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Colisée de Québec

Coordinates: 46°49′51″N 71°14′47″W / 46.83083°N 71.24639°W / 46.83083; -71.24639
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For other stadiums to which Pepsi owns naming rights, see Pepsi Arena (disambiguation).
Colisée Pepsi
View of the Colisée Pepsi
Map
Former namesColisée de Québec (1949-99)
LocationExpoCité
250, boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel
Quebec City, Quebec
G1L 5A7
Coordinates46°49′51″N 71°14′47″W / 46.83083°N 71.24639°W / 46.83083; -71.24639
OwnerQuebec City
OperatorExpoCité
Capacity15,176
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundMay 24, 1949[1]
OpenedDecember 8, 1949[1][2]
ClosedSeptember 14, 2015
Construction costC$3,000,000[3]
($38.6 million in 2023 dollars[4])
ArchitectRobert Blatter[5]
Bouchard & Rinfret
Tenants
Quebec Aces (QSHL / AHL) (1950–1971)
Quebec Nordiques (WHA / NHL) (1972–1995)
Quebec Rafales (IHL) (1996–1998)
Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) (1969–1985, 1999-2015)
Quebec Radio X (LNAH) (2003–2008)
Quebec Citadelles (AHL) (1999–2002)

Colisée Pepsi (formerly known as Colisée de Québec) is a closed multi-purpose arena located in Quebec City, Quebec.[6]

It was the home of the WHA and NHL Quebec Nordiques from 1972 to 1995, and was also the home of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL from 1999 till its closing in 2015.

The Colisée would host the Québec International Peewee Hockey Tournament annually in February, with almost 2,300 young hockey players from 16 countries participating.

History

The barrel vault arena was originally built in 1949, seating 10,034, to replace a building on the same site that had burned down a year earlier. Built by architects Rinfret and Bouchard with directions from Robert Blatter and F. Caron, the arena was a mix of International Style exterior and Art Deco interior.[7] It was known as "The House that Béliveau Built", as it was often filled to capacity in its earlier years to watch Jean Béliveau star for the Quebec Aces before moving to the NHL and the Montreal Canadiens. Two decades later, sellout crowds came to see Guy Lafleur as a member of the Quebec Remparts before, he too, would join the Canadiens.

Le Colisée underwent major renovations in 1980. The old entrance was taken down and replaced with a massive glass facade, and the seating capacity was increased to 15,750 to meet NHL standards of that era after the Nordiques made the jump from the WHA to the NHL. PepsiCo bought the naming rights on November 18, 1999, and current capacity is 15,176. Coincidentally, the former Quebec Nordiques, now known as the Colorado Avalanche, currently play at Pepsi Center in Denver.

The arena hosted the 1971 Memorial Cup championship series, in which the Remparts defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings two games to none. Since the championship switched to a tournament format, the Coliseum has hosted it in 1991 and 2003 & 2015. Internationally, the first game of the 1974 Summit Series between Canadian WHA all-stars and the Soviet national team was played at the Coliseum, as were one game in each of the 1976 and 1991 Canada Cups. The arena co-hosted the 1978 IIHF World U20 Championship with Montreal and also co-hosted, along with Halifax, the 2008 IIHF World Championships. Rendez-vous '87, a two-game series between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet national team, was another highlight in the building's history. Colisée Pepsi has also hosted many big concerts.

Quebec City has entertained several proposals in recent years to return NHL ice hockey to the city; prior to the completion of Centre Vidéotron most of these proposals envisioned using the Colisée as a temporary home while the new arena was built next to the existing facility. On October 10, 2009 Quebec city newspapers such as Le Soleil reported that negotiations were held between the city and the NHL concerning the possibility and pertinence of relocating or creating an NHL franchise into the city.

Former Nordiques owner and Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut originally said that there were no plans to demolish the Colisée Pepsi even if a new arena was built. Aubut mentioned a prospective future Winter Olympics bid among other justifications for maintaining the existing arena.[8] As part of the agreement constructing the new arena, an additional C$7 million was set aside for renovating the Colisée, should the city have landed a potential National Hockey League expansion franchise before the new arena was completed in 2015.[9] The New Centre Vidéotron was opened on September 8, 2015. After a Metallica concert on September 14, 2015 (the band would play at the Centre Vidéotron two days later), the Colisée was closed to the public, with minimal operations and maintenance since. There is no timetable for the building's demolition.[10]

Seating capacity

The seating capacity for hockey has gone as followed:

  • 10,034 (1949-1973)[11]
  • 10,004 (1973-1976)[12]
  • 10,012 (1976-1981)[13]
  • 15,250 (1981-1984)[14]
  • 15,434 (1984-1987)[15]
  • 15,399 (1987-2009)[16]
  • 15,176 (2009–2015)[17]
  • The scoreboard in 2007
    The scoreboard in 2007
  • Interior of the Colisée seen from the centre
    Interior of the Colisée seen from the centre
  • Interior of the Colisée taken on December 7, 2008
    Interior of the Colisée taken on December 7, 2008
  • Interior of the Colisée during a hockey game
    Interior of the Colisée during a hockey game

References

  1. ^ a b "Histoire et Sociiété: Le Colisée de Québec, 1949 à aujourd'hui". Histoire et Sociiété. October 9, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  2. ^ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/north-america/canada/colisee-pepsi/
  3. ^ Halpin, Charlie (December 13, 1949). "New $3,000,000 Quebec Coliseum to Be Opened on Thursday Night". Montreal Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  4. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  5. ^ LaFerrière, Michèle (January 11, 2008). "La Révolution Blatter". La Presse. Montreal. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  6. ^ http://www.lifeinquebec.com/the-last-curtain-has-fallen-on-the-colisee-pepsi-10775/
  7. ^ http://www.contact.ulaval.ca/article_blogue/ce-cher-bon-vieux-colisee/ (French)
  8. ^ Brunt, Stephen (February 8, 2012). "Quebec Ready for Nordiques Return". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ White, Marianne (March 25, 2012). "New Quebec City Arena Gets the Green Light". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/dossiers/nouvel-amphitheatre/201509/13/01-4900136-apres-metallica-le-colisee-pepsi-entre-en-dormance.php
  11. ^ Mccarthy, Gary (February 7, 1970). "Quebec Peewee Hockey 'Dream' Now Reality". Montreal Gazette. p. 13. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  12. ^ The Canadian Press (December 8, 1973). "Soviets Beat Quebec". Leader-Post. Regina. p. 23. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  13. ^ The Canadian Press (June 25, 1977). "Expansion, Merger, Accommodation–Whatever". Calgary Herald. p. 41. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  14. ^ Wevurski, Pete (November 24, 1981). "Dion Has a Special Goal in Return to Quebec". Pittsburgh Press. p. C–4. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  15. ^ The Canadian Press (December 11, 1986). "If You Want to Rendez-vous, You'd Better Have a Ticket". Montreal Gazette. p. D–3. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  16. ^ Lapointe, Joe (February 26, 1995). "On Pro Hockey; In Quebec, Sale Rumors and an Arena Agenda". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  17. ^ Hickey, Pat (January 4, 2012). "Canadian Teams Rake in Cash". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of the
Quebec Nordiques
1972–1995 		Succeeded by
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