Northlands Coliseum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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)
Field size	497,700 sq ft (46,240 m2)
Construction
Broke ground	November 3, 1972
Opened	November 10, 1974
Renovated	1994, 2001, 2007
Closed	January 1, 2018
Construction cost	C$17.3 million ($93.5 million in 2021 dollars ) Renovations: 1994: $14 million ($23.1 million in 2021 dollars } 2001: $10 million ($14.5 million in 2021 dollars } 2007: $3.5 million ($4.44 million in 2021 dollars } Total cost: $127.7 million in 2018 dollars
Architect	Phillips, Barrett, Hillier, Jones Partners Wynn, Forbes, Lord, Feldberg & Schmidt
Structural engineer	Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
General contractor	Batoni Bowlen Enterprises
Main contractors	SE Johnson Ltd. (mechanical)
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)

Northlands Coliseum, often called the Coliseum, is a large indoor building in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was a popular place for sports games and concerts. For many years, it was the home of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team from the National Hockey League (NHL). It also hosted the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

The arena first opened in 1974. Over the years, it had different names like Edmonton Coliseum, Skyreach Centre, and Rexall Place. In 2016, it went back to its original name, Northlands Coliseum. This building was designed by the same people who designed Pacific Coliseum.

Northlands Coliseum hosted many big events. These included the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments. It also saw seven Stanley Cup finals, with the Oilers winning five times there. Many other hockey games, sports events, and major concerts took place in this arena. The last NHL game was played here on April 6, 2016. The building officially closed on January 1, 2018.

History of the Coliseum

Skyreach Centre in 2001

The Northlands Coliseum first opened its doors on November 10, 1974. It was built to be the home of the World Hockey Association Oilers. The very first concert held there was on November 30, 1974, featuring the famous singer Stevie Wonder.

Over time, the arena's name changed several times. In 1995, it became the Edmonton Coliseum. Then, in 1998, it was renamed Skyreach Centre. On November 20, 2003, it became Rexall Place. This happened because the Rexall pharmacy company bought the rights to have their name on the building. The company that owned Rexall later bought the Oilers and the Oil Kings teams. When the naming rights ended on August 31, 2016, the arena's name changed back to Northlands Coliseum.

Hosting Major Hockey Events

The arena was a key location for many important hockey tournaments. It hosted games for the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments. This included Game 2 of the 1984 finals between Canada and Sweden.

In 1995, the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were held across Alberta. The Edmonton Coliseum was one of the main venues. It hosted several games, including Canada's 6–3 win over Finland on New Year's Day. The arena was also used for the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Other Sports and Entertainment

Besides hockey, the Coliseum hosted many other exciting events. It was a venue for several sports during the 1978 Commonwealth Games. It also played a part in the 1983 Universiade, which are like the Olympics for university students.

The arena also welcomed professional wrestling. It hosted the 2004 WWE Backlash event. In 2008, it was the site of the CHL Top Prospects Game, where young hockey players show off their skills.

Rexall Place logo, 2003 to 2016

Before the 2007–08 hockey season, the Oilers' dressing room got a big upgrade. It cost $3.5 million to make the room wider and add new facilities. These included a medical room, a lounge, a bar, a video room, and a weight room.

The last NHL game played by the Oilers at Rexall Place was on April 6, 2016. They played against the Vancouver Canucks and won 6–2. The very last NHL goal scored in the arena was by Oilers player Leon Draisaitl. After the game, there was a special ceremony. Many current and past Oilers players were there to say goodbye to their old home.

Arena Features and Design

Rexall Place at night

When the arena closed, its official capacity for hockey games was 16,839 fans. This was a bit less than the 17,100 people it could hold before the 2001–02 NHL season. When it first opened, it could hold 15,423 people. More seats were added later, bringing the capacity to over 17,000.

In 1994, the arena had a big renovation. Some seats were removed to make space for 52 luxury suites. These are special private boxes for watching games. In 2001, 15 more suites were added. The arena was known for being very loud during playoff games. The noise levels could reach 119 decibels, which is very high!

