By Meg Tilley — RogersPlace.com
2017 has been a monumental year for Rogers Place. The venue played host to an assortment of events, seamlessly transitioning from the ice to the stage, premiering the octagon, even hauling in some dirt for the inaugural PBR Global Cup, and playing host to some very special Canadians for Canada 150. In celebrating such incredible accomplishments, we take a look back at what the venue had in store for the City of Edmonton.
ICE LEVEL: THE FEATURE ON THE 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW
Drake's Hotline Bling
JANUARY 15
On Sunday, January 15, Rogers Place hosted the 2017 Oilers Skills Competition presented by Rogers for the first time inside the new arena to a sold-out crowd. Click below to catch all the highlights from the exciting day!
JAYS IN JANUARY
JANUARY 19
The Toronto Blue Jays made a stop at Rogers Place to meet fans and watch the Oilers as part of their 2017 Winter Tour.
The #BlueJays have arrived at #RogersPlace for their winter tour! #WT2017 #yegarena #yegdt #yeg
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YOU CAN PLAY
FEBRUARY 13
From rainbow Pride Tape to You Can Play on-ice projections and scoreboard activations, Rogers Place was brimming with messages of love, support and inclusion.
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
FEBRUARY 17
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood opened up their first of nine shows at Rogers Place on Friday, February 17. With a total of five shows played on the weekend, Brooks returned to the stage Thursday, February 23, for the final show of Garth-mania!
1-ON-1: GARTH BROOKS
FEBRUARY 17
Garth Brooks talks with Jessica Kent ahead of his first concert at Rogers Place.
1-ON-1: TRISHA YEARWOOD
FEBRUARY 17
Trisha Yearwood talks with Jessica Kent ahead of the first Garth Brooks concert at Rogers Place, where she joined Garth up on stage.
THE 5,000,000TH TICKET
FEBRUARY 25
Garth Brooks celebrated the five millionth ticket sold on The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood and nine sold out concerts at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. On the 1996-98 tour, the five millionth ticket was in College Station, TX during November 19 – 22, 1998 at Reed Arena. It was the 100th city on the tour. This time, it only took 60 cities.
GARTH BROOKS BANNER RAISING
TO GARTH, SINCERELY GRETZKY
FEBRUARY 25
Wayne Gretzky congratulates Garth Brooks on his Five Millionth ticket sold and nine sold-out shows at Rogers Place.
PCL ICE LEVEL | THE FEATURE ON THE GARTH WRAP-UP
Garth Brooks took over Edmonton selling out nine shows over six days. In this edition of PCL ICE Level, Jessica Kent recaps the kind of impact he had on the city and how it was all made possible at Rogers Place — especially during those back-to-back show days!
EDMONTON TOWER OPENS DOORS
FEBRUARY 23
In only what can be described as ICE District fashion, the Edmonton Tower held a unique ribbon cutting ceremony announcing their official opening.
#Canada150
MARCH 18
Rogers Place proved to be a hub for more than just hockey and concerts. Twelve people — of all ages — became Canadians on March 18, 2017, during a special citizenship ceremony inside the Oilers Hall of Fame room in celebration of our nation’s 150th birthday.
MARCH 23
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CLINCHED!
MARCH 28
The energy was at an all-time high during the LA Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers Game. After winning 2-1, playoff hockey came to Rogers Place for the very first time! The Oilers clinched their spot during Fan Appreciation Night presented by Canadian Tire, and Oil Country couldn’t have been more excited.
MARCH 28
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MARCH 31
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FOOL ME ONCE...FOOL ME TWICE
APRIL 1
ICE District is growing in height, once again. The world’s tallest statue is modeled after an iconic Albertan and will find a home in the district’s plaza. It will redefine Edmonton’s skyline and rival the height of the Stantec tower at 211 meters tall.
LET'S GO OILERS!
APRIL 12
Ahead of the Oilers first playoff game in 11 years, energy was at an all-time high at Rogers Place!
OILERS WATCH PARTIES
APRIL 20
More than 12,000 Oilers fans filled the seats at Rogers Place for the second Oilers Orange Crush Road Game Watch Party powered by Rogers. Decked out in orange, fans were nearly as revved up to watch the away game on the scoreboard as they are for a home game.
