Credit Union Centre - Expansion For 2010 World Juniors

Expansion For 2010 World Juniors

In 2008/2009 the arena was renovated for the World Juniors. There were 2,981 seats added to the upper deck at the west end of the arena increasing the capacity of the arena at more than 15,000. The cost of the expansion was pegged at C$6.7 M. C$2 M was requested as a loan from the city of Saskatoon and C$3 M from a provincial grant. Hockey Canada may have also contributed about C$500,000. The expansion also includes extra washrooms and concessions. The expansion also included the addition of 14 more corporate box seats, bringing the total to 44 and enlarged and improved player facilities such as dressing rooms, weight rooms, coach`s room, equipment room, player`s lounge and medical room.

At about this time, there was a proposal from Ice Edge Holdings to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and begin playing five of the Coyotes' home games each season in Credit Union Centre beginning in December 2009. The logic behind the move, which parallels the Bills Toronto Series in the NFL, was that although Saskatoon was likely too small to support an NHL team of its own, it would easily be able to sell out the Credit Union Centre for one game each month. By May 2011, Ice Edge Holdings abandoned its plan to purchase the team and, with it, the plans for the Coyotes to play in Saskatoon.

The Credit Union Centre hosted NHL exhibition games in 2011 (when the Edmonton Oilers hosted one of their games there) and 2012 (when the Winnipeg Jets did the same).