Regina to upgrade Brandt Centre in time for 2018 Memorial Cup
Now that the bidding is done, the building is part of the conversation surrounding the 100th Memorial Cup.
Upgrades to Regina’s Brandt Centre are anticipated leading up to the 2018 Canadian Hockey League championship tournament, to be held at the Brandt Centre.
Along with renovations to the 40-year-old arena, at least 500 seats will be added to a facility that can currently accommodate 6,484 spectators for Regina Pats home games.
“We’ve had discussions with the CHL and the Pats about upgrading parts of the facilities here,” Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said Sunday.
“Certainly, seating will be one of them, but we’ll be doing lots of other upgrades and talking between now and 2018, because we want to have the best face of the city here.
“We want to have the best (arena) that we can put together in a short period of time to enhance the experience for people here. We’ll talk to them and make sure we do what we can.”
It was announced Saturday on Hockey Night In Canada that the Western Hockey League’s Pats had beaten out the other two finalists — the Oshawa Generals and Hamilton Bulldogs, both of the Ontario Hockey League — to stage the Memorial Cup from May 17-27, 2018.
As the host team, the Pats are guaranteed a Memorial Cup berth. If the Pats win the WHL title in the spring of 2018, the runner-up in the league final will also advance to the four-team affair, along with the champions of the OHL and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The 100th Memorial Cup will coincide with the Pats’ own centennial. Accordingly, the Pats will pull out all the stops to celebrate their landmark season in addition to preparing for the Memorial Cup. Enhancements to the Brandt Centre will be part of the package.
Pats governor/co-owner Anthony Marquart said seating is to be added on the west concourse, in collaboration with parties such as Evraz Place (which operates the Brandt Centre). Marquart, of the Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, added that suites may be added on the east side.
“It will be a different-looking facility inside,” Marquart said. “It’s a great thing for the community that these improvements are taking place.”
Marquart owns the Pats with Todd Lumbard, Jason Drummond, Gavin Semple and Shaun Semple. The latter Semple chaired the Pats’ Memorial Cup bid, which was delivered Jan. 25 when the national site selection committee heard all three proposals in Toronto.
“We had what I understand is an incredible bid,” Fougere said. “It was Olympic-style in the way it went forward. It just simply overwhelmed the group. There was no other choice but Regina in this case.”