APRIL 20
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FANDEMONIUM
APRIL 27
The energy in Oil Country only continued to ramp up as the team prepared to enter Round 2 of the playoffs. From watch parties to rallies, Jessica Kent took a look at how Oilers fans celebrated the team’s playoff success!
TESTING EDMONTON'S CHOPS
MAY 1
After Brett Kissel’s microphone was inaudible inside Rogers Place before Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round between the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers, the country-music star solicited help from the crowd. Not only did the Oilers faithful know all the words, they delivered a chill-inducing rendition of the American anthem.
DRAT'S HATS
MAY 11
Leon Draisaitl’s first hat trick was not only a big victory for him but for the city’s less fortunate. Most of the hats thrown on the ice were donated to the Bissell Centre, Hope Mission and Operation Friendship Seniors Society. Jessica Kent took an inside look at how the playoffs benefited charities around the city.
PLAYOFF MEMORIES
MAY 18
Although the Oilers didn’t make it to Round 3, the team gave us a lifetime of memories during the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jessica Kent spoke to some players and fans to find out what their favourite “I Remember Moment” was.
RECORD BREAKING SEASON
MAY 18
The 2016-17 inaugural season at Rogers Place was one for the ages as the Oilers celebrated key highlights and record-setting milestones both on and off the ice. From Opening Night on October 12, 2016, to Game 7, Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, Rogers Place became the central hub of energy and excitement in Edmonton and home to the Orange Crush.
21 DAYS OF SUMMER
MAY 25
The summer of live entertainment didn’t disappoint! Take a look back on when Jessica Kent reviewed the 21 events and concerts that came to Rogers Place this summer.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
MAY 28
After adding a spring leg to their tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made their way to Rogers Place for an unforgettable, spicy performance.
SOUL2SOUL
JUNE 3
Ten years had passed since the country power couple were last in Edmonton, playing two sold-out nights on the Soul2Soul 2007 tour at what was then Rexall Place. Returning to Rogers Place for their Soul2Soul 2017 Tour, (timelessly) a little older and a little wiser, the duo didn’t disappoint!
ICE DISTRICT 2.0
JUNE 28
On this day, ICE District and the City of Edmonton hosted a public consultation for ICE Phase 2, a proposed development north of Rogers Place.
CANADA 150 CELEBRATIONS
JULY 1
Canada 150 was celebrated in a big way at Rogers Place on July 1! From a family-friendly ‘street festival’ in Ford Hall, followed by an honouring ceremony, the evening closed with Canada’s own award-winning singer, Sarah McLachlan. Jessica Kent sat down with JUNO and Grammy award-winning Canadian icon ahead of her Canada Day performance at Rogers Place.
Happy Canada Day! ?? #Canada150 #RogersPlace #yegarena #yegdt #yeg
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WHEN EIGHT FEELS GREAT
JULY 5
Looking back on the big day when the Edmonton Oilers signed Connor McDavid to an eight-year contract extension. Jessica Kent caught up with Oilers Captain and his parents to see what playing in ICE District another eight years means to them.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE: DAVE SEMENKO
JULY 6
The Semenko Family and Oilers Organization hosted a very special Celebration of Life for Oilers great Dave Semenko at Rogers Place. Dave’s family, friends and former teammates took the opportunity to share memories and celebrate the life of a beloved father, brother, son, teammate and friend.
ED SHEERAN
JULY 25 & 26
Ed Sheeran provided Edmonton fans with an entertaining and memorable evening at Rogers Place in his first of two North American tour shows in the city. Sheeran showed off his ridiculous musical talents and superb vocals with his impressively simple production.
24K MAGIC
JULY 30 & 31
Grammy Award winner and world-renowned, multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter/producer/director/musician, Bruno Mars, had an electrifying performance, two nights in a row, that was all about getting the crowd to their feet at Rogers Place.
LITTLE MONSTERS UNITE
AUGUST 3
Lady Gaga brought her Joanne World Tour to Rogers Place this summer, and it was nothing short of stunning – both vocally and visually.
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AUGUST 18
1-ON-1 | FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
AUGUST 18
Jessica Kent sat down with Noelle Scaggs of the up-and-coming band Fitz and the Tantrums ahead of opening up for OneRepublic at Rogers Place. They talked about how they got their fun group name, their pre-show ritual (which includes a dog) and did the “HandClap” clap.
