Colisée Pepsi
Encyclopedia
Colisée Pepsi formerly the Colisée de Québec (The Quebec Coliseum), is a multi-purpose arena
in Quebec City
, Quebec
.
It was the home of the WHA
and NHL
Quebec Nordiques
from 1972–1995, and is currently the home of the Quebec Remparts
of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
(QMJHL). On February 25-26, 2012, the Quebec Kebs of the National Basketball League of Canada
will play their final two home games of the regular season at the Colisée.
The Colisée hosts the Québec International Peewee Hockey Tournament annually in February, with almost 2300 young hockey players from 16 countries participating.
star for the Quebec Aces
before moving to the NHL and the Montreal Canadiens
. Two decades later, sellout crowds came to see Guy Lafleur
as a member of the Quebec Remparts
before, he too, would join the Canadiens.
The building went under major renovations in 1980, raising capacity to 15,750, to meet NHL
standards of that era after the Nordiques made the jump from the WHA
to the NHL. PepsiCo
bought the naming rights in November 1999 (and assumed its current name on the 18th of that month), and current capacity is 15,176. Coincidentally, the former Quebec Nordiques
, now known as the Colorado Avalanche
, currently play at the Pepsi Center
in Denver.
The arena hosted the 1971 Memorial Cup
championship series, in which the Remparts defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings
two games to none. Since the championship switched to a tournament format, the Coliseum has hosted it in 1991
and 2003
. Internationally, the first game of the 1974 Summit Series
between Canadian
WHA all-stars and the Soviet national team
was played at the Coliseum, as were one game in each of the 1976
and 1991 Canada Cup
s. The arena co-hosted the 1978 IIHF World U20 Championship with Montreal and also co-hosted, along with Halifax, the 2008 IIHF World Championship
s. Rendez-vous '87
, a two game series between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet national team, was another highlight in the building's history. Colisée Pepsi has also hosted many big concerts.
Quebec City has entertained several proposals in recent years to return NHL ice hockey to the city; most of these proposals envision using the Colisée as a temporary home while a new NHL-ready arena
is built. On October 10, 2009 Quebec city newspapers such as Le Soleil
reported that negotiations were held between the city and the NHL concerning the possibility and pertinence of relocating or creating an NHL franchise into the city. On October 16, 2009 Quebec City's mayor, Regis Labeaume, revealed that the firm SNC Lavalin had been hired in order to set up a feasibility study for a new arena. It is usually agreed that such a project would cost about CDN $400 million dollars and according to recent developments, Labeaume claimed that Quebec City's office would contribute CDN $50 million, provided that both the Canadian and Quebec governments would each invest CDN $175 million.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
It was the home of the WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
and NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
from 1972–1995, and is currently the home of the Quebec Remparts
Québec Remparts
There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The first franchise played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has played since 1997. Both franchises were based out of Quebec City, Quebec...
of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
(QMJHL). On February 25-26, 2012, the Quebec Kebs of the National Basketball League of Canada
National Basketball League of Canada
The National Basketball League of Canada is a Canadian professional men's basketball league founded in 2011. For the first season, three teams formerly of the Premier Basketball League have joined, with four expansion teams officially joining to form the NBL's "Original Seven".-Current:These are...
will play their final two home games of the regular season at the Colisée.
The Colisée hosts the Québec International Peewee Hockey Tournament annually in February, with almost 2300 young hockey players from 16 countries participating.
History
The arena was originally built in 1949, seating 10,004, to replace a building on the same site that had burned down a year earlier. It was known as "The House that Béliveau Built", as it was often filled to capacity in its earlier years to watch Jean BéliveauJean Béliveau
Jean Arthur "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau, is a former professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley...
star for the Quebec Aces
Quebec Aces
The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. The Aces were founded in 1928, and played until 1971. The team played home games at the Quebec Coliseum from 1930 to 1971.The Aces were Allan Cup...
before moving to the NHL and the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
. Two decades later, sellout crowds came to see Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...
as a member of the Quebec Remparts
Québec Remparts
There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The first franchise played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has played since 1997. Both franchises were based out of Quebec City, Quebec...
before, he too, would join the Canadiens.
