Northlands Coliseum

Northlands Coliseum, or simply the Coliseum, is a now-unused indoor arena located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, situated on the north side of Northlands. It was used for sports events and concerts, and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The arena opened in 1974, and was later known as Edmonton Coliseum, Skyreach Centre, and Rexall Place, before returning to the Northlands Coliseum name in summer 2016. It used the same architect and plans as the Pacific Coliseum.[10]

Northlands Coliseum

Exterior view of Rexall Place (c.2010)
Former names	Northlands Coliseum (1974–95, 2016–17) Edmonton Coliseum (1995–98) Skyreach Centre (1998–2003) Rexall Place (2003–16)
Address	7424 118 Avenue
Location	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Public transit	Edmonton LRT (Coliseum) Edmonton Transit System (5, 8, 10, 99, 127, 141, 142, 318)
Owner	Northlands (1974–2017) City of Edmonton (2018–)
Capacity	Hockey: 17,100 Concerts: 13,000 (approx)[1]
Field size	497,700 sq ft (46,240 m^2)[2]
Construction
Broke ground	November 3, 1972
Opened	November 10, 1974
Renovated	1994, 2001, 2007
Closed	January 1, 2018
Construction cost	C$17.3 million[3] ($88.1 million in 2018 dollars[4]) Renovations: 1994: $14 million ($21.8 million in 2018 dollars[4]} 2001: $10 million[5] ($13.6 million in 2018 dollars[4]} 2007: $3.5 million ($4.19 million in 2018 dollars[4]} Total cost: $127.7 million in 2018 dollars
Architect	Phillips, Barrett, Hillier, Jones Partners Wynn, Forbes, Lord, Feldberg & Schmidt[6]
Structural engineer	Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.[7]
General contractor	Batoni Bowlen Enterprises[8]
Main contractors	SE Johnson Ltd. (mechanical)[9]
Tenants
Edmonton Oilers (WHA/NHL) (1974–2016) Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) (2007–2016) Edmonton Rush (NLL) (2006–2015) Edmonton Drillers (CMISL) (2007) Edmonton Road Runners (AHL) (2004–2005) Edmonton Drillers (NPSL) (1996–2000) Edmonton Sled Dogs (RHI) (1994) Edmonton Skyhawks (NBL) (1993–1994) Edmonton Drillers (NASL) (1980–1982) Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) (1974–1976)
Website
Official website

The arena hosted the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments, the 1978 Commonwealth Games, seven Stanley Cup finals (Oilers loss in 1983; Oilers victories in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990; and Oilers loss in 2006), many other hockey events, along with other sporting events and major concerts.

The final NHL game played at the arena was on April 6, 2016. The building closed on New Year's Day 2018, after ownership of the facility was transferred from Northlands to the City of Edmonton. Northlands had planned to re-develop the arena into a multi-level ice facility, but these plans were scrapped after it was found that renovating the facility would be more costly than building a new one altogether.[11]

History

Skyreach Centre in 2001

Housing the World Hockey Association Oilers, Northlands Coliseum opened on November 10, 1974. On Nov. 30, 1974, Motown star Stevie Wonder headlined the first concert at the Edmonton Coliseum. Then it became the Edmonton Coliseum in 1995,[12] and Skyreach Centre in 1998,[13] before changing to Rexall Place on November 20, 2003, when its naming rights were purchased by the Rexall pharmacy company, a subsidiary of Katz Group Canada.[14] The Katz Group later purchased the Oilers and the Oil Kings. When the naming rights expired on August 31, 2016, the name reverted to Northlands Coliseum.[15]

The arena was used to host games in the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments, including Game 2 of the 1984 finals between Canada and Sweden. In the 1995 World Junior Championships, which were held in various cities and towns throughout Alberta, Edmonton Coliseum was the site of several games, including Canada's 6–3 victory over Finland on New Year's Day. The arena was one of the venues for the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

The venue was the site of several Commonwealth Games sports in 1978, and part of Universiade (the World University Games) in 1983. It also hosted the 2004 WWE Backlash pay per view, and the CHL Top Prospects Game in 2008.[16]

