View source for Colisée de Québec

{{Short description|Multi-purpose arena in Quebec City}}
{{For|other stadiums to which Pepsi owns naming rights|Pepsi Arena (disambiguation){{!}}Pepsi Arena}}
{{Infobox venue
|stadium_name          = Colisée de Québec
|logo_image            = ColiseePepsi Logo.svg
|image                 = Colisée Pepsi de Québec.jpg
|image_size            = 250px
|caption               = Colisée de Québec in 2012
|address               = 250 Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel
|location              = [[Quebec City]], [[Quebec]]
|coordinates           = {{coord|46|49|51|N|71|14|47|W|display=inline,title}}
|broke_ground          = May 24, 1949<ref name="Histoire">{{cite web |title=Histoire et Sociiété: Le Colisée de Québec, 1949 à aujourd'hui|url=http://histoiresociete.blogspot.com/2010/10/le-colisee-de-quebec-1949-aujourdhui.html|publisher=Histoire et Sociiété|date=October 9, 2010|access-date=March 18, 2013}}</ref>
|opened                = December 8, 1949<ref name="Histoire"/>
|closed                = September 14, 2015
|owner                 = [[Quebec City]]
|operator              = ExpoCité
|construction_cost     = [[Canadian dollar|C$]]3 million<ref>{{cite news |title=New $3,000,000 Quebec Coliseum to Be Opened on Thursday Night|first=Charlie|last=Halpin|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=opAuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ipkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3553,2689102&dq=en|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]]|date=December 13, 1949|access-date=March 18, 2013|page=16}}</ref><br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|3000000|1949}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}})
|surface               = Multi-surface
|architect             = Robert Blatter<ref>{{cite news|title=La Révolution Blatter|first=Michèle|last=LaFerrière|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/maison/architecture/maisons/200801/11/01-871379-la-revolution-blatter.php|newspaper=[[La Presse (Canadian newspaper)|La Presse]]|location=Montreal|date=January 11, 2008|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref><br />Bouchard & Rinfret
|former_names          = Colisée de Québec (1949–1999)<br />Colisée Pepsi (1999–2015)
|tenants               = [[Quebec Aces]] ([[Quebec Senior Hockey League|QSHL]] / [[American Hockey League|AHL]]) (1950–1971)<br />[[Quebec Remparts]] ([[Quebec Major Junior Hockey League|QMJHL]]) (1969–1985, 1999&ndash;2015)<br />[[Quebec Nordiques]] ([[World Hockey Association|WHA]] / [[National Hockey League|NHL]]) (1972–1995)<br />[[Quebec Rafales]] ([[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|IHL]]) (1996–1998)<br />[[Quebec Citadelles]] (AHL) (1999–2002)<br />[[Quebec Radio X]] ([[Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey|LNAH]]) (2003–2008)
|seating_capacity      = 15,176
}}

'''Colisée de Québec''' (later known as '''Colisée Pepsi''') is a defunct multi-purpose [[arena]] located in [[Quebec City]], [[Quebec]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2015/05/29/demise-of-colisee-signals-the-end-of-an-era.html|author=Kevin McGran|title=Demise of Colisee signals the end of an era|date=May 29, 2015|work=The Star|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> It was the home of the [[Quebec Nordiques]] from 1972 to 1995, during their time in the [[World Hockey Association]] and [[National Hockey League]]. It was also the home of the [[Quebec Remparts]] of the [[Quebec Major Junior Hockey League]] from 1999 until its closing in 2015. The Colisée hosted the [[Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament]] each February until its closure in 2015, with almost 2,300 young hockey players from 16 countries participating annually.

==History==
The [[barrel vault]] arena was originally built in 1949, seating 10,034, to replace a building on the same site that had burned down a year earlier. Built by architects [[Rinfret and Bouchard]] with designs drawn up by [[Robert Blatter]] and F. Caron, the arena was a mix of [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]] exterior and [[Art Deco]] interior.<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|date=May 18, 2014|url=http://www.contact.ulaval.ca/article_blogue/ce-cher-bon-vieux-colisee/|title=Ce cher bon vieux Colisée|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref> It was known as "The House that Béliveau Built", as it was often filled to capacity in its early years to watch [[Jean Béliveau]] star for the [[Quebec Aces]] before he moved up 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 Colisée served as the host facility of the [[Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament]] from 1960 to 2015, after the tournament originated at the [[Quebec Arena]] in [[Parc Victoria, Quebec|Parc Victoria]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee - Unique et mystique|date=2009-10-02|website=Canoe Sports|language=fr}}</ref> It was promoted by [[Gérard Bolduc]] and [[Paul Dumont]], who also had connections to the Quebec Remparts.<ref name="RDS">{{cite web|url=https://www.rds.ca/pantheon/gerard-bolduc-1.185712|title=Gérard Bolduc|date=2002-05-03|language=fr|website=Réseau des Sports|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-date=2022-11-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128211812/https://www.rds.ca/pantheon/gerard-bolduc-1.185712|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Le Colisée underwent major renovations in 1980. The old entrance was taken down and replaced with a massive glass facade, and the [[seating capacity]] was increased to 15,750 to meet [[National Hockey League|NHL]] standards of that era after the Nordiques made the jump from the [[World Hockey Association|WHA]] to the NHL. [[PepsiCo]] bought the naming rights on November 18, 1999, and its final capacity was 15,176. Coincidentally, the former [[Quebec Nordiques]], now known as the [[Colorado Avalanche]], currently play at what was formerly known as Pepsi Center (now [[Ball Arena]]) in [[Denver]].