The building went under major renovations in 1980, raising capacity to 15,750, to meet NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
standards of that era after the Nordiques made the jump from the WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
to the NHL. PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
bought the naming rights in November 1999 (and assumed its current name on the 18th of that month), and current capacity is 15,176. Coincidentally, the former Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
, now known as the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
, currently play at the Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
in Denver.
The arena hosted the 1971 Memorial Cup
1971 Memorial Cup
The 1971 Memorial Cup was a best-of-three series between the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Junior Hockey League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Canada Hockey League...
championship series, in which the Remparts defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings
Edmonton Oil Kings
This article refers to the original Oil Kings franchises that existed until 1978. For the current team that began play in 2007, see Edmonton Oil Kings...
two games to none. Since the championship switched to a tournament format, the Coliseum has hosted it in 1991
1991 Memorial Cup
The 1991 Memorial Cup occurred May 11-May 19 at the Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec. Participating teams were the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens and runner-up Drummondville Voltigeurs, as well as the winners of the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey...
and 2003
2003 Memorial Cup
The 2003 Memorial Cup occurred May 17-25 at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec. It featured the host team, the Quebec Remparts as well as the winners of the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League which were the Kitchener Rangers, Hull Olympiques...
. Internationally, the first game of the 1974 Summit Series
1974 Summit Series
The 1974 Summit Series was the second of two competitions between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players. Canada was represented by World Hockey Association players instead of National Hockey League players, as it had been in the 1972 Summit Series. The Soviet team won the series 4-1-3...
between Canadian
Canadian national men's hockey team
The Canadian national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and participates in international competitions. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior...
WHA all-stars and the Soviet national team
Soviet national ice hockey team
The Soviet national ice hockey team , was the national hockey team of the Soviet Union. The Soviets were the most dominant team of all time in international play. The team won nearly every world championship and Olympic tournament between 1954 and 1991 held by the International Ice Hockey Federation...
was played at the Coliseum, as were one game in each of the 1976
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
and 1991 Canada Cup
1991 Canada Cup
The 1991 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played in September 1991. The finals took place in Montreal on September 14 and Hamilton, Ontario on September 16, and were won by Canada. The Canadians defeated the USA in a two game sweep, to win the fifth and final Canada...
s. The arena co-hosted the 1978 IIHF World U20 Championship with Montreal and also co-hosted, along with Halifax, the 2008 IIHF World Championship
2008 IIHF World Championship
The 2008 IIHF World Championship was played between May 2 and May 18, 2008 in the Canadian cities of Halifax and Quebec City . The two venues were the Halifax Metro Centre and the Colisée Pepsi...
s. Rendez-vous '87
Rendez-vous '87
Rendez-vous '87 was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet national ice hockey team and a team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League, held in Quebec City. It replaced the NHL's All-Star festivities for the 1986–87 NHL season...
, a two game series between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet national team, was another highlight in the building's history. Colisée Pepsi has also hosted many big concerts.
Quebec City has entertained several proposals in recent years to return NHL ice hockey to the city; most of these proposals envision using the Colisée as a temporary home while a new NHL-ready arena
New Quebec City Amphitheatre
New Quebec City Arena, called the Videotron Amphitheatre by some media outlets, in some media sources, is a description of a new multi-use indoor arena in Quebec City, Quebec that is currently in the planning stages. It will mainly be used for ice hockey, and other indoor sports, as well as music...
is built. On October 10, 2009 Quebec city newspapers such as Le Soleil
Le Soleil
Le Soleil is a French-language daily newspaper in Quebec City, Quebec. It was founded on December 28, 1896 and is published in compact format since April 2006...
reported that negotiations were held between the city and the NHL concerning the possibility and pertinence of relocating or creating an NHL franchise into the city. On October 16, 2009 Quebec City's mayor, Regis Labeaume, revealed that the firm SNC Lavalin had been hired in order to set up a feasibility study for a new arena. It is usually agreed that such a project would cost about CDN $400 million dollars and according to recent developments, Labeaume claimed that Quebec City's office would contribute CDN $50 million, provided that both the Canadian and Quebec governments would each invest CDN $175 million.