Jump to content

Slush Puppie Place

Edit links
Coordinates: 44°14′00″N 76°28′47″W / 44.2334°N 76.4797°W / 44.2334; -76.4797
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Rogers K-Rock Centre)
Not to be confused with Slush Puppie Centre.
Slush Puppie Place
"Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre"
Slush Puppie Place is located in Ontario
Slush Puppie Place
Slush Puppie Place
Location within Ontario
Slush Puppie Place is located in Canada
Slush Puppie Place
Slush Puppie Place
Location within Canada
Former namesK-Rock Centre (2008-2013)
Rogers K-Rock Centre (2013-2018)
Leon's Centre (2018-2024)
Location1 The Tragically Hip Way
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates44°14′00″N 76°28′47″W / 44.2334°N 76.4797°W / 44.2334; -76.4797
OwnerCity of Kingston
OperatorASM Global
Capacity5,614 - Hockey
6,800 - End stage concert
3,200 - Theatre
Field size200' X 85'
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundJuly 28, 2006
OpenedFebruary 22, 2008
Construction costC$46.5 million
($64 million in 2023 dollars[1])
ArchitectBrisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB Architects)
Project managerPMX, Inc.
Structural engineerHalcrow Yolles
Services engineerThe Mitchell Partnership Inc.
General contractorEllisDon
Tenants
Kingston Frontenacs, 2008–present

Slush Puppie Place (formerly Leon's Centre) is an indoor arena in downtown Kingston, Ontario. Opened in 2008 as the K-Rock Centre, it is the home of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.

History

[edit]
Construction of Slush Puppie Place, then known as Kingston Sports and Entertainment Centre; January 2008
Exterior of Slush Puppie Place in February 2010, then K-Rock Centre
Exterior of Slush Puppie Place in July 2021, then Leon's Centre

The arena was designed by Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects,[2] and was constructed by EllisDon Construction. It was built on city-owned land known as the "North Block", which at the time was being used as a parking lot. An archaeological dig of the area was necessary since the southeast portion of the site was the former location of part of the historic Fort Frontenac. The remaining ruins of the fort's northwest bastion is located directly across the street from the main entrance.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place July 28, 2006,[3] with construction beginning on November 3, 2006. On February 6, 2008, local radio station CIKR-FM purchased the naming rights to the arena for 10 years in a $3.3 million agreement, naming it the K-Rock Centre.[4]

In February 2012, Kingston City Council voted to rename the street on which the arena is located, formerly a part of Barrack Street, to The Tragically Hip Way in honour of Kingston band The Tragically Hip.[5]

In August 2013, the arena's name was amended to Rogers K-Rock Centre to reflect Rogers Communications' current ownership of CIKR.[6] In 2018, the naming rights were sold to Chris McKercher—owner of the local Leon's franchise—renaming the arena to Leon's Centre. The five-year agreement was valued at $257,000 per-year.[7] In January 2024, J&J Snack Foods acquired the naming rights via its Slush Puppie subsidiary, renaming the arena to Slush Puppie Place. The 15-year agreement is valued at around $2.2 million, and includes branding and concessions placements.[8]

Notable events

[edit]

Ice hockey

[edit]

The Kingston Frontenacs played their first game at the arena on February 22, 2008, losing 3–2 to their rivals, the Belleville Bulls. Kingston native Don Cherry performed the ceremonial puck drop prior to the game.[9]

Two days later, on February 24, 2008, the Frontenacs earned their first win at the arena, defeating the Peterborough Petes 7–4.[10]

Slush Puppie Place (then Rogers K-Rock Centre) in its hockey formation, November 2015
Slush Puppie Place (then Rogers K-Rock Centre) in its basketball formation, April 2018

Concerts

[edit]

The inaugural concert at the arena was performed by Kingston-based The Tragically Hip on February 23, 2008.[11] The arena has since hosted several concerts and entertainment events by artists including Elton John, Avril Lavigne, Neil Young, Cirque du Soleil, Deadmau5, Jerry Seinfeld, Bryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn, Leonard Cohen, Reba McEntire, Billy Talent, Sting and hometown band, The Glorious Sons among many others.[11]

On August 20, 2016, The Tragically Hip played the final concert of their Man Machine Poem Tour at the arena;[12][13] the tour was announced after it was made public that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.[14] The concert was broadcast nationally by the CBC's radio, television, and digital platforms as the special presentation The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration.[15] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also in attendance.[13]

Curling

[edit]
Canadian curler Rachel Homan (b. 1989) during 2018 Arctic Curling Cup in Dudinka, Russia
Rachel Homan won the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The arena has hosted multiple Curling Canada championships, including the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts,[16][17] and the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier; its hosting of the latter marked the bicentennial anniversary of Kingston's first organized curling game.[18][18]

Figure skating

[edit]
Lubov Iliushechkina / Nodari Maisuradze at the 2010 Skate Canada International
Liubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze at the 2010 Skate Canada International.

The arena hosted the 2010 Skate Canada International[19] and the 2015 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.[20]

Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame

[edit]

The Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame is located inside Slush Puppie Place. The hall of fame honors any athlete or "builder of sport" (such as a coach) who has contributed meaningfully to sports in Kingston. Athletes must be retired from the sport for which they are nominated for at least three years or be older than 50. Builders are eligible at any time.[21] The hall officially opened in 1996, and in 2008, it moved into Slush Puppie Place.[22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  2. ^ "About The Sports & Entertainment Centre". City of Kingston. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  3. ^ Rees Lambert, Lynn (July 28, 2006). "City throws off shackles to build sports/rec centre". Kingston This Week. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  4. ^ Press, Jordan (February 6, 2000). "K-Rock sings winning tune; Radio station awarded naming rights for new sports and entertainment centre". The Kingston Whig Standard. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved February 18, 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Kingston gets Tragically Hip Way". Toronto Star, February 22, 2012.
  6. ^ nurun.com. "So far so good for arena". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  7. ^ "Leon's Centre name change a work in progress". Global News. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  8. ^ "Kingston's Leon Centre to be renamed Slush Puppie Place next month". Ottawa Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  9. ^ "Belleville 3 at Kingston 2". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Peterborough 4 at Kingston 7". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Venue History - Rogers K-Rock Centre". rogersk-rockcentre.com. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Noronha, Charmaine. "Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip holds final show". The Associated Press. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Pays Tribute to the Tragically Hip". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Tragically Hip announces tour dates after singer Gord Downie's cancer diagnosis revealed". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  15. ^ "Millions watch Tragically Hip live on CBC". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  16. ^ "Kingston to host 2013 Scotties". 19 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
  17. ^ "Kingston to Host the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts". Canadian Curling Association. 19 November 2010.
  18. ^ a b MacAlpine, Ian (November 1, 2018). "It's official: Brier coming to Kingston in 2020". Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "Kingston to host 2010 Skate Canada International". Skate Canada. 29 Apr 2010. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 30 Apr 2010.
  20. ^ "Kingston, Ont. to host 2015 Canadian figure skating championships". The Canadian Press. CTV News. May 14, 2014.
  21. ^ "Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame" (PDF). Kdshf.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  22. ^ "Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame". www.kdshf.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leon's Centre.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slush_Puppie_Place&oldid=1283358330"