UBC Thunderbird Arena Renamed
Playing sports taught me that none of us can thrive alone; we need a team.
Source: Doug Mitchell
About 40 years ago, as a young law student and competitive athlete at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Doug Mitchell learned many of the principles that would guide him through his life as a husband, father, lawyer and citizen. At UBC he discovered the true meaning of teamwork and the importance of perseverance. These lessons would shape his relationships and his drive to give back to sport.
In recognition of his profound experience at UBC, Mitchell, with a team of his family and friends, recently donated $10 million dollars to the university to support the further development of sport.
“Playing sports taught me that none of us can thrive alone; we need a team,” said Mitchell at the ceremony on August 21, 2009 outside the UBC Thunderbird Arena, the venue for the Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey during the 2010 Winter Games. “It also taught me that it’s not the falling down, it’s the getting up that counts!”
The Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
University President Stephen Toope announced that the facility would be named the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in recognition of Doug’s gift and his lifelong commitment to amateur and professional sport in Canada, especially ice hockey.
The financial pledge — among the largest-ever to a Canadian varsity athletics facility — will support UBC’s share of the costs in building the new winter sports complex and help to provide one of the best university winter sports facilities in the country for UBC students, athletes and the community.
Doug Mitchell and his wife, Lois, who live in Calgary (host city of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games) are longtime supporters of UBC sports. In 2006, Lois Mitchell established the Hayley Wickenheiser Thunderbird Ice Hockey Endowment to support the UBC women’s ice hockey team, and in 2007, Mitchell established the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Scholarship Endowment to support UBC athletes.
A Refurbished Arena
Opened in September 2008, the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre contains the refurbished Father Bauer Arena, a new practice ice rink and 7,500-seat arena that will host ice hockey and ice sledge hockey during the 2010 Winter Games. About 40,000 people use the centre every month, with more than 230 hours per week devoted to community use, including hockey leagues, youth instructional programs, high school rentals, community rentals and drop-in programs. The centre is accessible for adaptive athletes and spectators with physical disabilities. It is also home of the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. VANOC will maintain the name UBC Thunderbird Arena for the 2010 Games given the advanced stage of our publications and naming systems, but will ensure the new name is noted in select public communications such as vancouver2010.com and news releases.
