Vancouver Forum
Exhibition Forum, PNE Forum | |
Location | North Renfrew Street, Vancouver Canucks (PCHL ) (1945–1951)Vancouver Canucks (WHL) (1952-1968) |
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The Forum (also known as the Exhibition Forum, Vancouver Forum and PNE Forum) is an indoor arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada located on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition.
Sports, Ice Hockey and the Canucks
The building became Vancouver's premier indoor sports facility in 1936 when the 10,500 seat Denman Arena burned to the ground and was not rebuilt. The arena had seating for 5,050 spectators for hockey and box lacrosse. Some of the other major spectator arenas in the area besides the Forum included the Kerrisdale Arena (Vancouver) and Queen's Park Arena (New Westminster).
It hosted the Pacific Coast Hockey League's and Western Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks from 1945 to 1968. In 1968 The WHL Canucks moved to the newly completed Pacific Coliseum which was located close by on the PNE grounds (the N.H.L. version of the Vancouver Canucks started play in 1970).
The Vancouver Burrards of the Intercity Lacrosse League later known as the Western Lacrosse Association played at the Forum from 1938 until 1949. The team left for Kerrisdale Arena for the 1950 season.
The building was refurbished as a concert and exhibition space in the early 1980s. The hockey boards were removed to create more floor space. Much of the hockey seating remains however along with one of the original press boxes which is still in place. The ice plant has since been removed from the building. The various ice activities that used to take place in the Forum are now held in the Agrodome which is also located on the P.N.E. grounds next to the Pacific Coliseum. The Agrodome had a new separate ice plant installed when the move took place but now shares one with the Pacific Coliseum after the renovations that took place in that facility for the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Olympic Winter Games.
Concerts
It has hosted several concerts during its lifespan, before but mostly after the renovation.
Jimmy Durante played in the Forum during the 1930s. Bing Crosby on the invitation of Vancouver boxer Jimmy McLarnin played a fundraiser for the Sunset Memorial Centre. Crosby staged his radio show in September 1948 in front of a crowd of 9,000 which was a record for the facility.[1]
The PNE says
In the 1970s it hosted local acts like Prism in 1977 and Triumph in 1978.
1990s: On December 10, 1990,
There have been issues surrounding the staging of all ages concerts in recent years. In 2007, a 20-year-old man died in a mosh pit at a
Other uses
The Forum was also used as a rock venue for shooting of the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, a 1981 film about three teenage girls, played by Diane Lane, Laura Dern and Marin Kanter, who start a punk band.
The film also featured Ray Winstone, Christine Lahti, ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, along with Paul Simonon from The Clash.
2010 Olympic Winter Games
It was the Uniform and Accreditation Centre Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics.[5]
See also
References
- ^ The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver - p. 253 (Harbour Publishing)
- ^ "New Installment of Frank Zappa 'Road Tapes' Due in May".
- ^ Narduwar vs. Kurt and Courtney - You Tube, 1994
- ^ Man dies after being dragged from mosh pit at PNE Forum, Times Colonist (Victoria) September 26, 2007 -http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=0621bd48-237a-4d0c-9376-c9e8657a6a63
- ^ Media Advisory - Vancouver 2010 volunteers celebrate International Volunteer Day