Wikipedia

Rogers Place

Not to be confused with Rogers Arena in Vancouver, or Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Rogers Place is a multi-use indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Construction started in March 2014, and the building officially opened on September 8, 2016. The arena has a seating capacity of 18,347 as a hockey venue and 20,734 as a concert venue.[12]

Rogers Place
Rogers Place in 2024
Rogers Place is located in Edmonton
Rogers Place
Rogers Place
Location in Edmonton
Rogers Place is located in Alberta
Rogers Place
Rogers Place
Location in Alberta
Rogers Place is located in Canada
Rogers Place
Rogers Place
Location in Canada
Address10220 104 Avenue NW
LocationEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Coordinates53°32′49″N 113°29′52″W / 53.54694°N 113.49778°W / 53.54694; -113.49778
Public transitEdmonton Transit System Light rail interchangeMetro Line MacEwan station
Bus interchange  7   110X   500X 
OwnerCity of Edmonton
OperatorOilers Entertainment Group[1]
Capacity
Field size1,110,900 sq ft (103,210 m2)
SurfaceMulti-Surface
Scoreboard14 m × 14 m × 11 m (46 ft × 46 ft × 36 ft)[2]
Construction
Broke groundMarch 3, 2014[3]
BuiltMarch 2014–September 2016
OpenedSeptember 8, 2016
Construction costCA$483.5 million
($592 million in 2023 dollars[4])
Architect
Project managerICON Venue Group[7]
Structural engineer
Services engineerM-E Engineers, Inc.[6]
General contractorPCL Construction[9]
Main contractorsPCL Construction[10]
Tenants
Website
rogersplace.com

It replaced Northlands Coliseum (opened 1974) as the home of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers and the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings. The arena is in the block between 102 and 104 Streets and 104 and 105 Avenues. Public transit access to the arena is provided by the Edmonton LRT system (MacEwan station on the Metro Line) and Edmonton Transit Service bus.

Development

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Rogers Place in April 2017 during a 2017 Stanley Cup playoff game versus the San Jose Sharks.
 
Rogers Place in September 2016 during a pre-season Oilers game versus the Calgary Flames.

The arena building was initially estimated to cost $450 million. The City of Edmonton was to pay $125 million, the Katz Group of Companies was to contribute $100 million, and $125 million was to be paid from a user-paid facility fee.[13] The remaining money was expected to come from the province or federal agencies.[14] Estimated cost then increased substantially during continued discussions to an estimated price of $483.5 million for the arena, and $613.7 million ($751 million in 2023 dollars[4]) for the entire project.[15]

On October 26, 2011, the Edmonton City Council approved a funding framework for the arena by a vote of 10–3.[16] A year later, however, with costs escalating and the Katz Group making increasing demands, the city passed a motion to end negotiations with the Katz Group and to seek a new deal or find other options but would still be open to communicating with Daryl Katz for future talks.[17][18]

On May 15, 2013, the Edmonton City Council passed a deal that saw the City and Katz each put in more money to offset the $55 million shortfall needed to build the new downtown arena. Katz chipped in an additional $15 million through the Edmonton Arena Corporation and another $15 million came from the Community Revitalization Levy (CRL).[19] On December 3, 2013, Rogers Communications announced a 10-year naming rights deal for the new arena, henceforth known as Rogers Place.[20]

 
Rogers Place main entrance

The arena was funded by the following sources:[21][22]

  • $231 million from the Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) and other incremental revenues (increased parking revenue, reallocation of existing subsidy paid to Northlands and new taxes from business in the arena)
  • $125 million from ticket surcharge on all events in the new arena
  • $137.81 million from lease revenue for the Arena
  • $27.68 million in cash from Edmonton Arena Corporation
  • $92.2 million from other government sources

A new agreement was reached on January 23, 2013, between the two parties on moving forward with the arena.[23] On February 11, 2014, it was announced that the project was completely funded, and would go ahead.[15][24] Construction of the new arena broke ground in March 2014.[25]

 
Ice District construction around Rogers Place in July 2017

The arena triggered a "hospitality explosion" downtown before ground was even broken, as businesses competed for properties around the arena site. In early 2014, there were far fewer options to lease or purchase as competition mounted,[26] including Brad J. Lamb, who announced a $225 million pair of new condo towers.[27]

By December, it was estimated that $2.5 billion in downtown development had been directly connected to Rogers Place.[28] On July 13, 2015, it was announced that the arena district would be officially branded as Ice District, spanning from 103 Avenue to 106 Avenue.[29] Ice District ranked as the fastest growing arena district in the history of similar projects.[30]

Homeless population displacement

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The development of the arena prompted concerns about the displacement of the homeless population in the downtown area.[31][32] Edmonton officials consulted cities that had similar construction projects that displaced homeless populations like Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, in an attempt to ratify these concerns with the local population.[33] City officials were criticized by local social agency, Boyle Street Community Services, for inaccurate homelessness count in Edmonton resulting in a miscalculated attempt to prevent the displacement of the homeless population.[34] Accounts of police harassment and the busy environment has led the homeless population from staying away from downtown despite the number of services available to them in the area.[32]

History

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Rogers Place officially opened on September 8, 2016.[35]

The first live event to be held in the arena was September 16, 2016, as 12,032 fans welcomed Keith Urban with guests Dallas Smith and Maren Morris for the Ripcord World Tour.[36]

The first hockey game played in the arena featured the Edmonton Oil Kings taking on the Red Deer Rebels in a WHL match-up on September 24, 2016. Trey Fix-Wolansky scored the first goal in the arena at the 0:22 mark of the second period as the Oil Kings went on to win the game in a shoot-out, marking the team's first win in the new building.

