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| Former names | Winnipeg Stadium |
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| Location | 1465 Maroons Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 0L6 |
| Broke ground | November 1952 |
| Opened | Aug 14, 1953 |
| Owner | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Operator | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Surface | AstroPlay |
| Construction cost | $483,000 CAD |
| Architect | Moody and Moore |
| Capacity | Canadian football: 29,533 (44,784 with temporary seating) |
| Tenants | |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) (1953-present) Winnipeg Goldeyes (NL) (1994-1998) Winnipeg Whips (IL) (1970-1971) Winnipeg Goldeyes (NL) (1953-1964) |
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Canad Inns Stadium (formerly Winnipeg Stadium) is a Canadian football stadium located north of Polo Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Stadium, named for hotel chain Canad Inns, and originally completed in 1953, seats 29,533 for football. It has been the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL since 1953 and the Winnipeg Rifles of the Prairie Football Conference and has also been home to various incarnations of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Winnipeg Whips (AAA Montreal Expos farm team) baseball teams.
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History
During the Blue Bombers' early years, the team played at Osborne Stadium, a much smaller venue located near the Manitoba Legislative Buildings. The fast passing-dominated play of Bombers quarterback Jack Jacobs dramatically increased attendance at Blue Bombers game and precipitated the need for a new, larger stadium.
In the wake of several unsuccessful proposals for a new stadium, a plan for the construction of a new 15,000 seat home for the Blue Bombers in the Polo Park district was approved by the City of Winnipeg in 1952. The Stadium was officially opened on August 14, 1953 with a fundraising gala to benefit the Winnipeg Unit of the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Foster Hewitt served as the master of ceremonies as 12,000 spectators watched an array of Shriners, athletes, politicians, and Hollywood actress Corinne Calvet inaugurate the Stadium. The following night, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers played the first football game at the new facility against the Ottawa Rough Riders. The Stadium became known as "the house that Jack built" in recognition of the contributions of Jack Jacobs.
The success of the Blue Bombers led to numerous expansions of the facility, beginning in 1954 when capacity was raised to 17,995. Of these, only 10,166 were permanent concrete seating, with the remainder being temporary seating in the Stadium corners. Further additions included the construction of new north end-zone seating in the mid-1960s, expansion to the west side grandstands (including a new upper deck) in 1972, and expansion to the east side grandstands (including a new upper deck) in 1978, which raised capacity to 32,946. Seats were also added in 1987 when the Stadium was configured to accommodate baseball, at which point capacity peaked at 33,675. It remained at that level until 1999, when lower deck benches were replaced by theatre-style seats, lowering capacity to 29,533, at which it stands today.
Baseball
The original baseball grandstands, built at a cost of $184,000 in 1954 and situated in the southwest corner of the complex, were demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the Blue and Gold Room. The Stadium once again became a multi-sport facility in the late 1980s, in an effort to attract a AAA baseball club to Winnipeg. To that end, artificial turf, retractable seats on the east side stands, and new seating behind the home plate area (the northwest corner of the field, in the football end zone area) were installed. Although AAA baseball never returned to the city, the independent Northern League granted Winnipeg an expansion team for the 1994 season, adopting the Goldeyes name. After five years at the Stadium, the Goldeyes moved to the new baseball-only facility, CanWest Global Park, in 1999.
Major Events
Canad Inns Stadium hosted the opening ceremonies of both the 1967 and 1999 Pan-American Games. The 1967 Games saw the construction of new north end zone seating. The 1999 Games saw several improvements in preparation for the event, including new seats to replace old benches, additional media and club seating facilities, improved lighting and sound, and a new Sony JumboTron scoreboard. The Stadium's artificial turf was replaced in 2003, and a new AstroPlay surface was installed.
The CFL Grey Cup championship game was held at Canad Inns Stadium in 1991, 1998, and 2006. In each instance, temporary seating was used to increase the Stadium's capacity. The Stadium's attendance record was set on November 24, 1991, when 51,985 fans watched the Toronto Argonauts defeat the Calgary Stampeders for the Grey Cup. For the 2006 Grey Cup, temporary seats were erected at the south end of the football field, raising the Stadium's capacity to 44,784.[1]
The stadium also hosted an AC/DC concert on August 22, 2009
While the Stadium is best known as a professional sports venue, it has been used to host numerous amateur sports events, major concerts and other entertainment events. The Stadium was also used for many years by the Red River Exhibition.
Future Plans
There is currently a proposal to replace Canad Inns Stadium with a new football facility to be constructed adjacent to the University of Manitoba. Under the conditions of the deal proposed by David Asper, the Vice President of CanWest Global Communications), Asper would contribute $100 million towards the construction of the new $120 million stadium, with the remainder of the cost to be shared by the federal and provincial governments. In return for his stadium investment, Asper would assume control of the Blue Bombers, who have been a community-owned franchise for 70 years.[2] Asper would also obtain the rights to redevelop the land on which Canad Inns Stadium is situated.
Canad Inns Stadium is tentatively scheduled to permanently close in the winter of 2010 and demolished in 2011 to make way for retail space.
Bon Jovi is performing here July 17, 2010, for their Circle Tour.
See also
References
External links
| Preceded by Osborne Stadium |
Home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1953 - Present |
Succeeded by New Winnipeg Blue Bombers Stadium |
| Preceded by First stadium |
Home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes 1994 - 1998 |
Succeeded by CanWest Global Park |
| Preceded by Estadio José Maria Minella Mar del Plata |
Pan American Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies 1999 |
Succeeded by Estadio Olimpico Juan Pablo Duarte Santo Domingo |
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Coordinates: 49°53′22.16″N 97°11′53.72″W / 49.8894889°N 97.1982556°W
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