Rexall Place logo, 2003 to 2016

Before the 2007-08 season started, the Oilers dressing room was renovated for $3.5 million. The room is wider with a new medical room, lounge, bar, video room, weight room as well as other new facilities.[17]

The Oilers' final game at Rexall Place was played on April 6, 2016, against the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers won 6-2; the last NHL goal was scored by Oiler Leon Draisaitl. A post-game ceremony was held, featuring current and past Oilers players.[18]

Arena information

Rexall Place at night

The official capacity for hockey when the arena closed was 16,839, which was slightly less than the 17,100 the arena held before the 2001–02 NHL season. It was one of three NHL arenas (the others being the MTS Centre in Winnipeg and Barclays Center in Brooklyn) seating less than 17,000 fans in its configuration. When it opened, the capacity was 15,423, but it was increased to 17,490 after the Oilers joined the NHL by adding an extra tier of seating on the side opposite the press box. This was increased to 17,498 in 1982 and to 17,503 in 1986. The arena underwent an extensive renovation in 1994 in which the seating capacity was reduced to make way for 52 luxury suites. 15 more suites were added in 2001. The arena could also be noisy, as noise levels reached 119 decibels during playoff games.[19]

Northlands Coliseum was the first NHL arena in Canada to have a centre-hung scoreboard with an electronic messageboard; the original scoreboard including a black-and-white dot matrix board. This was replaced in 1987 by a centre-hung scoreboard with a colour matrix screen, which in 1994 was replaced with an eight-sided scoreboard with four video screens. The last centre-hung scoreboard, designed by White Way Sign,[20] featured eight message boards at the top and four video screens at the bottom, separated by LED rings. The arena also featured 360-degree fascia signage by Daktronics.

The Coliseum was the last NHL arena with the player benches on the same side as the TV cameras. In all other NHL venues, the TV cameras are on the same side as the scorekeepers table and penalty boxes.[21]

Closure

See also: Rogers Place

Given the age and small size of the Coliseum (third oldest and third smallest NHL arena in 2010), the construction of a new arena for the Edmonton Oilers was proposed by the Katz Group in 2010. An agreement was reached in January 2012 between the Katz Group and the City of Edmonton for the construction of Rogers Place in Downtown Edmonton. Construction started in March 2014, and it opened in September 2016 with a seating capacity of 18,347.[22][23] Northlands stated that the old arena would remain open,[24] and a number of concerts and sporting events were still held there even after the Oilers left.

On February 17, 2016, Northlands unveiled plans to convert Northlands Coliseum into a multi-level ice facility,[25][26] with a later proposal calling for a partnership with Hockey Canada to make it a Hockey Canada Centre of Excellence, but it was later discovered that renovating the Coliseum would be more costly than building a new facility.[27][28]

As more major concerts and other events were drawn away to Rogers Place, Northlands experienced declines in revenue. This made it difficult for the non-profit organization to pay off a loan by the City that was used to fund the 2009 expansion of the Edmonton Expo Centre. On September 13, 2017, the City of Edmonton reached an agreement to take over the arena from Northlands effective January 1, 2018 (the same date that control of the Edmonton Expo Centre transferred to the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation under a similar agreement), as it prepared to transition to primarily being an agricultural organization. The venue permanently ceased operations on that date; future plans for the building are yet to be decided. As an aspect of this deal, Oilers Entertainment Group also agreed to release the city from a $17 million (out of $20 million) sponsorship agreement.[29][30][31]

