Rexall Place

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Lore & Background

The Coliseum opened in 1974 as a replacement for the aging Edmonton Gardens. While the Edmonton Oilers' ownership group, including Charles Allard, had initially pursued to construct their own arena, they backtracked and partnered with the Edmonton Exhibition Association (EEA, now Northlands) after they expressed concern that Allard's proposed arena would 'greatly impact and damage' the organization. The 16,000-seat arena used the same architect and plans as Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. The final months of construction hit several setbacks, and the last batch of 5,000 seats arrived only shortly before its inaugural event—the Oilers' home opener on November 10, 1974, against the Cleveland Crusaders. By the early-1990s, the Coliseum had begun to lag behind newer NHL arenas. In 1994, team owner Peter Pocklington reached a rent agreement with Northlands valued at $2.8 million per-year, containing clauses requiring the Oilers to remain in Edmonton for 10 years, and requiring that the team be offered to local investors for a fixed price of US$70 million within 30 days if a current or proposed owner announces an intent to re-locate the team. In 1997, a proposed sale to Leslie Alexander triggered the clause, resulting in the Edmonton Investors Group (EIG) being formed to purchase the team. Northlands regained control of the Coliseum, with the Oilers agreeing to pay operational costs and $1 in rent per-year, in exchange for being able to receive revenue from hockey games and designated parking spots, and being able to sell naming rights. In October 1998, the Coliseum was renamed Skyreach Centre after a naming rights agreement with Skyreach Equipment. In November 2003, the naming rights were acquired by the pharmacy chain Rexall, under which it was renamed Rexall Place. Before the 2007–08 season, the Oilers dressing room underwent a $3.5 million renovation.

In Their Own Story

On April 6, 2016, the final NHL game at the arena took place as the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6–2. Leon Draisaitl scored the last NHL goal in the building's history during a ceremony featuring past and present players. Although Northlands initially planned to convert the facility into a multi-level ice center or a Hockey Canada Centre of Excellence, these plans were scrapped after finding renovation costs exceeded new construction. Revenue declines as events moved to Rogers Place left the non-profit unable to repay a city loan used for the 2009 Edmonton Expo Centre expansion. Consequently, the City of Edmonton took over ownership on January 1, 2018, and permanently ceased operations. In December 2022, City Council voted to demolish the structure at a cost of $35 million due to the $1.5 million annual upkeep required for the empty building.

Reader's Guide

The arena hosted the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup hockey tournaments, 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 expected to begin in summer 2026, and be completed by 2028.

Did You Know?

• The arena was the first NHL arena in Canada to have a centre-hung scoreboard with an electronic message board.
• Noise levels during playoff games reached 119 decibels.
• The Coliseum was the last NHL arena with the player benches on the opposite side from the TV cameras.
• The official capacity for hockey when the arena closed was 16,839.