FirstOntario Centre
FirstOntario Centre
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| Former names | Copps Coliseum (1985–2014) |
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| Location | 101 York Boulevard Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°15′33″N 79°52′21″W / 43.25917°N 79.87250°WCoordinates: 43°15′33″N 79°52′21″W / 43.25917°N 79.87250°W |
| Owner | City of Hamilton |
| Operator | Global Spectrum Sports & Entertainment/Live Nations/Core Entertainment |
| Capacity |
Concerts: 19,000 Hockey 17,383 |
| Field size | 200 x 85 feet (expandable to 200 x 100) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 8, 1983 |
| Opened | November 30, 1985 |
| Construction cost |
C$42.7 Million ($85.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Parkin Architects Ltd. Sink Combs Dethlefs |
| Project manager | STERRY Support Services Ltd. |
| Structural engineer | John A. Martin & Associates |
| General contractor | Pigott Construction |
| Tenants | |
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Hamilton Steelhawks (OHL) (1985–1988) Dukes of Hamilton (OHL) (1989–1991) Hamilton Skyhawks (WBL/NBL) (1992-1993) Hamilton Canucks (AHL) (1992–1994) Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) (1996–2015) Ontario Raiders (NLL) (1998) Toronto Raptors (NBA) (occasional home games) (1995–1997) Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) (2015–present) |
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FirstOntario Centre (originally Copps Coliseum) is a sports and entertainment arena on the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The arena, which opened in 1985, has a capacity of up to 19,000.
Hamilton was left without a large ice hockey arena with the demolition of the Barton Street Arena in 1977, and even that arena had a relatively small seating capacity by modern standards. Copps Coliseum was designed with a large capacity in part to lure a National Hockey League expansion franchise. Construction was started in 1983 and was completed two years later at a cost of $33.5 million, with an additional $2.3 million spent on a parking garage. The project was overseen by local Hamiltonian Joseph Pigott. The arena was originally named Copps Coliseum after long-time mayor Victor Copps, the patriarch of a Hamilton political family which includes his daughter, former Member of Parliament of Canada and Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario Sheila Copps, and wife, Geraldine, who was a long-time councillor.
The arena's first scoreboard clock was originally from the Winnipeg Arena, and was purchased for $214,000. The original Day Signs/Naden scoreboard, built in Toronto, was replaced in the mid-1990s by a centre-hung scoreboard with an electronic message centre on each side, which, in return was replaced with the current scoreboard, built in Hamilton by Media Resources and featuring a LED video board on each side.
The arena has hosted many teams and events over the years. The Hamilton Steelhawks of the Ontario Hockey League began play at the arena in 1985. The 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were held in Southern Ontario, with Copps Coliseum used as the primary venue. In the decisive game, the Soviet Union defeated Canada 4-1. In the 1987 Canada Cup, the arena was the primary host for the tournament and was the site of Mario Lemieux's famous goal that beat the Soviets 6-5 in the decisive game. Copps Coliseum hosted the 1990 Memorial Cup. The tournament that year recorded the highest attendance for any single Memorial Cup game, on May 13, 1990, with 17,383 spectators. In that same championship game, the Oshawa Generals defeated the Kitchener Rangers by a score of 4 to 3 in double overtime on a goal by Bill Armstrong. The arena hosted a number of games in the 1991 Canada Cup when Canada defeated USA in the finals.
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