Notable events

• The 1975 Skate Canada International.
• Gymnastics in the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
• The 1981 Canada Cup, along with three other venues in Canada.
• Games 1 & 2 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals.
• The 1984 Canada Cup, along with six other venues in Canada and the United States.
• Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals.
• Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals.
• Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals.
• Games 1, 2, and 5 of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals.
• The 1989 National Hockey League All-Star Game.
• Games 3 and 4 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals.
• The 1994 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
• The 1995 NHL Entry Draft.
• The 1995 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, along with 12 other venues in Alberta.
• The 1996 World Figure Skating Championships.
• The 1999, 2005, and 2013 Tim Hortons Briers.
• Toronto Raptors preseason games in 1999 and 2008[32]
• The 2004 Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced by World Wrestling Entertainment.
• The 2004 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
• Games 3, 4, and 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.
• The 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
• The 2008 CHL Top Prospects Game.
• The 2008 National Lacrosse League All Star Game.
• The PBR's Built Ford Tough Series held an event at the venue on the weekend of July 25–26, 2008.
• The 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials.
• YC Alberta 2010 sold out the arena for the entire weekend with around 17500 people in attendance.
• The 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (in December 2011), along with the Scotiabank Saddledome.
• Last NHL game on April 6, 2016
• The 2017 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
• Matches of the 2017 Davis Cup tie between Canada and India.

Live recordings

The following bands recorded live performances in the arena:

• ABBA started their North American tour here in 1979, and part of the tour documentary was recorded here.
• Trooper filmed their single "3 Dressed Up As a 9" from their album Flying Colors on November 9, 1979, at the arena.[33]
• Billy Graham videotaped his 1980 Northern Alberta crusade at the arena, which also featured a young Amy Grant as a musical guest.
• Dottie West recorded her 1983 Showtime special Dottie West: Full Circle with the Alberta Orchestra at the arena, which also featured Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, John Schneider, David Frizzell and Shelly West in August 1982.
• Rush performed at the arena on June 25, 1981; two songs from this concert were included on the 2012 reissue of their album 2112.
• Yes filmed their 9012Live video at the arena. Portions of this show also appeared on the 9012Live: The Solos live album. Both the video and live album were released in 1985.
• Nickelback filmed their 2002 concert video Live at Home at the arena.
• Our Lady Peace recorded part of their 2003 record Live at the arena.
• Michael W. Smith recorded his live "Worship" DVD at YC Alberta.
• Corb Lund recorded his 2007 concert on video during the course of the Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! tour.
• Thousand Foot Krutch filmed their concert at YC Alberta on May 28, 2010, at the arena.
• Metallica filmed part of their film Through the Never film during their two nights at the arena on August 17 and 18, 2012.
• Demi Lovato's performance at the arena on October 4, 2014, was filmed for a DVD release.
• Sixx:A.M. filmed their live video for "We Will Not Go Quietly" at the arena during their September 17, 2016 show.

See also

• List of Commonwealth Games venues

References

1. "Rexall Place". Retrieved July 30, 2019.
2. Jones, Terry (April 16, 2014). "City, Katz Group, PCL working together to deliver world-class arena on approved budget". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
3. Markusoff, Jason (March 25, 2008). "Door Not Quite Shut on Provincial Aid". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
4. Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. January 18, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019. and 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
5. Marquette University Law School's NHL Arenas Finances
6. "Edmonton Oilers, Rexall Place". Design Intelligence. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
7. Association of Consulting Engineering Companies
8. "Initial Bids For Coliseum Announced". Edmonton Journal. March 10, 1973. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
9. SE Johnson
10. Braid, Tom. "Booking acts in Edmonton wasn't easy in the early days of the Northlands Coliseum," Edmonton Sun, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2020
11. Osman, Laura (February 17, 2016). "Northlands hopes to reinvent itself with $165M in renovations". CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC News Edmonton. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
12. Hetherington, Mike (April 6, 2016). "Messier on Rexall Place: Time doesn't stand still". TSN. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
13. Zoltak, James (October 12, 1998). "Skyreach Equipment Ltd. Purchases Naming Rights At Edmonton Coliseum". Amusement Business. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
14. "Oilers' Skyreach Centre Renamed". CBC Sports. November 20, 2003. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
15. Parrish, Julia (August 8, 2016). "Rexall Place sign removed after 13 years". CTV Edmonton. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
16. "Edmonton Oil Kings to host 2008 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Hockey's Future. March 28, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
17. "Oilers Hope Change is Good". National Post. September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
18. Tychkowski, Robert (April 6, 2016). "Edmonton Oilers dominate Vancouver Canucks in final game at Rexall Place". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
19. "Rexall Place". Ballparks.com. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
20. http://www.whiteway.com/SportsCustomers.html
21. "Good things come in Threes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
22. Kent, Gordon (February 12, 2014). "Downtown arena gets green light for $480M". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
23. "Rogers Place arena opens in downtown Edmonton to great fanfare". Global News Edmonton. September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
24. Kent, Gordon (April 8, 2011). "Northlands vows Rexall Place will stay open despite new arena". Edmonton Journal. canada.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
25. Ramsay, Caley (February 17, 2016). "Cost of transforming Rexall Place into two-level ice facility pegged at $85M". Global News. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
26. Solte, Elise (August 31, 2016). "Edmonton Northlands finds public support for Vision 2020". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
27. Stolte, Elise (May 30, 2017). "Council postpones vote on Hockey Canada's Coliseum plan". Edmonton Journal.
28. Johnston, Scott (May 30, 2017). "Council postpones decision on working with Hockey Canada at Northlands Coliseum". Global News. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
29. Stolte, Elsie (September 13, 2017). "Decision to shutter Northlands Coliseum means demolition on the table". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
30. "Northlands Coliseum will close permanently at end of this year". CBC News. September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
31. Kornik, Slav (September 13, 2017). "Edmonton's Northlands Coliseum closing its doors in January". Global News. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
32. "Raptors Face Nuggets In Edmonton In Pre-Season Tilt". National Basketball Association. July 30, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3uH-vamqJg

