The Big E Coliseum | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Eastern States Coliseum | |
| Location | West Springfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°05′29″N72°37′07″W / 42.091333°N 72.618694°W /42.091333; -72.618694 |
| Owner | City of West Springfield |
| Operator | Eastern States Exposition |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Surface | dirt |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1916 |
| Opened | October 12, 1916 |
| Tenants | |
| Springfield Indians (CAHL/AHL) (1926–1932, 1935–1972) New England Blades (EHL) (1972–1973) New England Whalers (WHA) (1974–1975) Massachusetts Twisters (AISL/NISL) (2003–2009) | |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
TheEastern States Coliseum, better known as theBig E Coliseum, is a 5,900-seat multi-purposearena inWest Springfield, Massachusetts.
Built as the Eastern States Coliseum in 1916, adding to the facilities for the annualEastern States Exposition, the Big E Coliseum was the longtime home of theSpringfield Indians professional hockey team in theAmerican Hockey League, and later served as a part-time home to theNew England Whalers hockey team while the team was in theWorld Hockey Association.[1] In the 1940s through to the building of theSpringfield Civic Center in 1972, the Coliseum frequently hosted local showings of theIce Capades and theIce Follies.[2] It was for many years the largest capacity rink in western Massachusetts, and was the home arena of several local high school hockey teams as well as a prominent venue for regional and state high school tournaments.[3]
In 1991, the ice plant was dismantled and hockey games are no longer played there.[4] The arena continues as a venue forThe Big E, and hosts Shriner circuses, equestrian shows and other local events.[5] The Coliseum has often been the location for the draft horse World Championship Finals, serving as such in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009,[6] and has been a venue for rodeos.[7]
The first game played in the new arena was aCanadian–American Hockey League game on December 1, 1926. Boxing promoterTex Rickard dropped the ceremonial first puck. TheSpringfield Indians lost to theProvidence Reds 3–1. In 1933, the parentNew York Rangers decided to pull the franchise out of Springfield, but the Indians were back in the Coliseum for the 1935–36 season when Lucien Garneau transferred hisQuebec Castors club to Springfield.
When World War II broke out, the Indians had to be suspended for the duration of the war due to theEastern States Exposition grounds being commandeered by theQuartermaster Corps of theUnited States Army for use as a depot. The Indians were back at the Coliseum for the 1946–47 season until 1972, when the team moved into the newSpringfield Civic Center in downtown Springfield at the start of the 1972–73 season.
TheNew England Whalers played seventeen total games in the Coliseum while waiting for theHartford Civic Center to open. They played four postseason games of the1974 WHA playoffs and thirteen regular season games of the 1974-75 season in total before moving to Hartford.[citation needed]
| Preceded by | Home of the New England Whalers 1973 – 1975 | Succeeded by |