Pacific Coliseum scoreboard removed for relocation to the Sunshine Coast

Pacific Coliseum scoreboard removed for its relocation to the Sunshine Coast

The 2007-installed Olympic-era scoreboard at Pacific Coliseum being removed in April 2023. (PNE)

The centre-suspended scoreboard of the Pacific Coliseum was lowered and disassembled last week, marking the end of its time at the former home of the NHL Vancouver Canucks.

It is now on its way to be reused at a rink in Gibsons, benefiting Sunshine Coast junior hockey games.

But contrary to some popular assumptions, this scoreboard is not from the arena’s legendary Canucks-era — it is from a more recent era in local sports history.

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This four-sided Dakatronics scoreboard was acquired by VANOC for $1 million in 2007, as part of the Olympic organizing committee’s $20 million investment in improving Pacific Coliseum ahead of its use as the 2010 Winter Games venue for figure skating and short-track speed skating.

Diagram of the 2007-installed Olympic-era scoreboard at the Pacific Coliseum. (PNE)

Pacific Coliseum during the 2010 Winter Olympics. (Lisa Brideau/Flickr)

Vancouver Giants game at Pacific Coliseum. (Vince Kreiser)

Earlier this year, according to an online listing, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) sought interest from anyone looking to reuse the scoreboard. The interested party would be responsible for the associated costs of removal and shipping, and the deadline for the submission of interest was March 1, 2023.

It was noted that “everything about the scoreboard still works but the computers and software are quite old,” and the video screens are Standard Definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The scoreboard was well-used by the WHL Vancouver Giants for 10 seasons, until 2016, when they relocated to Langley Events Centre. Since 2016, according to the PNE’s listing, it has only been used for the odd trade show and sporting event.

In an email to Daily Hive Urbanized, PNE spokesperson Laura Ballance says there are currently no plans to install a new replacement centre scoreboard as they do not have an anchor sports tenant. But if there is a new anchor sports tenant in the future, the PNE is “prepared to make the right investments at the right time on a new scoreboard when required.”

She says the Pacific Coliseum has a new screen at the north end that works for the venue’s current client mix and can also work as a clock, and they are looking to add a second screen at the south end.

The 2007-installed Olympic-era scoreboard at Pacific Coliseum being removed in April 2023. (PNE)

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