Northlands Coliseum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Northlands Coliseum

The House That Gretzky Built
Exterior view of Northlands Coliseum (c.2010)
Former names	Northlands Coliseum (1974–1995, 2016–2017) Edmonton Coliseum (1995–1998) Skyreach Centre (1998–2003) Rexall Place (2003–2016)
Address	7424 118 Avenue
Location	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Public transit	Coliseum station
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: $135.5 million in 2021 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 (WCHL) 1974–1976 Edmonton Drillers (NASL) 1980–1982 Edmonton Skyhawks (NBL) 1993–1994 Edmonton Sled Dogs (RHI) 1994 Edmonton Drillers (NPSL) 1996–2000 Edmonton Road Runners (AHL) 2004–2005 Edmonton Rush (NLL) 2006–2015 Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 2007–2016 Edmonton Drillers (CMISL) 2007

Northlands Coliseum was a famous indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was a popular spot for many sports games and concerts. The arena was home to the Edmonton Oilers hockey team for many years. They played in both the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) there. The Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) also called it home.

The arena first opened in 1974. Over the years, it was known by different names. These names included Edmonton Coliseum, Skyreach Centre, and Rexall Place. It went back to being called Northlands Coliseum in 2016.

This arena hosted many exciting events. It saw the 1978 Commonwealth Games and several Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers won the Stanley Cup five times while playing there! It also hosted many other hockey games, sports events, and big concerts.

The last NHL game at the arena was on April 6, 2016. The building officially closed on January 1, 2018. The City of Edmonton took over ownership from Northlands. There were ideas to turn it into a new ice facility. However, it was too expensive to renovate. The building is now being taken apart, a process that started in 2022. It is expected to be fully gone by 2025.

History of the Coliseum

Skyreach Centre in 2001

Northlands Coliseum opened in 1974. It was built to replace an older arena called Edmonton Gardens. The Edmonton Oilers' owners first wanted to build their own arena. But they decided to work with the Edmonton Exhibition Association (now Northlands). This group already ran Edmonton Gardens.

The new arena had 16,000 seats. It was designed using similar plans to Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Building it was a big job, and there were some delays. Strikes by workers and late seat deliveries caused problems. But the arena was ready for the Oilers' first home game on November 10, 1974. Visitors and sports writers loved it. A big opening celebration happened on July 1, 1975.

By the early 1990s, the Coliseum needed updates. Newer NHL arenas had more modern features like luxury boxes. The Oilers' owner, Peter Pocklington, wanted more control over the arena. He wanted to add luxury boxes and get all the money from events. In 1994, he made a deal with Northlands. This deal meant the Oilers had to stay in Edmonton for 10 years.

In 1997, a group of local investors bought the Oilers. This group was called the Edmonton Investors Group. Northlands got control of the Coliseum back. The Oilers agreed to pay for running the arena and a small rent. In return, they got money from hockey games and could sell the arena's naming rights. In 1998, it was renamed Skyreach Centre. This happened after a deal with Skyreach Equipment.

In 2003, the pharmacy company Rexall bought the naming rights. The arena then became known as Rexall Place. Later, Rexall's parent company, Katz Group, bought both the Oilers and the Oil Kings teams.

Rexall Place logo, 2003 to 2016

Before the 2007–08 season, the Oilers' locker room got a big upgrade. It cost $3.5 million. The room became wider and included new medical, lounge, and video rooms. It also added a bar and a weight room.

The New Arena and Closure

The Coliseum was one of the oldest and smallest arenas in the NHL. So, in 2010, there was a plan for a new arena for the Oilers. An agreement was made in 2012 to build Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton. Construction began in 2014, and the new arena opened in September 2016. It has more seats, with a capacity of 18,347.

The Oilers played their last game at Rexall Place on April 6, 2016. They won against the Vancouver Canucks 6–2. A special ceremony was held after the game. Northlands kept the old arena open for a while. Some concerts and sports events still happened there.

Northlands had ideas to turn the Coliseum into a multi-level ice facility. They even thought about partnering with Hockey Canada. But it turned out that fixing up the old building would cost more than building a new one.

The disused Northlands Coliseum in 2021

As more big events moved to Rogers Place, Northlands lost 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. This happened on January 1, 2018. The Coliseum stopped operating permanently on that date.

Even though some people wanted to use the Coliseum for sports, the city's agreement with the Oilers group stopped this. The city could not invest more money in the building. It also could not use it for sports or entertainment. Plans were made to tear down the Coliseum.

On December 12, 2022, the Edmonton City Council voted to demolish the building. It cost $1.5 million each year just to keep the empty building safe. The demolition is expected to cost $35 million over four years. It is not expected to be finished until 2025 at the earliest.

Arena Features

Rexall Place at night

When the arena closed, it could hold 16,839 fans for hockey games. This was a bit less than its earlier capacity of 17,100. It was one of the few NHL arenas with fewer than 17,000 seats. When it first opened, it had 15,423 seats. More seats were added over time. In 1994, a big renovation reduced seating to add 52 luxury suites. Fifteen more suites were added in 2001. The arena was also known for being very loud during playoff games. Noise levels could reach 119 decibels!

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 had a black-and-white dot matrix screen. 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.

The Coliseum was also the last NHL arena where the player benches were on the same side as the TV cameras. In most other arenas, the cameras are on the side with the scorekeepers and penalty boxes.

Memorable Events

The Coliseum hosted many exciting events over its history:

• The 1975 Skate Canada International figure skating competition.
• Gymnastics events during the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
• ABBA started their 1979 North American Tour here.
• The 1981 Canada Cup and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments.
• Many Stanley Cup Finals games, including Oilers victories in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990.
• The 1989 National Hockey League All-Star Game.
• The 1995 NHL Entry Draft, where new players are chosen by teams.
• Games for the 1995 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
• The 1996 World Figure Skating Championships.
• WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown wrestling shows.
• The 2004 Backlash professional wrestling event.
• The 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
• The 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
• The last NHL game played there on April 6, 2016.
• The 2017 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.

Live Music and Recordings

Many famous bands and artists performed and even recorded live shows at the arena:

• ABBA filmed part of their 1979 tour documentary here.
• Trooper filmed their music video "3 Dressed Up As a 9" in 1979.
• Billy Graham videotaped his 1980 Northern Alberta crusade.
• Rush performed in 1981, with two songs from that show on their 2112 album reissue.
• Yes filmed their 9012Live video in 1984.
• Nickelback filmed their 2002 concert video Live at Home here.
• Our Lady Peace recorded part of their 2003 album Live.
• Metallica filmed parts of their Through the Never movie during their concerts in 2012.
• Demi Lovato's 2014 performance was filmed for a DVD.

See also

In Spanish: Rexall Place para niños

• List of Commonwealth Games venues