The Oilers played their first game on October 12, 2016, against their nearby rivals, the Calgary Flames. Prior to the game, there was a pregame ceremony featuring former Oilers Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, where a statue of Gretzky was unveiled outside of the arena. Patrick Maroon scored the first NHL goal in the arena, as the Oilers went on to defeat the Flames 7–4; earning their first win in the building. The Oilers' first season in the arena saw them qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2006, ending an 11-year playoff drought. The first playoff game was played on April 12, 2017, where the Oilers lost in overtime to the San Jose Sharks 3–2. Two days later, the Oilers picked up their first playoff game win at the arena by defeating the Sharks 2–0.

The arena was chosen to be one of two hubs for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting the Western Conference Playoffs, the Eastern Conference Finals, the Western Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals.[37] The arena hosted the third, fourth, and sixth games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals. On February 16, 2025, the first PWHL game in Edmonton will be played at the arena between the Toronto Sceptres and the Ottawa Charge.[38]

Events

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Main article: List of events held at Rogers Place

References

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  1. ^ "Katz Group, Sports and Entertainment". Katz Group of Companies. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  2. ^ Neufeld, Lydia (16 May 2016). "Scoreboard for new Rogers Place will be largest in the NHL". CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC News Edmonton. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. ^ "Construction on Rogers Place Begins". CTV Edmonton. March 3, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  4. ^ a b 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  5. ^ Staples, David (January 16, 2012). "With 360 Architecture, Edmonton's Arena Project Will Have the Right Designer". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Edmonton Arena" (PDF). Thornton Tomasetti. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  7. ^ Stolte, Elise (January 16, 2012). "Downtown Arena Project Moves Forward with Project Manager and Architect Choices". Global News. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  8. ^ "Most exciting phase of downtown arena construction begins". Edmonton Journal. September 30, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "PCL Chosen to Build Downtown Arena". CBC News. April 13, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  10. ^ "Rogers Place Hockey Arena". Government of Alberta. Government of Alberta. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  11. ^ Jones, Terry (April 17, 2014). "With Rogers Place Plans, What You Can't See Is Just As Strong As What You Can". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  12. ^ Salz, Allison (June 2, 2014). "Edmonton media get sneak peek at downtown arena construction site". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  13. ^ "Oilers, Edmonton Set Arena Finance Plan". ESPN. Associated Press. May 19, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  14. ^ "No Promises from Province on Edmonton Arena Money". CBC News. May 19, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  15. ^ a b Parrish, Julia (February 11, 2013). "City announces downtown arena budget met, work on Rogers Place to move forward". CTV Edmonton. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  16. ^ "Council Approves Downtown Arena Deal". CBC News. October 26, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  17. ^ "Edmonton to End Arena Talks with Oilers' Owner Katz". CBC News. October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  18. ^ Parrish, Julia (October 17, 2012). "Council Votes to Cease Arena Negotiations". CTV Edmonton. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  19. ^ "Edmonton City Council Passes New Arena Deal". CBC News. May 15, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  20. ^ "Downtown arena will be named Rogers Place". CBC News. December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  21. ^ "Final Piece of Funding for Downtown Arena Approved". City of Edmonton. May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  22. ^ Rogers Place - The Agreement
  23. ^ Mertz, Emily (23 January 2013). "Edmonton city council approves arena framework with Katz Group". Corus Entertainment Inc. Global News Edmonton. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  24. ^ Kent, Gordon (February 11, 2014). "Downtown Arena Gets Green Light for $480M". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  25. ^ "Rogers Place construction starts Monday". CBC News. March 3, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  26. ^ Hicks, Graham (October 11, 2013). "The Downtown Hospitality Explosion". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  27. ^ Lamphier, Gary (March 12, 2014). "Condo Projects on the Rise in Shadow of Edmonton's New Arena". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  28. ^ Tumilty, Ryan (December 8, 2014). "Edmonton seeing $2.5 billion in downtown development connected to new arena". Edmonton Metro. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  29. ^ Mah, Bill (July 13, 2015). "Oilers CEO says Ice District a 'crisp and clean' new name for arena district". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  30. ^ Staples, David (May 27, 2015). "Edmonton Arena District is the fastest growing arena district in the history of such mega-projects". Edmonton Journal.
  31. ^ "Arena's shadow looms large over downtown Edmonton's homeless". edmontonjournal. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  32. ^ a b "'Time will tell': Homeless adjusting to life in the shadow of Rogers Place". edmontonjournal. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  33. ^ "City works to ensure Rogers Place arena doesn't force out homeless". Global News. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  34. ^ "Edmonton homeless count numbers inaccurate, could slow progress, social agency says". edmontonjournal. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  35. ^ "Rogers Place grand opening photos: Dancers, tours, speeches — even the Great One was there". Postmedia Network Inc. Edmonton Journal. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  36. ^ "Keith Urban: September 16,2016". Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  37. ^ "NHL hub cities: Edmonton, Toronto will host all Stanley Cup Playoff games". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  38. ^ https://www.thepwhl.com/en/news/2024/november/18/pwhl-heads-to-new-cities-in-takeover-tour-of-neutral-site-games
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