Winnipeg Arena

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Winnipeg Arena
Ol' Barn on Maroons Road

Location	1430 Maroons Road Winnipeg, MB R3G 0L5
Broke ground	1952
Opened	October 18, 1955
Closed	November 7, 2004
Demolished	March 26, 2006
Owner	Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation
Operator	Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation
Construction cost	$2.5 million CAD (Includes cost of Canad Inns Stadium)
Tenants
Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) (WHL) (1955-1961) Winnipeg Jets (WCHL) (1968-1973) Winnipeg Jets (WHA) (1972-1979) Winnipeg Clubs (WCHL) (1973-1976) Winnipeg Monarchs (WCHL) (1976-1977) Winnipeg Jets (NHL) (1979-1996) Winnipeg Warriors (WHL)(1980-1984) Manitoba Moose (IHL) (1996-2001) Manitoba Moose (AHL) (2001-2004)
Capacity
Hockey: 10,100 WHA Hockey: 15,565 NHL Hockey: 13,767 AHL

Winnipeg Arena (1955-2006) was an indoor arena located at 1430 Maroons Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, across the street from Canad Inns Stadium. It was owned by community-owned Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation. At the time of the arena's construction, Enterprises was headed by prominent businessman Culver Riley and had borrowed about $2.5 million, most of it from the City of Winnipeg, to build the Stadium and Arena.[1] At the time, Winnipeg was Canada's third largest city and the new Winnipeg Arena was considered to be the finest facility in the western half of North America. The building's first major tenant was the Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) of the Western Hockey League (minor pro) from 1955 - 1961. Its major tenant subsequently was the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA and the NHL from 1972-1996. Following the departure of the Jets to Phoenix, Arizona, the Arena's prime tenant from 1996-2004 was the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League, and later of the American Hockey League.

The Winnipeg Arena was also home to the Winnipeg Warriors of the WHL from 1980 through 1984, and the Winnipeg Monarchs of the same league in the 1960s and 70s. Also a popular location for filming movies, the building was used in the made-for-television Inside the Osmonds and the ESPN film A Season on the Brink. It hosted the fourth WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1995.

The arena opened October 18, 1955 with the first regular season game between the Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) and the Calgary Stampeders (hockey). The ceremonial opening faceoff was conducted by J. D. Perrin, President of the Warriors Hockey Club, before a sell-out crowd. The occasion marked the return of professional hockey to Winnipeg after a prolonged absence. The building sat 10,100 at its opening and replaced the obsolete Shea's Amphitheatre. Renovations in 1979 expanded capacity to 15,565. In 1996, after the Jets left, another renovation took place. Club seats were added, the North End ice level seats were replaced with a club lounge. The Winnipeg Arena earned the nickname of the "White House" amongst locals for its traditional White Out during Jets' playoff games. The Winnipeg White Out is the best known and most loved sports tradition in Winnipeg.

[edit] Decommision and demolition

Due to the opening of the MTS Centre, the Winnipeg Arena demolition was ordered. The City of Winnipeg took on the $1.45 million expense of demolishing the now vacant arena. The earliest predicted date for the cleared site was June 2006 and possibly as late as January 31, 2007. Final demolition was scheduled for 7:15am on Sunday March 26, 2006. However, the dynamite failed to bring the entire structure down. Hours later, construction vechiles did pull down the structure.

The Winnipeg Arena held its last event on November 7, 2004. The Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan Board or Ontrea Inc. purchased the Winnipeg Arena site for $3.6 million. The land is expected to be used for retail.