Operator Northlands Phone +1 780-471-7210 | Owner Northlands Capacity 16,839 | |
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Former names Northlands Coliseum (1974–1995)Edmonton Coliseum (1995–1998)Skyreach Centre (1998–2003)Rexall Place (2003–2016) Public transit Edmonton LRT (Coliseum)Edmonton Transit System (5, 8, 10, 99, 127, 141, 142, 318) Field size 497,700 square feet (46,240 m) Similar Scotiabank Saddledome, Rogers Place, Rexall Place, Rogers Arena, MTS Centre | ||
Northlands Coliseum, or simply the Coliseum, is an indoor arena located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, situated on the north side of Northlands. It 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.
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The arena hosted the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments, the 1978 Commonwealth Games, seven Stanley Cup finals (loss captained by Lee Fogolin in 1982–1983 to the New York Islanders; victories captained by Wayne Gretzky in 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88; victory captained by Mark Messier in 1989–90; and a loss captained by Jason Smith in 2005–2006 to the Carolina Hurricanes), many other hockey events, along with other sporting events and major concerts.
The final NHL game was played at the Coliseum on April 6, 2016. Northlands Coliseum is expected to continue operating as a concert venue and then as a venue for minor-league sports.
History
Housing the World Hockey Association Oilers, Northlands Coliseum opened on November 10, 1974, named after the nonprofit organization that still owns the arena today. Then it became the Edmonton Coliseum in 1995, and Skyreach Centre in 1998, before changing to Rexall Place on November 20, 2003, when its naming rights were purchased by the Rexall medicine company, a subsidiary of Katz Group Canada. The Katz Group later purchased the Oilers and the Oil Kings. When the naming rights expired on August 31, 2016, the name reverted back to Northlands Coliseum.
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 World Wrestling Entertainment 2004 Backlash pay per view, and the CHL Top Prospects Game in 2008. Annual events include the Canadian Finals Rodeo and the Christian Conference, YC Alberta.
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.
The Oilers' last game at the Coliseum was April 6, 2016, against the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers won 6-2; the last NHL goal was scored by Oiler Leon Draisaitl. After the game, many former and current Edmonton Oilers gathered at centre ice for a farewell ceremony for the arena.
Arena information
The official capacity for hockey is currently 16,839, which is 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) not capable of seating more 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 can also be noisy, as noise levels have reached 119 dB during playoff games.
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 current centre-hung scoreboard, designed by White Way Sign, features eight message boards at the top and four video screens at the bottom, separated by LED rings. The arena also features 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.
Future
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 18,641. Northlands stated that the old arena would remain open. On February 17, 2016, Northlands unveiled plans to convert Northlands Coliseum into a multi-level ice facility.
Notable events
Live recordings
The following bands recorded live performances in the arena: