Pacific Coliseum gets fresh look as Vancouver Goldeneyes take flight
Professional hockey has returned to the Pacific Coliseum.
The PWHL’s Vancouver Goldeneyes opened training camp at the rink on Renfrew Street on Monday, giving us our first look at new improvements made to the 57-year-old arena.
The PNE-owned facility has been without a regular sports tenant since the Vancouver Giants moved to Langley in 2016. The Vancouver Canucks also called the arena home for 25 years, from 1970 to 1995, as did figure skating and short-track speed skating competitions during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
The most notable improvement is a brand-new Samsung scoreboard/videoboard above centre ice.
The past six months has seen the Coliseum undergo $6 million in upgrades, a PNE spokesperson told Daily Hive. Improvements were also made to the arena’s lighting, broadcast services, hockey boards, and dressing rooms.
The Goldeneyes’ practice facility at the Agrodome has also received upgrades, including a new ice floor and hockey boards, as well a renovated dressing room and team offices.
“These renovations are important for the Goldeneyes but are also important technology and functionality upgrades to a building that serves sport, music, arts and culture all year long,” a PNE spokesperson told Daily Hive.
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The scoreboard replaces the one previously installed in 2007, which was removed from the Coliseum and relocated to the Sunshine Coast two years ago.
The new Goldeneyes logo, which was unveiled four days ago, was not only displayed on the big screen, but it has also been painted onto the ice.
The Goldeneyes are the only one of the PWHL’s eight teams with their own logo at centre ice, per Har Johal.
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The Goldeneyes have a pair of preseason games scheduled for this weekend at the Coliseum, though they are not open to the public.
The puck drops on the regular season on Friday, Nov. 21, when Vancouver hosts its inaugural game against the Seattle Torrent. Ticket sales appear to be very positive, with no pairs left to buy in the lower bowl for the opening game.
The PWHL regular season stretches from November to April, with the Goldeneyes scheduled to play 13 games at the Pacific Coliseum.