Steelback Centre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Steelback Centre | |
|---|---|
| The SBC | |
 |
|
| Location | 269 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 1Y9 |
| Broke ground | June 6, 2005 |
| Opened | September 29, 2006 |
| Owner | City of Sault Ste. Marie |
| Operator | City of Sault Ste. Marie |
| Surface | 200' X 85' |
| Construction cost | $25 million |
| Architect | EPOH Inc./PBK Architects |
| Tenants | |
| Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 2006- Sault Major Hockey Association 2006- Sault Hockey Officials Association 2006- |
|
| Seats | |
| 5,000 - Hockey 4,923 - End-Stage Concert 6,497 - Center-Stage Concert 3,143 - Middle-Stage Concert (Theater Set-Up) 5,524 - Side-Stage Concert |
|
The Steelback Centre is a sports and entertainment centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The Steelback Centre, also referred to as the "SBC", opened on 2006-09-28, and is the largest such centre in Northern Ontario. Its naming rights were purchased by Steelback Brewery of Tiverton, Ontario.
The SBC was built, in part, to be the new downtown home of Sault Ste Marie's Ontario Hockey League team, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, replacing the 57-year-old Sault Memorial Gardens which was in SBC's western parking lot. The new building was constructed directly next door to the Memorial Gardens and incorporated its most distinctive feature, the Memorial Tower, into its plans. The block surrounding the arena is called "The Memorial Square."
The Greyhounds made their regular season debut in their new home on 2006-10-11 against the Sudbury Wolves, losing 2-1 before a paid attendance of 4,725. [1]
Contents |
[edit] About the Arena
[edit] Concourse Level
There are major entrances to the concourse level from each of the four corners of the Steelback Centre. The main entrance to the facility is located in the North West Corner of the building, adjacent to the Memorial Tower. In here you will find the main ticket windows as well as the entrance onto the concourse level which circles around the facility. Located on the concourse level are four main concessions in each corner of the facility as well as four beer stations on the North and South ends. Also located on the West side of the concourse level is the Greyhound merchandise store that is open daily and during all Greyhound home games.
[edit] Event Level
The event level of the Steelback Centre houses all player and official dressing rooms, kitchen facilities, multi-purpose, and break-out rooms, as well as technical, storage, and loading in and out functions. Also included on the event level is the Greyhounds' dressing room complex which is equipped with coaching and training rooms, weight rooms, showers, and phsyiothrerapy areas.
[edit] Suite Level
The Suite Level of the Steelback Centre houses 13 private suites, a VIP Room located on the North end, media and broadcasting rooms, and all administration offices for both the Greyhounds Hockey Club and City of Sault Ste. Marie staff. Private suites ranging in seating size from six to ten persons. The VIP Room has a capacity of 100 persons and is available for all events at the Steelback Centre by contacting the Marketing and Events Manager.
[edit] State-of-the-Art Facilities
A state-of-the-art audio system worth $150,000 has been installed. A multimillion-dollar scoreboard, to have the video component installed in December 2006, will have video replay capability. Wireless Internet access will be available in the facility. Also, "Elephant Seating" at the South end of the rink will be installed so that more seats can be added, but they will be able to lift whenever a transport or zamboni needs to get onto the arena floor.
[edit] Sault Ste Marie Walk of Fame
The sidewalk surrounding the Steelback Centre features a "Walk of Fame." A joint project between the City of Sault Ste Marie and the city's Downtown Association [2], the Walk honours famous natives of Sault Ste Marie. Each inductee is imortalized on a 16-inch by 16-inch granite square, with the inductee's name and year of induction engraved on a marble maple leaf centered within the square.
The inaugural list of 10 Walk of Fame inductees were honoured in ceremonies on September 30, 2006, during the Steelback Centre's Grand Opening Weekend. Their squares are located on the North end of the Steelback Centre, in the sidewalk facing Queen Street.[3] The inaugural inductees include:
- Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut
- Francis H. Clergue, industrialist
- Ken Danby, artist
- Ron Francis, NHL player
- Joanie and Gary McGuffin, adventurers and authors (joint honour)
- Ted Nolan, NHL- and junior-level hockey coach
- Kevin Scott, Olympic speedskater
- Morley Torgov, author
- Treble Charger, recording artists
- Jessica Tuomela, Paralympic swimmer
Plans call for up to 5 inductees to be immortalized on the Walk every year.
