Image Credit: Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0)

When the Edmonton Oilers vacate Rexall Place after the 2015-2016 NHL season, a piece of NHL history dies along with it. The "old barn" is one of only two old style hockey arenas that still remain - the other being Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings. Both the Oilers and the Red Wings have brand new arenas in the works. The Rogers Place, future home of the Edmonton Oilers, is less than a year away from opening and will have a capacity of almost 19,000 for hockey. The Rogers Place will join the Barclays Center (Islanders) and PPG Paints Arena (Penguins) as brand new and breakthrough hockey venues that boast amenities that few other NHL arenas can rival. What can Edmonton Oilers fans expect?

Image Credit: Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Getting to Rogers Place will be much easier via the LRT line. The MacEwan stop will be just outside of the one of the arena's main entrances. Construction costs are estimated to be in the neighborhood of $500 Million upon completion. Construction costs will be covered by the city of Edmonton and the Katz Group of companies, owned by Canadian businessman and Oilers owner Daryl Katz. The majority of the arena's seats will be located on the lower level. The arena will have more than 50 brand new suites and more than 3,000 club seats. More than 500 seats will have drink rails for fans to sit and congregate at. 

The Oilers organization is claiming that the new Rogers Place video board will be the largest HD video board in the NHL. Concourses will be much wider and with more flat screen televisions than Rexall Place, their old arena. The food and beverage selection is also promised to be much improved. Aramark was able to secure the food and beverage partnership with Rogers Place. There will be one restaurant, two lounges on the club level and seven full service bars. For a complete list of the updated amenities at Rogers Place, check out RogersPlace.com.  If you would like to see the live video coverage of the ongoing Rogers Place construction, check it our here. 

Like Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Blue Jackets, Edmonton is building an entertainment district outside of the new arena. The area will be known as the "Ice District" and it will be the largest entertainment district in the entire country of Canada. It will feature a luxury condominium project called Legends Private Residences, a Delta Hotel, a gathering place known as the "Winter Garden" and a Cineplex Theatre. Already standing Grand Villa Edmonton Casino will be moving to the Ice District where it will be known as the Baccarat Casino. Edmonton residents can bet that there will be more establishments announced throughout the 2015-2016 season. 

Rexall Place has served as the home of the Edmonton Oilers since 1974. It is one of the only NHL arenas that also hosts a Canadian Hockey League team, a division for Junior Hockey. The Edmonton Oil Kings have played at Rexall Place since 2006.  Rexall Place formerly operated under three other names including Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton Coliseum and the Skyreach Centre. It is currently the third smallest arena in the NHL with a capacity of just under 17,000 seats and is also the second oldest.

Despite, the Oilers lack of success in recent years, let's not forget that Rexall Place is still one of the most historic arenas in NHL history. It saw witness to five Stanley Cup Championships in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. NHL legend Wayne Gretzky was a member of the team during four of those championship years. For any fan that remembers that historic run, it will be painful leaving the "old barn" and into a brand new home. However, the popularity of the NHL has skyrocketed since the construction of Rexall Place. The Oilers must keep up with the rest of the league in terms of the amenities they offer fans in order to give them the ultimate fan experience.  

 

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