Winnipeg Arena

Construction and Early Years

Construction on the Winnipeg Arena began in October 1954 as a replacement for the outdated Shea's Amphitheatre. Situated between Winnipeg Stadium and the Polo Park shopping area, the new facility opened for the 1955-56 hockey season. Its original configuration provided seating for approximately 9,500 spectators, which was considered among the finest capacities in western North America at the time. The arena's grand opening coincided with a Western Hockey League game on October 18, 1955, featuring the Winnipeg Warriors against the Calgary Stampeders.

A sell-out crowd of 9,671 attended that first game, setting a league attendance record. The ceremonial opening face-off was conducted by Warriors Hockey Club president J. D. Perrin Sr. The following year, Perrin offered to purchase the arena and Winnipeg Stadium from the Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation, but the offer was rejected in an era when public ownership was favoured. The Warriors called the arena home until 1961, when the club was sold and relocated. That junior franchise was later renamed the Monarchs and played at the arena until 1977.

The Summit Series and International Hockey

The Winnipeg Arena gained significant international prominence during the 1970s by hosting games from two landmark hockey series between Canada and the Soviet Union. The first was the famed 1972 Summit Series, where approximately 9,800 spectators packed the building on September 6 to watch the teams battle to a 4-4 tie. This event placed Winnipeg on the global hockey map during a period of intense Cold War rivalry. The arena later hosted Game 3 of the 1974 Summit Series on September 21, which saw the Soviet team defeat Canada by a score of 8 to 5.

These high-profile games demonstrated the venue's capability to host world-class events and its importance to Canadian hockey culture. The intense atmosphere and full houses for these matches previewed the passionate environment that would later become synonymous with Winnipeg Jets playoff games. The arena's role in these historic contests remains a key part of its legacy, linking it directly to some of the most memorable moments in international sports history. The building's reputation for hosting major events was further solidified nearly three decades later when it was selected to host the 1999 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.

Home of the Winnipeg Jets in the WHA

A new professional era began in the fall of 1972 when the Winnipeg Jets joined the upstart World Hockey Association. Their on-ice success during the 1970s brought three WHA championship banners to the rafters and made the Jets the pride of the city and province. Winnipeg Arena hosted 279 regular season WHA games, the most of any venue in the league's history, which was one more game than the Colisée de Québec in Quebec City. The arena hosted the series-clinching games for the Avco World Trophy in 1976, 1978, and 1979, with Winnipeg winning the championship each time.

The last WHA game ever played was held at Winnipeg Arena on May 20, 1979, when the Jets won their final title with a 7-3 victory. This period established the arena as a fortress for the team and began to build the deep connection between the franchise and its home city. The success of the Jets in the WHA was crucial in proving the market's viability for top-level professional hockey. This success directly led to the franchise being one of four WHA teams admitted into the National Hockey League following the demise of the rival league.

NHL Era, Expansion and the White Out

The admission of the Jets into the National Hockey League in 1979 necessitated a major expansion of the arena to meet the league's minimum capacity standards. The seating capacity was increased to 15,565, mostly through the construction of upper decks on the east and west sides. The construction of these upper decks created an overhang above the lower deck seating areas, which obstructed views according to many spectators and was a notable flaw in the renovated building. That same year, a large painting of Queen Elizabeth II, commissioned by Lieutenant Governor Francis Lawrence Jobin, was hung from the arena's rafters.

During the 1980s, fans initiated the famous 'White Out' tradition, wearing all white to playoff games to create an intimidating, unified appearance for opposing teams. This practice helped earn the arena a reputation as one of the loudest venues in North America throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The tradition was so powerful that it was revived by fans when the NHL returned to Winnipeg with the new Jets team in 2011. In 1985, the arena's technical features were upgraded when a White Way sign centre-hung scoreboard with colour matrix animation boards replaced the older American Sign and Indicator model, which was moved to Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.

Post-Jets Tenants and Final Events

Financial troubles forced the original Jets to leave Winnipeg for Phoenix in 1996, which was a significant blow to the city. Renovations were undertaken to accommodate the new team, including the addition of club seats and a new club lounge in place of the north-end ice-level seats. The arena returned to the international stage in 1999 when it hosted the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. That tournament was a major success, setting a new attendance record with 170,000 fans taking in the games. With the support of lively crowds reminiscent of the former Jets days, the host Canadian team advanced to the gold medal game, but lost to Russia in overtime. The arena's last official event was an American Hockey League game between the Manitoba Moose and the Utah Grizzlies on November 4, 2004. A capacity crowd attended, and a special ceremony was held where former Jets stars like Bobby Hull and Teemu Selänne helped lower the championship banners from the rafters for the final time.

Non-Hockey Events and Cultural Impact

Beyond hockey, the Winnipeg Arena served as a versatile venue for a wide array of other sports and entertainment events. It hosted basketball games for the Winnipeg Thunder professional team in the early 1990s and the inaugural Naismith Cup between the NBA's Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies on October 21, 1995. The arena was also a site for basketball and volleyball during the 1999 Pan American Games, which required the removal of the portrait of the Queen to make room for event banners. The painting was placed in storage and never returned to the rafters.