The [[Philadelphia Flyers]] played the final five "home" games of the [[1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers season|1967-68 season]] at the Colisée, after the roof blew off their home arena, the [[Spectrum (arena)|Spectrum]].<ref>{{cite web |title=This Date In Flyers History...March 1 |url=https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/this-date-in-flyers-history-march-1/c-434641 |website=NHL |access-date=January 29, 2020}}</ref>

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 Memorial Cup|1991]] and [[2003 Memorial Cup|2003]] & 2015. Internationally, the first game of the [[1974 Summit Series]] between [[Canada men's national ice hockey team|Canadian]] WHA all-stars and the [[Soviet national ice hockey team|Soviet national team]] was played at the Coliseum, as were one game in each of the [[1976 Canada Cup|1976]] and [[1991 Canada Cup]]s. The arena co-hosted the [[1978 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships|1978 World Junior Championships]] 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-Star Game|NHL All-Stars]] and the Soviet national team, was another highlight in the building's history. Colisée Pepsi has also hosted many big concerts, as well as professional wrestling events presented by [[Eddie Quinn|Canadian Athletic Promotions]], [[Johnny Rougeau|All-Star Wrestling]], [[Paul Vachon|Grand Prix Wrestling]], [[Lutte Internationale]] and the [[WWE|WWF/WWE]].

Quebec City has entertained several proposals in recent years to return NHL ice hockey to the city; prior to the completion of [[Centre Vidéotron]], most of these proposals envisioned using the Colisée as a temporary home while the new arena was built next to the existing facility. On October 10, 2009, Quebec City newspapers such as ''[[Le Soleil (Quebec)|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.

Skatemania 2014 was held at the Colisée on October 25, 2014. The show handling the arts and figure skating produced by Alain Goldberg featuring [[Sylvain Cossette]], [[Andrée Watters]], Marc Hervieux, [[Jeanick Fournier]] and also Éléonore Lagacé, Andréanne Martin and Liana Bureau from ''[[La Voix]]''. Participating athletes among others: [[Joannie Rochette]], [[Patrick Chan]], [[Shawn Sawyer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.journaldequebec.com/2014/10/25/skatemaniaen-met-plein-la-vue|title=Skatemania en met plein la vue|language=fr|work=[[Le Journal de Québec]]|date=October 25, 2014|access-date=June 3, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2014/10/01/limpatience-gagne-jeanick-fournier|language=fr|title=L'impatience gagne Jeanick Fournier|work=[[Le Journal de Montréal]]|date=October 1, 2014|access-date=June 3, 2022}}</ref>

Former Nordiques owner and [[Canadian Olympic Committee]] president [[Marcel Aubut]] originally said that there were no plans to demolish the Colisée Pepsi even if a new arena was built. Aubut mentioned a prospective future Winter Olympics bid among other justifications for maintaining the existing arena.<ref>{{cite news|title=Quebec Ready for Nordiques Return|author=Brunt, Stephen|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/02/08/nhl_quebec_nordiques_brunt/|work=[[Sportsnet]]|date=February 8, 2012|access-date=February 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210070140/http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/02/08/nhl_quebec_nordiques_brunt/|archive-date=February 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> As part of the agreement constructing the new arena, an additional $7 million was set aside for renovating the Colisée, should the city have landed a [[potential National Hockey League expansion]] franchise before the new arena was completed in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Quebec City Arena Gets the Green Light|author=White, Marianne|url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/edmonton-journal/20120326/281672546903214|newspaper=[[Edmonton Journal]]|date=March 26, 2012|access-date=November 21, 2018|via=[[PressReader]]}}</ref>

[[Videotron Centre]] opened on September 8, 2015. The Colisée's final event was a [[Metallica]] concert on September 14, 2015 for the [[Lords of Summer Tour]]; two days later, the band would also play the first concert at Videotron Centre. The Colisée was then closed to the public, with minimal [[Maintenance, repair, and operations|operations and maintenance]] since.

