- Credit Union Centre
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Credit Union Centre 
Former names Saskatchewan Place Location 3515 Thatcher Avenue
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7R 1C4Opened February 9, 1988 Owner City of Saskatoon Capacity Ice hockey 15,195[1]
Concerts 13,000Tenants Saskatoon Blades (WHL) (1988–present) Credit Union Centre (originally Saskatchewan Place and commonly SaskPlace) is an arena, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Situated near the city's northern entrance, the facility opened in February, 1988 with a seating capacity of around 7,800.[2] It was expanded to 11,330 for the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1990.[3] More additional permanent seating was added in 2008 and 2009.[4] It currently can seat around 15,000 for hockey games and 13,000 for concerts.[5] It is the home venue of the Saskatoon Blades hockey team.
It has free parking on site with parking space for 4,000 cars on its property. For most publicly attended events, transit service is offered from downtown. For high attendance events extra transit links are offered from shopping centres and other locations.[4]
It has hosted performances by many leading acts and has been the site of numerous national and international events. In 2005, it was the site of the main concert celebrating Saskatchewan's 100th anniversary as a province of Canada. The performance was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada and the Duke of Edinburgh.
In September 2008, it was announced that 2,981 seats would be added to the open west-end of the stadium, bringing the total capacity to 14,311. As well, 1,000 temporary seats will be added for the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships.[5]
Contents
Early proposals
Credit Union Centre exterior
SaskPlace was constructed as a replacement for the Saskatoon Arena, a concrete building constructed in Saskatoon's downtown core in the 1930s, and which was in use until 1988, hosting its final hockey game only a week before SaskPlace opened. Nicknamed "The Barn", the facility had outlived its usefulness some 20 years earlier and had become infamous for leaky roofs and substandard amenities, yet Saskatonians were hesitant to lose the landmark and a number of years passed between the 1970s proposal to replace the structure and the eventual demolition of the Arena and the opening of SaskPlace.
In 1982, Bill Hunter, a local sports promoter, attempted to purchase the St. Louis Blues NHL team and bring it to Saskatoon. Part of his plan included building an 18,000-seat arena. Two locations were suggested: the site of a decommissioned power plant downtown, just west of the then-present Saskatoon Arena, and another site east of the city's airport. Despite Hunter's best efforts, the NHL rejected his offer and Hunter's plans to relocate an NHL team and build a new arena collapsed.
The site eventually chosen for SaskPlace/Credit Union Centre was initially, and still is, unpopular with some Saskatoon residents. Situated in the remote Agri Place industrial park at the north end of the city, accessible only via highways 11 and 16 and Marquis Drive, SaskPlace was accused of being too inconvenient for seniors and people of limited transportation to access, as opposed to the original downtown arena site which was close to most bus routes. The city's original plan was to relocate Saskatoon's exhibition grounds alongside SaskPlace as well, but this proposal was defeated in a civic plebiscite following public protest over access and safety concerns. Plans to build interchanges on the two major access routes into the facility were announced soon after the arena opened, but as of 2010[update] construction has yet to occur. However, in the past twenty years, the city has grown to the north, so that while at the time of its construction there wasn't anything around the arena, it is now surrounded by other buildings.
In the early 2000s, Saunders Avenue, which is a street leading into the parking lot of Credit Union Centre, was renamed Bill Hunter Avenue in honour of Bill Hunter, who died in 2002. This was considered ironic by many Saskatonians, given Hunter lobbied for the facility to be built in another location. The city then transferred the 'Saunders' name to a new street in the River Landing redevelopment area—running through the former site of the Saskatoon Arena.
The interior of Credit Union Centre prior to a Saskatoon Blades game.Credit Union Centre should not be confused with Union Centre, a building located on the west side of the city. Union Centre opened in the mid-1970s and housed offices and meeting facilities (which were rented out for community events) of various Saskatoon-based trade unions. In the late 1990s it was sold and converted to other uses (it is no longer referred to as Union Centre). In 2005, the building was sold to the Saskatoon Health Region, who converted the building into a community clinic. The building is located at 3311 Fairlight Drive.
Expansion for 2010 World Juniors
In 2008/2009 the arena was renovated for the World Juniors.[4] There were 2,981 seats added to the upper deck at the west end of the arena increasing the capacity of the arena at more than 15,000. The cost of the expansion was pegged at C$6.7 M. C$2 M was requested as a loan from the city of Saskatoon and C$3 M from a provincial grant. Hockey Canada may also contributed about C$500,000. The expansion also includes extra washrooms and concessions.[5]. The expansion also included the addition of 14 more corporate box seats, bringing the total to 44 and enlarged and improved player facilities such as dressing rooms, weight rooms, coach`s room, equipment room, player`s lounge and medical room.[1]
At about this time, there was a proposal from Ice Edge Holdings to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and begin playing five of the Coyotes' home games each season in Credit Union Centre beginning December 2009. The logic behind the move, which parallels the Bills Toronto Series in the NFL, was that although Saskatoon was likely too small to support an NHL team of its own, it would easily be able to sell out the Credit Union Centre for one game each month..[6] By May 2011, Ice Edge Holdings abandoned its plan to purchase the team and, with it, the plans for the Coyotes to play in Saskatoon.[7]
Major events
On October 12, 1992, Canadian wrestling legend Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair to capture his first WWF Championship.
