Ricoh Coliseum
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-->Ricoh Coliseum is an ice hockey arena at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It currently serves as the home arena of the Toronto Marlies (the American Hockey League farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs).
History
Formerly the CNE Coliseum, it mainly housed equestrian events for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the CNE and other events. It is also linked to the National Trade Centre to the east and to the Horse Palace to the west by overhead passageway.The building was originally constructed in 1922 for the Royal Winter Fair. From 1940 to 1945, the building was used as a training base for the Canadian Army during World War II. After 1945, the arena was used for horse shows during the Canadian National Exhibition and the Royal Winter Fair.
In January 2003, the Coliseum underwent a massive renovation in preparation for the arrival of the Toronto Roadrunners (the AHL farm team of the Edmonton Oilers), and the Japanese office supply company Ricoh was granted corporate naming rights to the new facility. On November 1, it made its debut as an ice hockey venue, as the Roadrunners tied the Rochester Americans 1-1. After the 2003-04 season, however, the Oilers chose to relocate the Roadrunners to Edmonton for the 2004-05 campaign due to poor attendance and anticipation of the impending 2004-05 NHL lockout.
The Ricoh Coliseum was left without a tenant for a year until after the 2004-05 season, at which time the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they would be relocating their AHL farm team from St. John's, Newfoundland to Toronto. This team, renamed the Toronto Marlies, took up residence in Ricoh for the 2005-06 season; they debuted in their new home on October 12, 2005 with a 5-2 victory over the Syracuse Crunch.
See also
External links
| Current arenas in the American Hockey League | ||
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
| Arena at Harbor Yard | Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena | Cumberland County Civic Center | Dunkin' Donuts Center | GIANT Center | Hartford Civic Center | MassMutual Center | Norfolk Scope | Pepsi Arena | Tsongas Arena | Verizon Wireless Arena | Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza | Wachovia Spectrum | Allstate Arena | AT&T Center | Blue Cross Arena | Bradley Center | Carver Arena | Copps Coliseum | MTS Centre | Omaha Civic Auditorium | Quicken Loans Arena | Ricoh Coliseum | Toyota Center | Van Andel Arena | War Memorial at Oncenter | Wells Fargo Arena | |
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