Stadiums and Arenas of Canada

[Coldrsx]

^AMEM.

Ironically, people are worried about getting to games and parking downtown Edmonton with a — ton of parking nearby, LRT, good bus and for some of us walking distance to games.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Ironically, people are worried about getting to games and parking downtown Edmonton with a — ton of parking nearby, LRT, good bus and for some of us walking distance to games.

It will be a complete non-issue. Downtown Winnipeg handles MTS Centre crowds with ease, and with Edmonton having LRT it'll be even smoother.

Frankly with the Commonwealth Stadium experience showing how transit can move large numbers of sports fans efficiently, I'm surprised that anyone in Edmonton would be concerned about a downtown arena location from a traffic standpoint.

[Daveography]

^ Edmontonians are constantly worried about parking. It's both hilarious and sad. Hilarisad, coined it.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by esquire

It will be a complete non-issue. Downtown Winnipeg handles MTS Centre crowds with ease, and with Edmonton having LRT it'll be even smoother.

Frankly with the Commonwealth Stadium experience showing how transit can move large numbers of sports fans efficiently, I'm surprised that anyone in Edmonton would be concerned about a downtown arena location from a traffic standpoint.

You forget that half the population of Edmonton is fairly new and have not experienced the mass moving capacity that the Games taught Edmonton. Also there are a great number of people that do not venture from the burbs because of the “evil” downtown. Rexall and Commonwealth are far enough away from the core to give the illusion that you are not in downtown.
For me I take the Bus to Commonwealth and for Rexall I drive downtown and catch the LRT.

With my office moving near the Arena district I will stay downtown game nights.

[oiler-dude]

Originally Posted by esquire

Here's a look at a pro stadium that is not widely known outside of Manitoba.

Shaw Park is home to the independent AA-class Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association. The stadium was built in 1999 and expanded twice thereafter for a total seating capacity of 7,481.

The Goldeyes are no longer the guaranteed sellout that they once were, but they still attract big crowds to most of their games and generally finish at or near the top of the independent baseball attendance lists.

Shaw Park was the first new pro sports facility in Winnipeg since the Winnipeg Arena opened in 1955, and one could argue that it paved the way for the MTS Centre and Investors Group Field. This park has been well cared for and looks newer than it is. It has been used occasionally for other events like concerts, but baseball is definitely the main attraction.

-- photos snipped --

I quite like that ballpark. Good to see baseball remain alive in Winnipeg. Makes me want Edmonton to get something back.

On that note, here is Telus Field, our baseball park nestled in the river valley. Seats about 10,000 and was built in 1995 replacing the stadium at the same site.


From: http://www.cnobf2013.ca/Fields.php


From: http://www.cnobf2013.ca/Fields.php


From: http://capsbaseball.ca/author/admin/page/12/


From: http://camtaittalk.blogspot.ca/2013/07/the-cam-buurger-edmonton-prospects-need.html

[Coldrsx]

Love Telus Field, shame we lost the Traps and Capitals. Love walking down there on a summer night, catch some ball, beer it up and walk home.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Love Telus Field, shame we lost the Traps and Capitals. Love walking down there on a summer night, catch some ball, beer it up and walk home.

I know in Vancouver they have really embraced the Single A team in the NW league, and the short season (June - Sept) works better too, I wonder if Edmonton could get a team or if the travel would be too much. Teams are in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

I know in Vancouver they have really embraced the Single A team in the NW league, and the short season (June - Sept) works better too, I wonder if Edmonton could get a team or if the travel would be too much. Teams are in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Edmonton has a team in the WMBL that plays at Telus Field.

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

I know in Vancouver they have really embraced the Single A team in the NW league, and the short season (June - Sept) works better too, I wonder if Edmonton could get a team or if the travel would be too much. Teams are in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

We need Calgary and perhaps 1 or 2 teams in Sask to make it work from a travel perspective...

I would love to see AAA ball back here.

[esquire]

^ I'm a bit surprised that minor league ball never took off in Saskatoon given the summer pro sports vacuum that exists there. A nice little park near the Saskatchewan River would be a great game environment. I guess the city is just too far from the footprint of existing leagues to make it work. I know that travel costs really hurt Calgary and Edmonton when they played in the Northern League.

It has been a while since a new ballpark was built in this country, though... there was quite a boom of new facilities from about 1989 to 1999, but virtually nothing since.

[SHOFEAR]

Originally Posted by oiler-dude

I quite like that ballpark. Good to see baseball remain alive in Winnipeg. Makes me want Edmonton to get something back.

On that note, here is Telus Field, our baseball park nestled in the river valley. Seats about 10,000 and was built in 1995 replacing the stadium at the same site.

f*** Calgary and Vancouver. Edmonton would still have AAA if you guys had your — together.

[Acajack]

Nice baseball stadiums you guys have.

Here is a link to photos of Ottawa's. It's not bad but not charming either. And has sat mostly empty for most of the past 10-15 years.

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=.....0...1ac.1.32.img..7.16.999.ehMvOO0fE8M

Sorry, don't know how to post photos.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I'm a bit surprised that minor league ball never took off in Saskatoon given the summer pro sports vacuum that exists there. A nice little park near the Saskatchewan River would be a great game environment. I guess the city is just too far from the footprint of existing leagues to make it work. I know that travel costs really hurt Calgary and Edmonton when they played in the Northern League.