Northlands Coliseum was the first NHL arena in Canada to have a scoreboard hanging in the middle. This scoreboard had an electronic message board. The original scoreboard was black and white. In 1987, it was replaced with a color screen. Then, in 1994, an eight-sided scoreboard with four video screens was installed. The last scoreboard had eight message boards and four video screens.

One unique thing about the Coliseum was that the player benches were on the same side as the TV cameras. In almost all other NHL arenas, the TV cameras are on the opposite side, where the scorekeepers and penalty boxes are.

The Coliseum's Closure

The Northlands Coliseum was getting old and was one of the smaller NHL arenas. Because of this, the Katz Group, who owned the Oilers, suggested building a new arena in 2010. In January 2012, they agreed with the City of Edmonton to build Rogers Place in Downtown Edmonton.

Construction on Rogers Place began in March 2014. It opened in September 2016 and can hold 18,347 people. Northlands had planned to keep the old arena open. They even thought about turning it into a multi-level ice facility. However, they found that fixing up the old Coliseum would cost more than building a brand new one.

As more big concerts and events moved to the new Rogers Place, Northlands started losing money. This made it hard for them to pay back a loan from the City. On September 13, 2017, the City of Edmonton agreed to take over the arena from Northlands. This change happened on January 1, 2018. The Coliseum stopped operating permanently on that date. What will happen to the building in the future is still being decided.

Memorable Events at the Coliseum

The Northlands Coliseum hosted many exciting events over its history:

• The 1975 Skate Canada International figure skating competition.
• Gymnastics events during the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
• Games for the 1981 Canada Cup and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments.
• Several games of the Stanley Cup Finals, including:
  • Games 1 & 2 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals.
  • 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.
  • Games 3 and 4 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals.
  • Games 3, 4, and 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.
• The 1989 National Hockey League All-Star Game.
• The 1994 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
• The 1995 NHL Entry Draft, where new players are chosen by NHL teams.
• Games for the 1995 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
• The 1996 World Figure Skating Championships.
• Major curling events like the 1999, 2005, and 2013 Tim Hortons Brier.
• Toronto Raptors preseason basketball games in 1999 and 2008.
• The 2004 Backlash professional wrestling event.
• The 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
• The 2008 CHL Top Prospects Game.
• The 2008 National Lacrosse League All Star Game.
• A PBR event in July 2008.
• The 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials.
• YC Alberta 2010, a large youth conference.
• The 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
• The last NHL game on April 6, 2016.
• The 2017 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
• Matches of the 2017 Davis Cup tennis tie between Canada and India.

Live Recordings at the Coliseum

Many famous bands and artists recorded live performances at the Northlands Coliseum:

• ABBA started their North American tour here in 1979. Part of their tour documentary was filmed at the arena.
• Trooper filmed their music video for "3 Dressed Up As a 9" in 1979.
• Billy Graham recorded his 1980 Northern Alberta crusade here. Young Amy Grant was a musical guest.
• Dottie West recorded her 1983 TV special Dottie West: Full Circle in the arena.
• Rush performed here on June 25, 1981. Two songs from this concert were on their 2012 2112 reissue.
• Yes filmed their 9012Live video at the arena.
• Nickelback filmed their 2002 concert video Live at Home here.
• Our Lady Peace recorded part of their 2003 album Live at the arena.
• Michael W. Smith recorded his live "Worship" DVD at YC Alberta.
• Corb Lund filmed his 2007 concert video during his Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! tour.
• Thousand Foot Krutch filmed their concert at YC Alberta in May 2010.
• Metallica filmed parts of their movie Through the Never during their two shows in August 2012.
• Demi Lovato's performance on October 4, 2014, was filmed for a DVD.
• Sixx:A.M. filmed their live video for "We Will Not Go Quietly" in September 2016.

Images for kids

• 

  The disused Northlands Coliseum in 2021

See also

In Spanish: Rexall Place para niños