The building was a frequent stop for concert tours and professional wrestling promotions like the American Wrestling Association and WWE. It hosted charity fundraising hockey games such as Schmockey Night as well as figure skating events like Stars On Ice, Ice Capades, and Disney on Ice. The local Shiners Khartoum Temple also hosted its annual Shrine Circus there. In film and television, the arena appeared in the made-for-television documentary Inside the Osmonds and the ESPN film A Season on the Brink. Director Guy Maddin's 2007 film My Winnipeg used the arena and its multiple hockey tenants as a major plot point, cementing its place in Canadian cultural memory.

Closure and Demolition Process

The opening of the privately owned MTS Centre, now known as Canada Life Centre, in November 2004 meant the end for the Winnipeg Arena. After its final event, the arena sat vacant until 2006, at which time the City of Winnipeg took on the $1.45 million expense of demolishing the structure. Prior to demolition, most of the memorabilia from the arena including the seats were auctioned off to the public. Final demolition took place on March 26, 2006, after the building had been gutted.

On that morning, hundreds of hockey fans gathered to watch the building fall, while chanting, 'Go Jets, Go'. However, the planned implosion failed to bring down the entire structure, and construction vehicles later had to pull down the remainder. This somewhat anticlimactic end contrasted with the decades of roaring crowds and historic moments the building had contained. The demolition cleared the site for its next chapter, severing a physical link to Winnipeg's sporting past but not erasing its memory.

Site Redevelopment and Lasting Legacy

The vacant site where the arena stood was purchased by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for $3.6 million. It was used as a parking lot for Canad Inns Stadium across the street until construction of new retail and office space began in 2011. The new complex, known as Polo Park North, opened in 2013 and occupies the site today. The arena's direct replacement, Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg, opened on November 16, 2004, with a seating capacity of 15,225 for hockey and 16,345 for concerts.

That new arena now hosts the revived Winnipeg Jets and the Manitoba Moose, continuing the city's professional hockey tradition. The legacy of the Winnipeg Arena lives on in fan traditions, memorabilia held by the public, and its indelible place in the history of Canadian sport. The city's hockey infrastructure has also expanded to include facilities like the Hockey for All Centre at 3969 Portage Avenue, a 177,000 square foot complex with four NHL-size ice sheets that serves as a training centre for the Jets and Moose. Furthermore, Winnipeg's hockey heritage continues with events like the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, scheduled for October 25, 2026, at Princess Auto Stadium, demonstrating the enduring passion for the game that the old arena helped cultivate.

Questions about Winnipeg Arena

What replaced the Winnipeg Arena and what is on the site now?

The Winnipeg Arena was replaced by the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg, which opened in November 2004 and now hosts the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. The old arena site at Polo Park was demolished in 2006. The land was redeveloped into a retail and commercial complex called Polo Park North, which opened in 2013. Before that construction, the vacant lot was used as a parking lot for the nearby Canad Inns Stadium.

When was the Winnipeg Arena built and when did it close?

Construction on the Winnipeg Arena began in October 1954, and it opened for the 1955-56 hockey season with its first game on October 18, 1955. Its closure followed the completion of its replacement, the Canada Life Centre. The final official event was an American Hockey League game between the Manitoba Moose and Utah Grizzlies on November 4, 2004. After sitting vacant, the arena was demolished in 2006, and the site is now occupied by a retail and commercial complex called Polo Park North.

What was the seating capacity of the Winnipeg Arena?

Upon its opening in 1955, the Winnipeg Arena had a seating capacity of approximately 9,500 spectators. This capacity was significantly expanded in 1979 when the Winnipeg Jets joined the National Hockey League, requiring the arena to meet league standards. The renovation increased capacity to 15,565 seats, primarily through the construction of upper decks on the east and west sides. However, these new upper decks created an overhang that obstructed the view for many spectators in the lower seating areas. The arena was considered one of the finest facilities in western North America during its early decades.

What is the Winnipeg Arena best known for?

The Winnipeg Arena is best remembered as the long time home of the original Winnipeg Jets franchise from 1972 to 1996. It hosted the team's three World Hockey Association championship victories and their subsequent National Hockey League games. The arena is also famous for hosting key games of the 1972 and 1974 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it fostered the well-known 'White Out' tradition during Jets playoff games, where fans dressed entirely in white, creating an intimidating atmosphere that made it one of the loudest sports venues in North America during the 1980s and 1990s.

What happened to the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that hung in the arena?

A large portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, measuring 5 by 7 metres, was commissioned for the arena in 1979 by Lieutenant Governor Francis Lawrence Jobin. This painting, one of the largest ever made of the Queen, hung from the arena's rafters for many years. In preparation for the 1999 Pan American Games basketball and volleyball tournaments, the portrait was removed to make room for event banners. It was placed in storage at that time and was never returned to the rafters.

What other sports teams played at the Winnipeg Arena besides the Jets?

Beyond the Jets, the Winnipeg Arena hosted several other hockey teams. Its first tenant was the Winnipeg Warriors minor professional team from 1955 to 1961. After the NHL Jets left in 1996, the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League and American Hockey League became the primary tenant until the arena closed in 2004. The arena also hosted the Winnipeg Thunder professional basketball team in the early 1990s and was a venue for the 1999 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships and the 1999 Pan American Games.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-23.