Winnipeg Arena
| Winnipeg Arena | |
|---|---|
|
Ol 'Barn on Maroons Road White House |
|
| Data | |
| place |
 Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada
|
| Coordinates | 49 ° 53 '13 " N , 97 ° 11' 52" W |
| owner | Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation |
| operator | Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation |
| start of building | October 19, 1954 |
| opening | October 18, 1955 |
| First game | October 18, 1955 |
| Renovations | 1979, 1998 |
| demolition | March 26, 2006 |
| costs | 2.5 million CAD |
| architect | Moody and Moore Architects |
| capacity | 10,100 to 15,393 (ice hockey) |
| Societies) | |
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The Winnipeg Arena was mainly used for ice hockey games used multi-purpose arena in Winnipeg , in the Canadian province of Manitoba . The arena was in the Maroons Road 1430, compared to the Canadian Football stadium Canad Inns Stadium , north of the Polo Park Shopping Center . Construction on Ol 'Barn on Maroons Road began on October 19, 1954, and the building was completed a year later. On November 7, 2004, the arena was closed as it was replaced by a new and more modern ice rink, the MTS Center , which ultimately led to the demolition of the Winnipeg Arena on March 26, 2006 .
history
When the arena was opened on October 18, 1955 with the WHL game of the Winnipeg Warriors against the Calgary Stampeders , it offered 10,100 spectators in what was then Canada's third largest city. Most of the construction costs of 2.5 million Canadian dollars got the Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation , owner and operator of the arena, from the city of Winnipeg borrowed. The first main tenant of the hall from 1955 to 1961 were the Winnipeg Warriors from the professional ice hockey league Western Hockey League, followed by the Winnipeg Monarchs from the junior league of the same name , who played their home games here between 1967 and 1977.
The most famous tenants of the arena, however, were the Winnipeg Jets from 1972 to 1996 , which first played in the World Hockey Association and later in the National Hockey League . Until the franchise moved to Glendale , Arizona , the Jets played their home games here. The new main tenant from 1996 was the Manitoba Moose from the International Hockey League , which had previously been based in Saint Paul in the state of Minnesota as Minnesota Moose . The Manitoba Moose played in the Winnipeg Arena until 2004, but have played their home games in the new MTS Center since November 2004 .
The third of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR , which ended in a 4-4 draw, took place at the Winnipeg Arena. Other users of the arena were the Winnipeg Warriors from the Western Hockey League , who used the stadium from 1980 to 1984, and the Winnipeg Thunder from 1992 to 1994 from the World Basketball League .
An initial renovation of the arena took place in 1979, increasing the original audience capacity to 15,393. At the request of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba , Francis Lawrence Jobin , Gilbert Burch made a painting of Queen Elizabeth II for this renovation , which was attached to the roof of the stadium. The 5 × 7 meter painting is one of the largest portraits of the Queen ever made. In another renovation in 1998, two years after the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Arizona, the Queen's painting was removed to make way for banners for the 1999 Pan American Games . In addition, the audience capacity was reduced to 13,985 as new seats and a lounge were installed.
The arena was nicknamed “White House” by the locals themselves, due to the all-white clad fans of the Winnipeg Jets for play-off games.
Closure and demolition
With the opening of the more modern MTS Center on November 16, 2004, the Winnipeg Arena was no longer needed and its CAD 1.45 million demolition of the now vacant hall, which was borne by the City of Winnipeg , was approved. The last event at the Winnipeg Arena was on November 7, 2004. On the morning of March 26, 2006, the arena was to be demolished for good, with hundreds of ice hockey fans gathering in front of the stadium and singing “Go Jets Go” when the former Winnipeg Jets venue was blown up. However, the dynamite used was not enough to bring down the entire structure of the arena, and the rest of the building only fell later with the help of excavators.
The site of the former Winnipeg Arena was purchased by Ontrea Inc. (Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan Board) for CAD 3.6 million and currently serves as a parking lot for fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , who play their home games in the football stadium opposite. A building with retail and office space will later be built on the site.
Web links
- hockey.ballparks.com: Winnipeg Arena