WEEK OF UFC
SEPTEMBER 7-9
What had been eagerly dubbed the ‘Week of UFC’ at Rogers Place, finally came to a close on September 9 with the long-awaited World Bantamweight Championship taking place between Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes and Valentine “Bullet” Shevchenko.
A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS
SEPTEMBER 26 & 27
On this day, the typically quiet Fall streets of Edmonton were bustling with excitement. Which, as we all know by now, could only mean one thing — an event was happening at Rogers Place.
FEED THE MACHINE
SEPTEMBER 28
Following back-to-back Coldplay concerts earlier this week, Rogers Place was yet again a packed house on Thursday, hosting Nickelback’s Feed The Machine tour.
STARBOY
OCTOBER 2
Bringing Starboy: Legend of The Fall 2017 World Tour — Phase Two to Edmonton, The Weeknd stopped off at Rogers Place during the western leg of his tour.
EVOLVE
OCTOBER 10
With illuminated pyramids and an exhilarating sci-fi intro video, Imagine Dragons had a thunderous performance at Rogers Place.
ARCADE FIRE
OCTOBER 11
Arcade Fire left a chill in the air from their riveting vocals and overall inexplicably striking sound at Rogers Place.
KINGS OF LEON
OCTOBER 13
Kings of Leon sent fans into the weekend with positive vibes and hit songs stuck in their heads.
US + THEM
OCTOBER 24 & 25
Bringing his first night of the Us + Them Tour to Edmonton, Roger Waters delivered on a night of expectedly epic music.
DEPECHE MODE
OCTOBER 27
Thirty-seven years as a band and finally Depeche Mode, the synth-pop titans from Basildon, Essex, graced the Rogers Place stage in Edmonton. To put that into perspective for Edmontonians, the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979, only a year before Depeche Mode became a band.
PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS ONLY
NOVEMBER 9-11
The highly anticipated event finally made its debut at Rogers Place. Prior to it’s arrival, Jessica Kent caught up with Canadian National Champion Zane Lambert to talk about the toughest sport on dirt and what it takes to be a professional bull rider.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
NOVEMBER 4
For the first time in franchise history, the Edmonton Oil Kings went to battle against the Saskatoon Blades during Star Wars Night. Specialty jerseys were designed for the game and auctioned off post-game for Sorrentino’s Compassion House. From Storm Troopers marching around the concourse to Darth Vader dropping the puck, Jessica Kent takes us inside the event.
NHL CENTENNIAL FAN ARENA
NOVEMBER 3-5
The NHL’s Centennial Fan Arena tour made a stop in Edmonton where fans had a free chance to get a photo with the cup and check out some historical memorabilia.
1-ON-1 WITH PBR ATHLETES
NOVEMBER 9
PBR Global Cup presented by Encor by EPCOR is kicked off at Rogers Place with the Canadian National Team Qualifier. Jessica Kent caught up with some of the Canadian athletes vying for a spot on Team Canada to get an idea of what it takes to be out in the dirt with a 1,500-pound bull.
NINE LIVES
NOVEMBER 10
While PBR took over Rogers Place, Hunter got in on the action to learn how to “tame” a bull.
PBR GLOBAL CUP FINAL RECAP
NOVEMBER 16
PBR Global Cup presented by Encor by EPCOR captivated a new audience at Rogers Place with sparklers, music and of course, bull riding. Although Team USA took home the trophy with our dirt in it, Team Canada was proud of their effort.
STANTEC TOWER TOPS OFF COMMERCIAL LEVELS
NOVEMBER 17
ICE District Properties Joint Venture announced its latest construction milestone with the official topping-off of the commercial level of Stantec Tower, located on the corner of 102 Street and 103 Ave in Edmonton.
TEDDY BEAR TOSS BREAKS RECORD
DECEMBER 2
The Edmonton Oil Kings could BEARly wait to score as alternate captain Davis Koch fired home his 10th of the season just 67 seconds in making it rain bears at the annual Teddy Bear Toss game.
BUILDING SMARTER
DECEMBER 7
The City of Edmonton, with Oilers Entertainment Group, announced Rogers Place received LEED Silver certification.
4:44 TOUR
DECEMBER 9
At long last Brooklyn’s finest took over centre stage at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
TEAM CANADA HOCKEY TAKEOVER
DECEMBER 17
The U.S. Women’s National Team fell to Canada in overtime, 2-1, at Rogers Place, in the final game of the six-game series that saw both teams preparing for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.