Gutterson Fieldhouse

Gutterson Fieldhouse (nicknamed "The Gut"[2]) is a 4,035-seat hockey arena in Burlington, Vermont. It is home to the Vermont Catamounts men's and women's ice hockey teams. It is the largest indoor arena in the state of Vermont. It is adjacent to Patrick Gymnasium and Forbush Natatorium at the school's athletic complex. It is named for Albert Gutterson, class of 1912, the school's first Olympian. He set an Olympic record with a 7.60 meter long jump, beating, among others, the great Jim Thorpe.

Albert L. Gutterson Fieldhouse
"The Gut"
Gutterson Fieldhouse interior in March 2023
LocationBurlington, Vermont
OwnerUniversity of Vermont
OperatorUniversity of Vermont
Capacity4,035 (ice hockey)
Surface200 x 90 ft (ice hockey)
Construction
Broke ground1961
Opened1963
ArchitectFreeman French Freeman[1]
Tenants
Vermont Catamounts (NCAA)
Men's ice hockey (1963–present)
Women's ice hockey (1998–present)
Vermont Bucks (Can-Am) (2017)

History

The barrel-vaulted arena opened in 1963, originally seating 3,335, with a rink 190 x 85 feet, and the Catamounts varsity hockey program was established the same year. In 1990, the arena was extended eastward to expand the rink to 200 x 90 feet, add an additional row of 700 seats, and add a new lobby, concession, and restroom area. New locker rooms were also added to the north, enough to accommodate six teams at once, along with offices and a varsity weight room.[3]

The hockey team has played host to exhibitions with the Soviet Union national ice hockey team, Russia women's national ice hockey team, and United States men's national ice hockey team and United States women's national ice hockey team. It was the venue for the first women's hockey game ever nationally televised in the US (on December 17, 1997, a pre-Olympic game between Canada and the United States).[4][5] Between 1995 and 2000, and again in 2002, it was the preseason training camp site of the New York Rangers.[6][7] (The Hartford Whalers had previously held their 1992 and 1993 training camps there.[8][9])

On March 30, 2012, President Barack Obama made his first public appearance in the State of Vermont at the Gutterson Fieldhouse.[10] However, he did speak previously to students on campus at UVM campaigning for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2006, outside of Ira Allen Chapel.[11]

The Vermont Principal's Association (VPA) has held the boys' and girls' high school state ice hockey championships at the venue since 1976 (boys) and 2011 (girls).[12]

Gutterson Fieldhouse, along with Cairns Arena in nearby South Burlington, served as venues for the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship.[13]

In July 2016, the Vermont Bucks, an indoor football team, was announced as a 2017 expansion team as part of American Indoor Football (AIF) and would use the arena for home games.[14] The AIF would fold before the Bucks could play in the league, but team owner Tim Viens started the Can-Am Indoor Football League for the 2017 season. The Can-Am then merged into the American Arena League after one season of play, but Viens sold the Bucks and the Bucks would eventually fold before playing in the new league.

References
  1. Freeman French Freeman (1961-05-12). University of Vermont Gymnasium, Project No. 818 (blueprint). University of Vermont Special Collections.
  2. Klein, Christopher (2010-01-06). "Oldest college hockey rinks (continued)". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  3. Wernecke, Cathleen (1990-01-18). "Gutterson Expands". The Vermont Cynic.
  4. "1998 U.S. National Women's Hockey Team; Exhibition Games leading up to the Olympics". The Women's Hockey Web. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  5. "Hockey-Women's Worlds in Vermont". USA Hockey. 2011-01-20. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  6. David, Dan (2010-09-21). "NYR training camp has history all its own". NHL.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  7. Reidel, Jon (2003-09-17). "New York State of Mind" (PDF). The View. University of Vermont. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  8. Mahoney, Larry (1992-09-04). "Weinrich excited to become a Whaler". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, ME. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  9. Bernstein, Viv (1992-09-16). "Whalers Need His Impact". Hartford Courant. Hartford, CT. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  10. Steimle, Susie (2012-04-02). "President Obama delivers campaign speech in Vt". Burlington, VT: WCAX. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  11. Krieg, Gregory (2015-07-09). "Watch a Young Barack Obama Help Bernie Sanders Campaign with a Stirring Speech". Mic. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  12. Vermont Principal's Association, .
  13. "Burlington gets World Women's". Zurich: International Ice Hockey Federation. 2011-01-19. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  14. Abrami, Alex (July 8, 2016). "Pro indoor football team coming to Vermont". Burlington Free Press.

44.469171°N 73.194362°W / 44.469171; -73.194362

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