Stampede Corral

The Stampede Corral is a multi-purpose venue (ice hockey, rodeo, tennis) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located on the grounds of Stampede Park, the arena was completed in 1950 at a cost of C$1.25 million ($13.3 million today) to replace Victoria Arena as the home of the Calgary Stampeders minor professional hockey club (not to be confused with the present-day Canadian Football League team of the same name), which hosted their Western Hockey League games for years. The Corral was built and is still owned by the not-for-profit Calgary Exhibition & Stampede organization, which leases the underlying land at $1/year from the city of Calgary. Seating 6,475, plus standing room, it is still used for the annual Calgary Stampede, with a variety of entertainment events in each year's daily ENMAX Corral Show.[2][3]

Stampede Corral
Location10 Corral Trail SE
Calgary, AB T2G 2W1
Canada
OwnerCalgary Exhibition & Stampede
Capacity7,475
Construction
OpenedDecember 15, 1950
Closed2020
DemolishedOctober 2020 - March 2021[1]

In March 2016, the Calgary Stampede organization announced plans to demolish the Stampede Corral to make way for a $500 million expansion of the adjacent BMO Centre. Stampede officials said that the Corral was no longer up to code, and it wouldn't have been worth the expense to renovate it.[4][5]

At the time of construction, the Stampede Corral was the largest arena in Canada west of Toronto, and the first in the region without support columns obscuring the lines of sight.[4] It was officially opened on December 15, 1950. The first hockey game was held at the Corral on December 26, as the Stampeders defeated the Edmonton Flyers 5–0 in a Western Canada Senior Hockey League game before a standing-room-only crowd of 8,729. The following musicians from Alberta performed there: Joni Mitchell in '64, Loverboy in '80; Tegan and Sara in '05.

The Stampede Corral has hosted several major events, including the 1972 World Figure Skating Championships, the figure skating and ice hockey events at the 1988 Winter Olympics, as well as rodeo competitions.[6] The Corral is also a frequent venue for the Canada Davis Cup team, with Canada holding a 5–0 all-time record in the Corral in this international tennis challenge. Most recently, Canada defeated Mexico 4–1 in the 2008 tournament.

For years, the Stampede Corral played host to special wrestling supershows promoted by Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, particularly during the Calgary Stampede. Stampede Wrestling is known for having featured some of the biggest names in pro wrestling history prior to its purchase by World Wrestling Federation in 1984, including Bret Hart, Archie Gouldie, Dan Kroffat and Jake Roberts. World Wrestling Entertainment has also used the Corral numerous times for non-televised house shows.

On November 20, 2016, the last Disney On Ice show was canceled at the last minute, with no reason cited for the cancellation. However, Disney did offer refunds.[7]

The Stampede Corral houses one of Canada's most extensive private sports photo collections on public display – part of the Calgary Stampede Archives collection. A significant restoration of this photo collection, taking two years and costing over $75,000, was underway in 2016.[5]

Former tenants
Team League Years Notes
Calgary StampedersVarious1950–72
Calgary CentennialsWCHL1966–77
Calgary CowboysWHA1975–77
Calgary WranglersWHL1977–87
Calgary BoomersNASL1980–81
Calgary FlamesNHL1980–83
Calgary 88'sWBL1988–92
Calgary DrillersABA2004Folded after five home games
Calgary United F.C.CMISL2007
Calgary HitmenWHL1995-1996, 1998, 2016 and 2019Used as an auxiliary home to the Saddledome when unavailable or for commemorative events.[8]
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References

Media related to Stampede Corral at Wikimedia Commons

  1. Dippel, Scott (2020-06-17). "Preparations to demolish Stampede Corral now underway". CBC News. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. "Salé and Pelletier to headline the 2011 ENMAX Ice Show". Calgary Stampede. June 2, 2011. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  3. "Enmax Corral Show - Calgary Stampede 2012". 2012. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  4. "Stampede Corral to be demolished if $500M BMO Centre expansion". CBC News. 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  5. Francis, Eric (2016-03-31). "Saying goodbye to the Corral, Calgary's grand dame of an arena". Calgary Sun. Postmedia Network. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  6. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Part 1. pp. 160-3.
  7. "Parents say Disney on Ice show cancelled without notice". CTV News Calgary. 21 November 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  8. "Hitmen Unveil Plans For Corral Series".
Preceded by
Omni Coliseum		 Home of the
Calgary Flames
1980–1983		 Succeeded by
Olympic Saddledome
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