Northlands Coliseum
"The House That Gretzky Built" | |
Exterior view of Rexall Place (c.2010) | |
| Former names | Northlands Coliseum (1974–1995, 2016–) 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 | 46,240 m2 (497,700 sq ft) |
| 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 (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) | |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Northlands Coliseum is a defunct indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, on the north side of Northlands. It was used for sports events and concerts, and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and 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, before returning to the Northlands Coliseum name in summer 2016.
The arena hosted the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments, the 1978 Commonwealth Games, seven Stanley Cup finals (Oilers losses in 1983 and 2006, and Oilers victories in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990), many other hockey events, along with other sporting events and major concerts.
The final NHL game played at the arena was on April 6, 2016. The building closed on New Year's Day 2018, after ownership of the facility was transferred from Northlands to the City of Edmonton. Northlands had planned to re-develop the arena into a multi-level ice facility, but these plans were scrapped after it was found that renovating the facility would be more costly than building a new one altogether.
The venue is now in the process of being dismantled, which is expected to take an extended period of time due to the presence of hazardous substances such as lead and asbestos. Final demolition of the building is not expected to be completed until 2025 at the earliest.