External links

• Official website

Events and tenants
Preceded by St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland	Host of the World Curling Championships 2017	Succeeded by Orleans Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Preceded by Edmonton Gardens	Home of the Edmonton Oilers 1974–2016	Succeeded by Rogers Place
Preceded by an indoor arena in Red Deer, Alberta	Host of YC Alberta 2000 – 2016	Succeeded by Enmax Centrium, Red Deer, Alberta
First Arena	Home of the Edmonton Oil Kings 2007–2016	Succeeded by Rogers Place
Preceded by Ottawa Civic Centre	Home of the Edmonton Rush 2006–2015	Succeeded by SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon
Preceded by Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon	Host of the Tim Hortons Brier 2013	Succeeded by Interior Savings Centre, Kamloops
Preceded by HSBC Arena & Dwyer Arena, New York	Host of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships along with Scotiabank Saddledome 2012	Succeeded by Ufa Arena & Ufa Ice Palace, Russia
Preceded by Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Quebec	Host of the CHL Top Prospects Game 2008	Succeeded by General Motors Centre, Oshawa
Preceded by Halifax Metro Centre	Host of the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials 2009	Succeeded by MTS Centre, Winnipeg
Preceded by Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon	Host of the National Lacrosse League All-Star Game 2008	Succeeded by Pepsi Center, Denver
Preceded by Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, Massachusetts	Host of the World Curling Championships 2007	Succeeded by Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, North Dakota
First Arena	Home of the Edmonton Drillers (CMISL) 2007	Succeeded by Servus Credit Union Place, St. Albert, Alberta
Preceded by Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon	Host of the Tim Hortons Brier 2005	Succeeded by Brandt Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan
Preceded by Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto	Home of the Edmonton Road Runners 2004–2005	Succeeded by Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City
Preceded by Worcester's Centrum Centre, Massachusetts	Host of the WWE Backlash 2004	Succeeded by Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Preceded by an indoor arena in Chicago	Home of the Edmonton Drillers (NPSL) 1996–2000	Dissolved
Preceded by Winnipeg Arena	Host of the Labatt Brier 1999	Succeeded by Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon
Preceded by National Indoor Arena, Birmingham	Host of the World Figure Skating Championships 1996	Succeeded by CIG de Malley, Lausanne, Switzerland
First Arena	Home of the Edmonton Sled Dogs 1994	Succeeded by Orlando Arena
Preceded by St. Louis Arena	Host of the NHL All-Star Game 1989	Succeeded by Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Preceded by Edmonton Gardens	Home of the Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) 1974–1976	Succeeded by Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon