Rexall Place

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Rexall Place <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Image:Rexplacelogo.png </td></tr>
Location	7424 118 Ave. N.W. Edmonton, Alberta T5B 4M9
Opened	1974
Owner	City of Edmonton <tr><td>Operator</td><td>Northlands Park</td></tr><tr><th style="background: #efefef;" colspan="2">Former names</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Northlands Coliseum (1974-1995) Edmonton Coliseum (1995-1998) Skyreach Centre (1998-2003) [1]</td></tr>
Tenants
Edmonton Oilers (NHL) (1975-present) Edmonton Rush (NLL) (2006-present) Edmonton Road Runners (AHL) (2004-2005) Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) beginning 2007
Seats
Hockey: 16,839 Concerts: approximately 13,000

Rexall Place (formerly known as the Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton Coliseum and Skyreach Centre) is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The arena is home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League. Beginning in 2007-08, Rexall will also host a Western Hockey League team owned by the Oilers. The arena was completed in 1974 as the Northlands Coliseum to house the World Hockey Association Oilers. Then it became the Edmonton Coliseum in 1995, and Skyreach Centre in 1998, before it changed to its current name during the middle of the 2003-04 NHL season.

The official capacity for hockey is 16,839, which is slightly less than the 17,100 the arena held before the 2003-04 NHL season. Some media sources still quote the old capacity even though the Oilers have never announced an attendance above 16,839 since the most recent changes. Rexall Place includes 66 luxury suites. The arena is currently named after the Rexall medicine company, a subsidiary of Katz Group Canada which purchased the naming rights in December 2003.

A large bronze statue of Canadian hockey icon and former Oilers Captain Wayne Gretzky is situated outside of Rexall Place.

The arena is unique in that it is the only one in the NHL in which the players actually walk through the lower concourse, adjacent to the club bar, to get to the ice.

The venue was the site of several Commonwealth Games sports in 1978, part of Universiade (the World University Games) in 1983, and WWE Backlash in 2004. Annual events include the Canadian Finals Rodeo and the Christian Conference, YC Alberta, Canada's largest Christian youth gathering (almost 17,000 according to Extreme Dream Productions).

[edit] Miscellany

Image:Gretzky statue cropped.jpg

The ice at Rexall Place is often regarded as the best in the National Hockey League.

[2]

Aside from the quality of the ice, Rexall Place is known for its boisterous and faithful fans. Even though the arena only seats 16,839 people for hockey games, decibel levels during Games 3, 4, and 6 of the San Jose Sharks/Edmonton series and games 3, 4, and 6 of the Carolina Hurricanes/Edmonton series of the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs reached 114dB.

[3]

At the beginning of Game 3 of the Anaheim Ducks/Edmonton series of the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Oilers' anthem singer Paul Lorieau sang only a few lines of O Canada before letting the audience sing out the rest of the anthem. This was done at all subsequent home games in the playoffs, and even grew to include the The Star-Spangled Banner.

[4]

During the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Oiler fans took to throwing a piece of Grade A Beef from Alberta onto the ice. It was started during the 2006 Detroit Red Wings/Edmonton series as an answer to the Red Wings' tradition of throwing octopuses onto the ice.

Currently, it is the only NHL arena (and possibly, will be the last) in which the team benches are on the same side as the press boxes. As a result, unlike other venues in the league, the players are seated with their backs to the main TV cameras that cover the action on the ice rink.

Rexall is the oldest arena in the NHL's Western Conference, and one of the oldest and smallest NHL arenas in the entire league.

[edit] Live Recordings

The following bands recorded live performances in the arena:

Yes filmed their 1984 concert film "9012Live: The Solos" at the arena.

Nickelback filmed their 2002 concert video "Live at Home" at the arena.

Our Lady Peace recorded part of their 2003 record Live at the arena.

[edit] External links

Preceded by: Edmonton Gardens 1972–1974	Home of the Edmonton Oilers 1974–present	Succeeded by: current

Coordinates: 53°34′16.95″N, 113°27′21.72″W

Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Current arenas in the National Hockey League
Air Canada Centre \| BankAtlantic Center \| Bell Centre \| Continental Airlines Arena \| HSBC Arena \| Madison Square Garden \| Mellon Arena \| Nassau Coliseum \| Philips Arena \| RBC Center \| St. Pete Times Forum \| Scotiabank Place \| TD Banknorth Garden \| Verizon Center \| Wachovia Center		American Airlines Center \| Gaylord Entertainment Center \| GM Place \| HP Pavilion \| Honda Center \| Jobing.com Arena \| Joe Louis Arena \| Nationwide Arena \| Pengrowth Saddledome \| Pepsi Center \| Rexall Place \| Scottrade Center \| Staples Center \| United Center \| Xcel Energy Center

Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Current arenas in the Western Hockey League
Art Hauser Centre \| Brandt Centre \| Centennial Civic Centre \| Cranbrook Recreational Complex \| Credit Union Centre \| ENMAX Centre \| ENMAX Centrium \| Keystone Centre \| Medicine Hat Arena \| Moose Jaw Civic Centre \| Pengrowth Saddledome \| Rexall Place		CN Centre \| Everett Events Center \| Interior Savings Centre \| KeyArena \| Memorial Coliseum \| Pacific Coliseum \| Prospera Centre \| Prospera Place \| Rose Garden Arena \| Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena \| Toyota Center

Eastern Division		Western Division
Current arenas in the National Lacrosse League
Air Canada Centre \| Blue Cross Arena \| HSBC Arena \| Madison Square Garden¹ \| Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum² \| Sears Centre \| Wachovia Center \| Xcel Energy Center		HP Pavilion \| Jobing.com Arena \| Pengrowth Saddledome \| Pepsi Center \| Rexall Place \| Rose Garden Arena
¹The New York Titans play four of their home games at Madison Square Garden. ²The New York Titans play four of their home games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.