In September 2019, the Colisée's neon sign was removed pending an expected demolition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2019/09/08/le-lettrage-du-colisee-enleve|author=Koenig-Soutière, Arnaud|title=Le lettrage du Colisée enlevé|work=TVA Nouvelles|language=fr|date=September 8, 2019|access-date=September 8, 2019}}</ref> ExpoCité announced plans to sell 4,000 of the arena's wooden seats to the public on the weekend of October 19 and 20, 2019, while the remaining 11,000 plastic seats would be given to municipalities, schools and other institutions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Seats from Quebec City Colisee to be sold off ahead of arena demolition |url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/seats-from-quebec-city-colisee-to-be-sold-off-ahead-of-arena-demolition |access-date=12 October 2019 |work=National Post |date=9 October 2019}}</ref> The city planned to start demolition by summer 2020 and finish by December 18, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lavallée |first1=Jean-Luc |language=fr|title=Colisée de Québec: une démolition peut-être plus complexe que prévu |url=https://www.journaldequebec.com/2020/01/15/une-demolition-peut-etre-plus-complexe-que-prevu |access-date=January 29, 2020 |publisher=Le Journal de Québec |date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> It was announced in 2021 that demolition would not proceed, as the building had been leased to be used as storage space. The lease ran until September 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moalla |first1=Taïeb |title=Ville de Québec: le vieux Colisée pourrait ne pas être démoli |url=https://www.journaldequebec.com/2021/02/15/colisee-de-quebec-pas-de-demolition-avant-lautomne-2023-au-mieux |access-date=April 1, 2021 |work=[[Le Journal de Québec]] |date=2021-02-15}}</ref> In 2024, Quebec City mayor [[Bruno Marchand]] stated that he supported demolishing the Colisée.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lesoleil.com/actualites/actualites-locales/la-capitale/2024/03/05/marchand-reste-ferme-sur-la-disparition-du-colisee-TZDLREYA2FHPJEWHE7TOZNIXZQ/ | title=Marchand reste ferme sur la disparition du Colisée | date=5 March 2024 }}</ref> It was announced in February of 2025 that the building would be demolished over a two year period.<ref>https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-colis%C3%A9e-nordiques-demolish-hockey-arena-1.7467129</ref>

===Seating capacity===
The [[seating capacity]] for hockey has gone as follows:
*10,034 (1949–1973)<ref>{{cite news|title=Quebec Peewee Hockey 'Dream' Now Reality|author=McCarthy, Gary|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=14EuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h6AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6556,1244036|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]]|date=February 7, 1970|page=13}}</ref>
*10,004 (1973–1976)<ref>{{cite news|title=Soviets Beat Quebec|publisher=[[The Canadian Press]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nfdUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3TwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2461,1728268|newspaper=[[Regina Leader-Post]]|location=Regina|date=December 8, 1973|page=23}}</ref>
*10,012 (1976–1981)<ref>{{cite news|title=Expansion, Merger, Accommodation–Whatever|publisher=The Canadian Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-3FkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6H0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1284,2654392|newspaper=[[Calgary Herald]]|date=June 25, 1977|page=41}}</ref>
*15,250 (1981–1984)<ref>{{cite news|title=Dion Has a Special Goal in Return to Quebec|author=Wevurski, Pete|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VtUcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yF0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7038,4088262|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press]]|date=November 24, 1981|page=C–4}}</ref>
*15,434 (1984–1987)<ref>{{cite news|title=If You Want to Rendez-vous, You'd Better Have a Ticket|publisher=The Canadian Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-LdhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VKgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1140,244211|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]]|date=December 11, 1986|page=D–3}}</ref>
*15,399 (1987–2009)<ref>{{cite news|title=On Pro Hockey; In Quebec, Sale Rumors and an Arena Agenda|author=Lapointe, Joe|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/26/sports/on-pro-hockey-in-quebec-sale-rumors-and-an-arena-agenda.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 26, 1995|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>
*15,176 (2009–2015)<ref>{{cite news|title=Canadian Teams Rake in Cash|author=Hickey, Pat|url=http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=310d138a-0808-4f1e-b362-ac09d0f47dee|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]]|date=January 4, 2012|access-date=March 18, 2013|archive-date=February 6, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206202838/http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=310d138a-0808-4f1e-b362-ac09d0f47dee}}</ref>

==Image gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Tableaucolisé.JPG|The scoreboard in 2007
Image:Intérieurcolisée.JPG|Interior of the Colisée seen from the centre
Image:Intérieurcolisée2.JPG|Interior of the Colisée taken on December 7, 2008
File:Remparts vs. Voltigeurs 2013-10-02.jpg|Interior of the Colisée during a hockey game
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://hockey.ballparks.com/NHL/QuebecNordique/index.htm Coliseum history]
*[http://www.remparts.qc.ca/eng/index.asp?page=colisee_pepsi_histoire Coliseum timeline]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150414040714/http://www.hockeyarenas.net/index.php3?page=3000&ctID=by&arID=1058&size=0&arOrder=arOrt&arID=2291 details on Hockeyarenas.net]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=Home of the<br />[[Quebec Nordiques]]|years=1972–1995|before=first arena|after=[[McNichols Sports Arena]] (as [[Colorado Avalanche]])}}
{{end}}

{{Quebec Remparts}}
{{Quebec Nordiques}}
{{Former NHL arenas}}
{{IIHF World Championship venues}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colisee Pepsi}}
[[Category:Defunct indoor arenas in Canada]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in Quebec City]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in Quebec]]
[[Category:Defunct National Hockey League venues]]
[[Category:Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League arenas]]
[[Category:World Hockey Association venues]]
[[Category:Music venues in Quebec]]
[[Category:Quebec Aces]]
[[Category:Quebec Citadelles]]
[[Category:Quebec Nordiques]]
[[Category:Quebec Remparts]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1949]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in Quebec]]