Steelback Centre
| The Hound Pound | |
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| Former names | Steelback Centre (2006-2008) |
|---|---|
| Location | 269 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada P6A 1Y9 |
| Owner | City of Sault Ste. Marie |
| Operator | City of Sault Ste. Marie |
| Capacity | 4,928 - Hockey 6,497 - Center-Stage Concert 5,524 - Side-Stage Concert 4,923 - End-Stage Concert 3,143 - Middle-Stage Concert (Theater Set-Up) |
| Surface | 200' X 85' |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 6, 2005 |
| Opened | September 29, 2006 |
| Construction cost | $25 million ($29.1 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | EPOH Inc. PBK Architects |
| Structural engineer | M. R. Wright & Associates Co. Ltd. |
| General contractor | Bondfield Construction Ltd. |
| Tenants | |
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Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) (2006 - Present) Sault Major Hockey Association (2006 - Present) Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL) (2012 - 2016) |
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The Essar Centre is a 4,928 seat sports and entertainment centre in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It opened on September 29, 2006, replacing the now demolished Sault Memorial Gardens. The new building was constructed directly next door to the former Memorial Gardens and incorporated its most distinctive feature, the Memorial Tower, into its plans. The block surrounding the arena is called "Memorial Square."
The Essar Centre's primary tenant is the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds made their regular season debut in their new home on October 11, 2006, against the Sudbury Wolves, losing 2–1 before a paid attendance of 4,725.
The main entrance to the facility is located in the North West Corner of the building, adjacent to the Memorial Tower. In the same corner are the main ticket windows.
There are major entrances to the concourse level from each of the four corners of the Essar Centre. Located on the concourse level are four main concessions in each corner of the facility, and four beer stations on the North and South ends. On the west side of the concourse level is the Greyhound merchandise store.
The event level of the Essar 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 physiotherapy areas.
The suite level of the Essar 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 Essar Centre by contacting the Marketing and Events Manager.
The Essar Centre includes a $500,000.00 scoreboard with an installed video component with live broadcast (up to 5 cameras), replay and T.V. capability. Wireless Internet access is available throughout the facility. The facility also includes a state-of-the-art $250,000 Sound system.
In Phase I of the construction process, 13 luxury suites with 10 seats in each were built. 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 was done.
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Wikipedia