Northlands Coliseum

53°34′17″N 113°27′22″W / 53.57139°N 113.45611°W / 53.57139; -113.45611

Northlands Coliseum
The House That Gretzky Built
Exterior view of Northlands Coliseum (c.2010)
Former namesNorthlands Coliseum (1974–1995, 2016–2017)
Edmonton Coliseum (1995–1998)
Skyreach Centre (1998–2003)
Rexall Place (2003–2016)
Address7424 118 Avenue
LocationEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Public transit Coliseum station
OwnerNorthlands (1974–2017)
City of Edmonton (2018–)
CapacityHockey: 17,100
Concerts: 13,000 (approx)
Field size46,240 m2 (497,700 sq ft)
Construction
Broke groundNovember 3, 1972
OpenedNovember 10, 1974
Renovated1994, 2001, 2007
ClosedJanuary 1, 2018
Construction costC$17.3 million
($104 million in 2023 dollars)

Renovations:
1994: $14 million
($25.7 million in 2023 dollars
2001: $10 million
($16.1 million in 2023 dollars
2007: $3.5 million
($4.93 million in 2023 dollars

Total cost:
$135.5 million in 2021 dollars
ArchitectPhillips, Barrett, Hillier, Jones Partners
Wynn, Forbes, Lord, Feldberg & Schmidt
Structural engineerRead Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
General contractorBatoni Bowlen Enterprises
Main contractorsSE Johnson Ltd. (mechanical)
Tenants
Edmonton Oilers (WHA/NHL) 19742016
Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) 19741976
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) 20062015
Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 20072016
Edmonton Drillers (CMISL) 2007
Website
Official website

Northlands Coliseum is a defunct indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta. 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.