Credit Union Centre
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| Credit Union Centre | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 3515 Thatcher Avenue Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Opened | Febuary 9, 1988 |
| Owner | City of Saskatoon |
| Former names | |
| Saskatchewan Place | |
| Tenants | |
| Saskatoon Blades (WHL) (1988-present) | |
| Capacity | |
| Hockey 11,300 Concerts 13,000 |
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Credit Union Centre, formerly known as Saskatchewan Place or 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. It was expanded to 11,300 for the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1991. It currently can seat around 11,300 for hockey games and 13,000 for concerts. 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.
The Credit Union Centre has hosted performances by many leading acts and has been the site of numerous national and international events. In 1995, Billy Graham made a surprise appearance at a Franklin Graham festival, and brought George Beverly Shea with him. 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.
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[edit] Early proposals
SaskPlace was constructed as a replacement for the Saskatoon Arena, a wooden 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. Despire 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 unpopular with Saskatoon residents. Situated in a remote industrial park at the north end of the city, accessible only via highways, 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 2006 construction has yet to occur.
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. This street runs through the former site of the Saskatoon Arena.
[edit] 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 |
| Saskatoon Accelerators | Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League | 2007- | |
| 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, University Cup from 1999-01 and various regular season games. |
[edit] Major Tournaments And Events Hosted
| Tournament/Event | Sport/Event | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labatt/Nokia Brier | Men's Curling | 1989; 2000; 2004 | 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 | Swift Current Broncos won the tournament. |
| IIHF World Under-20 Championship | Hockey | 1990-91 | Canada won gold at the tournament. |
| 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. |
| CIAU University Cup | Hockey | 1998-2000 | New Brunswick won the tournament in 1998 and Alberta won the tournament in 1999 and 2000. |
| FIVB Women's Under-20 Volleyball World Championships | Women's Volleyball | 1999 | Russia won the tournament. |
| Juno Awards | Canadian Music Award Show | 2007 |
[edit] External links
| Current arenas in the Western Hockey League |
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| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
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| 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 | |