In 1995, Billy Graham made a surprise appearance at a Franklin Graham festival at SaskPlace, and brought George Beverly Shea with him.
In 2005, the facility hosted a gala command performance concert for Queen Elizabeth in honour of Saskatchewan's centennial and in 2007 it was the venue for the 2007 Juno Awards. Both events were broadcast nationally.
In October of 2007 Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie played a concert on the Black Rain Tour.
In July of 2008 Judas Priest and Testament played a concert on the Nostradamus World Tour.
In November of 2009 KISS played a concert to promote the album Sonic Boom.
In January of 2010 Guns N' Roses played a concert for 9,000 people to promote their new album Chinese Democracy.
On July 29th of 2011 Slayer, Rob Zombie, and Exodus will make a stop at Credit Union Center during the Hell on Earth Tour.
On October 29th 2011 Cirque du Soleil performed Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour for over 10,000 people to honour the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Attendance records
- The largest crowd for a hockey game at the arena, was 15,171, set on December 31, 2009 for a round robin game of the 2010 World Juniors between the Canada and the United States. It was tied on January 5, 2010 for the final of the 2010 World Juniors between Canada and the United States.
- The largest crowd for a concert at the arena, was 14,605, set on August 14, 1996 for a Garth Brooks tour stop.
Tenants
Team League Years Notes Saskatchewan Storm World Basketball League 1990–92 Folded during 1992 season. Saskatchewan Hawks International Basketball Association, Continental Basketball Association 1999–2001 Folded during the 2001 off-season Saskatchewan SWAT Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League 2007 Split its games between Credit Union Centre and Kinsmen Arena. Saskatoon Accelerators Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League 2007-09 Moved to Henk Ruys Soccer Centre for 2010 season. Saskatoon Blades Western Hockey League 1988- Saskatoon Slam National Basketball League 1993–94 Folded during 1994 season University of Saskatchewan Huskies Canadian Interuniversity Sport 1995- Held Chill Out Tournament at Credit Union Centre (1995–97) and various regular season games. Major tournaments and events hosted
Tournament/Event Sport/Event Year(s) Notes Labatt/Nokia/Tim Hortons Brier Men's Curling 1989; 2000; 2004; 2012 Alberta won the tournament in 1989, British Columbia won the tournament in 2000 and Nova Scotia won the tournament in 2004. CHL Memorial Cup Hockey 1989, 2013 Swift Current Broncos won the tournament in 1989. IIHF World Under-20 Championship Hockey 1990–91; 2009–10 Canada won gold at the tournament in 1991 and the United States won gold in 2010. Scott Tournament of Hearts Women's Curling 1991 British Columbia won the tournament. Canada Cup Hockey 1991 Was one of several host facilities for the tournament. CIS University Cup Hockey 1998, 1999, 2000, 2013, 2014 New Brunswick won the tournament in 1998 and Alberta won the tournament in 1999 and 2000. FIVB Women's Junior Volleyball World Championship Women's Volleyball 1999 Russia won the tournament. Juno Awards Canadian Music Award Show 2007 Canada/Russia Super Series Hockey 2007 Game 6 of the series held at Credit Union Centre. Masters of Curling - Capital One Grand Slam of Curling Men's Curling 2008 Glenn Howard's rink won the tournament. Warped Tour Music festival 2008 External links
References
- ^ a b "Credit Union Centre Renovations". Saskatoon Blades. http://www.saskatoonblades.com/article/credit-union-centre-renovations. Retrieved 01 August 2011.
- ^ "History". Credit Union Centre. http://www.creditunioncentre.com/about-us.php?page=history. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ^ "About Us". Credit Union Centre. http://www.creditunioncentre.com/about-us.php. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ^ a b c "Renovations". Credit Union Centre. http://www.creditunioncentre.com/about-us.php?page=renovations. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ^ a b c Nickel, Rod (2008-09-03). "CUC adds 3,000 seats Council gives preliminary nod to Howe Bowl, arena expansion". The StarPhoenix: pp. A1. http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/
- ^ Bidder has ice booked in Saskatoon. The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). 1 September 2009. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ^ Francis, Eric (2011-05-07). NHL exec says officials won’t stand for diving. Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
Coordinates: 52°11′20″N 106°40′44″W / 52.189°N 106.679°W
Current arenas in the Western Hockey League Eastern
ConferenceArt Hauser Centre · Brandt Centre · Cranbrook Recreational Complex · Credit Union Centre · Credit Union iPlex · ENMAX Centre · ENMAX Centrium · Medicine Hat Arena · Mosaic Place · Rexall Place · Scotiabank Saddledome · Westman PlaceWestern
ConferenceCategories:- Indoor arenas in Canada
- Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada
- Buildings and structures in Saskatoon
- Sports venues in Saskatchewan
- Western Hockey League arenas
- Indoor lacrosse venues in Canada
- Music venues in Saskatchewan
- Sport in Saskatoon
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