It has been a while since a new ballpark was built in this country, though... there was quite a boom of new facilities from about 1989 to 1999, but virtually nothing since.

Saskatoon has a team in the WMBL as well. I know it's not well known to some of you... but the league traces roots back to 1931, so it's not exactly new. It gets fairly good news coverage across Saskathewan though. It features some local talent as well as many college players from the states acting a summer/off-season league.

As for a live sports void... The Hilltops and Huskies along with the Yellow Jackets (WMBL) fill the summer "vaccuum" as well as trips to Regina for Rider games. So there really isn't a "vaccuum" present; just more some people not being aware of what is already available (this wasn't meant as a dig at anyone, just didn't know how else to word it).

As for new facilities, there has been some minor talks about needed upgrades/new facilities in Saskatchewan, but at the moment other sports infrastructure, namely football, is higher on the priority list (Gordie Howe Bowl in Stoon, and the new Stadium in Regina)

[SHOFEAR]

My understanding is Rexall Sports is trying to put together a Canadian baseball league. Hopefully now that all the issues surrounding the new barn for the Oil come together they can get back to getting this league up and running.

[GlassCity]

I'm not a baseball fan at all but I still really hope that takes off. The more of a Canadian sports scene we establish the better.

[Stainless]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Surprisingly, I didn't realize there are residential areas just across the street until I saw this. You never see that on television.

Commonwealth is in a somewhat rough neighborhood (at least it was when I lived there from 2001 - 2006), and it might be that TV producers prefer to avoid offering street level stadium shots with run-down houses in the background.

Mosaic in Regina is much the same. The area to the north and west of the stadium ("north central") is Regina's perennial worst part of town. At least it has a canopy of trees over the vacant lots and garbage in front yards.

[Dougler306]

Would love to see better baseball fields here in SK. The Regina Red Sox (WMLB champs 2010,2011) play at Currie field which is pretty run down but they recently added a VIP section for sponsors and corporate suites. The stadium itself can hold up to 1000 people.

The Regina Red Sox generate the most attendance in SK. With a total of 10,026 with an average of 436/game, compared to next closest Moose Jaw with 6,956 and avg of 302/game, Saskatoon 3rd with 4812 and average of 267/game

That's why I never get when the Jays go to Saskatoon during spring camp but never make it to Regina, seems to me were more of a baseball town??

http://wmbl.bbstats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=154&seasonid=25331

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by thurmas

Your a little incorrect in your timeline there blueandgoldguy. The west side upper deck for Winnipeg Stadium was built in time for the 1972 season and the east side upper deck was built for the 1978 season.

Yeah, my bad. Although they did expand the stadium in the late 60s with endzone seatings.

So expansion in the late 60s approx. 15 yrs. after the stadium was built and further expansion in the early 70s when the stadium was only 20 yrs. old. Totally made sense to expand the old stadium rather than build new after 20 yrs. Right decision made imo.

Esquire I don't think it's fair to compare Winnipeg to those other cities. Montreal only got a new stadium because of the olympics, Calgary played in some piece of — for 30 + years prior to moving into the Mcmahon and probably not much better than the Bombers Osbourne Stadium - they desparately needed a new stadium. With Edmonton it was pretty much the same thing with Clarke Stadium (piece of —) and they had the excuse of the CommonWealth Games coming to town. There was not need for a new stadium in Winnipeg when the Pan am Games came to town in 1967 - stadium was only 14 yrs old at that point.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

With Edmonton it was pretty much the same thing with Clarke Stadium (piece of —) and they had the excuse of the CommonWealth Games coming to town. There was not need for a new stadium in Winnipeg when the Pan am Games came to town in 1967 - stadium was only 14 yrs old at that point.

Sure there was a need for a new stadium for the 1967 Pan Am Games. That's why they built one at the University of Manitoba which stands to this day.

Edmonton's old stadium was about the same vintage and design as the old Winnipeg Stadium... if theirs was a piece of — by the 70s, so was ours.

If they had to go back and do it again, it would have made sense to build a large, proper new stadium for the 1967 PAG and leave the old one in its original form for amateur sports rather than spending money putting lipstick on that pig. Edmonton got it right in this department.

[thurmas]

Winnipeg Stadium after it's major renovation in the late 1970's (you guys are going to laugh at me for saying this) was considered state of the art back in the day. Bob Cameron said so when he joined the club in 1980. The problem was it was not maintained at all because it was run by the cheap skates known as Winnipeg Enterprises. They ripped out the natural grass turf in 1988for stupid AstroTurf and that same year they converted the end zone seating for baseball and they turned the student zone of the east grandstand into cheap retractable sheet metal stands in hopes of getting AAA baseball back in Winnipeg. Also no repairs were done to maintain the plumbing or electrical systems on the stadium they were allowed to rot with pigeon droppings and all. Winnipeg Stadium was the same quality as McMahon in Calgary, Frank Clair in Ottawa, Ivor Wynn in Hamilton or Taylor Field in Regina they were all renovated in the 70's and afterwards no maintenance was done for any of them for most of the next 30 years.