[edit] Official Arena Logo
The City of Sault Ste. Marie in conjunction with Steelback, held an official logo unveiling for the Steelback Centre on Saturday August 26, 2006 at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion in Sault Ste. Marie. [4]There the new logo was officially unveiled, along with a list of upcoming shows, including the Barenaked Ladies.
[edit] Naming Rights
Naming rights to the new building were purchased by the The Steelback Brewery of Tiverton, Ontario, which officially named the arena the Steelback Centre. The deal was approved by Sault Ste. Marie's city council on May 29, 2006 in a 9-1 vote. The deal will see Steelback own the naming rights to the facility for $135,000 per year, over a period of ten years.
[edit] Seating and Capacity
Approximate Capacities:
- 5,000 - Hockey
- 6,497 - Center-Stage Concert
- 4,923 - End-Stage Concert
- 3,143 - Middle-Stage Concert (Theater Set-Up)
- 5,524 - Side-Stage Concert
The facility also has 13 private suites to date, and it is expected that the next 11 will be put to tender starting in early 2007. In Phase I of the construction process, Steelback Centre has 13 luxury suites with 10 seats in each. In Phase II, the city will eventually add on an additional 11 suites. The Phase II suites were already sold and almost included in the construction of the building but the cost became prohibitive due to an exclusive building contract with Bondfield Construction until the facility is done. The money was returned to those who put down deposits and there is now a waiting list for the suites. Since the arena is now complete, the city will be able to open up the bid process in early 2007 to all general contractors and get a more competitive price for the additional construction. Phase III of the project would see the addition of a further 12 suites for a total of 36 in the facility. There are currently no plans to proceed with Phase III. Eventually over time it is expected that Phase III of the suites will be added, but at this time it is not known when or even if construction will start on those.
[edit] Upcoming Events
- December 2, 2006 - Children's Aid Society Concert Featuring Fred Penner
- December 6, 2006 - Motley Crue Concert
- December 8, 2006 - Steelback Charity Cup in support of the SAH Foundation - NHL Greats vs Soo Greyhounds Alumni - Featuring Gary Leeman, Ric Nattress, Jim Thomson, Bill Derlago, Eddy Shack, Dennis Hull and Frank D'Angelo
- December 17, 2006 - Celebration on Ice, featuring Kurt Browning
- January 11, 2007 - Clifford the Big Red Dog
- January 23, 2007 - The Tragically Hip Concert
- January 29, 2007 - Sault Ste. Marie Career Day & Job Expo
- February 17, 2007 - Barenaked Ladies Concert
- March (TBA), 2007 - Disney on Ice
- May 7-8, 2007 - Garden Brothers Circus
- June 2007 - The Forestry Trade Exploration
- August 2007 - Harley Davidson Owners Group Bike Rally
[edit] 2008 OHL All-Star Classic
On 2006-10-11 David Branch, commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League announced that the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic had been awarded to the Greyhounds and the City of Sault Ste. Marie. [5] [6]
The 2006-10-12 Sault Star reported that OHL Commissioner Dave Branch "admitted, at a late afternoon press conference, that the league had privately committed to the Sault nearly two years ago" provided the new arena was completed. Branch said that "had the Steelback Centre not been built, the city's chances of playing host to this event would have been extremely remote."
[edit] References
- game report - 1st game at Steelback Centre
- Walk of Fame
- News about Hall of Fame inductees
- Sault Star article on the unveiling of the Steelback Centre logo
- All-Star Classic
- Greyhounds news
[edit] External links
- Steelback Centre Offical Website
- The OHL Arena & Travel Guide - Steelback Centre
- www.thehoundsforum.com Steelback Centre Construction Photos
| Current arenas in the Ontario Hockey League |
||
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Barrie Molson Centre | General Motors Centre | Hershey Centre | Kingston Memorial Centre | Ottawa Civic Centre | Peterborough Memorial Centre | Powerade Centre | St. Michael's College School Arena | Sudbury Arena | Yardmen Arena | Bayshore Community Centre | Compuware Sports Arena | Guelph Sports and Entertainment Centre | John Labatt Centre | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | Louis J. Tullio Arena | Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre | Steelback Centre | The Dow Event Center | Windsor Arena | |
