Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
Coordinates: 48°25′53″N 123°21′38″W / 48.43139°N 123.36056°W
| Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre | |
|---|---|
 The Front of the SOFMC |
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| Location |  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Broke ground | 2003 |
| Opened | March 26, 2005 |
| Owner | City of Victoria |
| Operator | RG Properties Ltd. |
| Construction cost | C$30-million ($33.6 million in 2013 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | ICR Architecture and Project Consultants Inc. |
| Structural engineer | Geiger Engineers[2] |
| Capacity | 7,006 (Hockey) 9,000 (Concerts) |
| Tenants | |
| Victoria Royals (WHL) (2011-present) Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL) (2005–2011) |
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The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (SOFMC) is an indoor arena located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and is the largest arena in British Columbia outside of Vancouver. It is primarily used for ice hockey, previously the home arena of the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL, and currently the home of the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League. It is also used for concerts and other special events such as figure skating, curling, plays, trade shows and conferences. It is also opened for public ice skating on special occasions; the public skated with the former Victoria Salmon Kings players after some of the games. The building also features a fine dining restaurant (Lion's Den Restaurant), retail & meeting space. Shaw Communications has a TV studio on the main floor and itgroove Professional Services shares office space with the arena and Victoria Royals personnel. It occupies the site of the former Victoria Memorial Arena as its successor facility. It is located within 10–15 minutes walking distance from the other Downtown Victoria landmarks such as: Chinatown, Victoria, Bay Centre shopping centre, Market Square, Victoria.
It was completed in 2005 and has a maximum seating capacity of 7,400. It replaced the aging and outdated Memorial Arena, also known as the "Barn on Blanshard" (rectangular with a curved roof, resembled a barn or aircraft hangar) which had been constructed in 1949. The first event to be held at the new arena was a Rod Stewart concert, one in which Rod and his performers came out on stage in hardhats and orange safety vests, poking fun at the fact the arena wasn't totally completed at the time.
The SOFMC was developed and is operated by RG Properties Ltd., a Vancouver based development/entertainment company with commercial, recreational and entertainment facilities throughout BC. RG Properties Ltd. was the corporate owner of the former Victoria Salmon Kings hockey team and owns the Victoria Royals.
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Notable concerts & events held [edit]
The centre has hosted many musical and performance acts, as well as guest speakers, sporting tournaments, trade shows and other events. The following is a partial list of some of the more well-known guests and events.
Vancouver Canucks [edit]
In September 2007, as part of the Vancouver Canucks training camp that was being held at nearby Bear Mountain Arena in Colwood, the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre hosted the Vancouver Canucks annual intrasquad charity game.
Select Your Tickets [edit]
Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre has its own in-house ticketing company called "Select Your Tickets", which is also owned by RG Properties Ltd. "Select Your Tickets" has been operating inside the building since it opened in 2005.
References [edit]
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (November 2008) |
- ^ Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada. "Consumer Price Index, historical summary". CANSIM, table (for fee) 326-0021 and Catalogue nos. 62-001-X, 62-010-X and 62-557-X. Last modified: 2011-01-25. Retrieved January 16, 2012
- ^ http://www.geigerengineers.com/david-campbell
External links [edit]
| Preceded by Bear Mountain Arena |
Home of the Victoria Salmon Kings 2005 – 2011 |
Succeeded by Last |
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