men's hockey alumni with Olympic experience include:

• Ken Broderick, '64, ‘68
• Al McLean, ‘64
• Roger Bourbonnais, '64, ‘68
• Barry McKenzie, '64, ‘68
• Rick Amann, '92, '94 (Germany)
• Bob Hindmarch, ‘64
• Clare Drake, ‘80
• Terry O'Malley, '64, '68, ‘80
• Dave Chambers, ‘64
• Gary Dineen, '64, ‘68
• Bob Forhan, ‘64
• Father Bauer, '64, '68, ‘80
• Rick Noonan, ‘80
*Ron Paterson and Doug Buchanan played with the team in 1980 leading up to the Games but never dressed in the Olympics.

Figures

Venue architect: Kasian Architecture Ltd.
Venue construction: Bird Construction Company Ltd.