Saskatoon Blades

Rink: Sasktel Centre
Capacity: 15,100
Built: 1988
League: WHL
City: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Home Of: Saskatoon Blades
Games Attended: 9
First Game: May 17, 2013 vs London
Most Recent Game: May 26, 2013 Halifax vs Portland
Unique Arena: #32
WHL Arena: #1

Believe it or not, the original intentions of building the now-named SaskTel Centre in the 1980s was with the hope that an NHL team would call Saskatoon, Saskatchewan home. A businessman tried to buy the St. Louis Blues and move them to Saskatoon. That deal fell through long before the rink was built, but this large arena was built anyway as the home for the Saskatoon Blades. The rink unfortunately is built in a terrible location. Even today, nearly 40 years after it opened, the arena sits on the northern outskirts of town with little else surrounding it other than parking lots and an industrial complex.

SaskTel Centre was built like many other large arenas in the 1980s, in a coliseum style setup with just one single concourse for two bowls. Suites were added later, which meant the concourse got narrower, and with an even close to large crowd it can take a while to get around. The rink is almost an exact copy of Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, except at one end of the building in each corner there is a section missing from the upper bowl. Why it was designed that way I am not sure. On the bench side of the ice the press box hangs down from the rafters, so seats more than halfway up the upper bowl on that side are obstructed view.

The Saskatoon Blades might be one of the hardest luck franchises in the entire CHL. In their near 60-year history in the WHL, not only have they never won a Memorial Cup or a league championship, but they have also never even advanced to the league final before. The only other CHL team that comes close to that would be the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. Despite all that, the Blades these days have great support from their faithful. For most of the team’s history the upper bowl has been rarely used, but in the last few years some solid Blades teams (that still ultimately fell short) got the building packed to the rafters, and not just for the Connor Bedard show when it rolled through town.

SaskTel Centre was my first CHL arena I visited outside of the OHL, for the 2013 Memorial Cup. In those days the Blades were wearing their two-tone blue uniforms, which were okay, but I am so happy to see them back in their classic blue and yellow with the Pac-Man logo (as the locals call it).

The atmosphere in Saskatoon when I was there for the Memorial Cup was… OK at best. They sold tickets in both bowls, but never sold out. Even a crowd of 10,000 didn’t seem that big, as it was pretty spread out, even in the lower bowl. I’ve been told things these days are much better, and like my other rinks that I’ve only experienced during a Memorial Cup, I wouldn’t mind getting back to another Blades game one day.

While there are no concrete plans, there are talks of a new building in the works for the Blades, which would be put in a much better location downtown. However, surprisingly they are planning on a building of a similar size. Saskatoon will always be a special place for me as it was the first time I attended a full Memorial Cup. The hockey was incredible, and I got to see a very talented Halifax Mooseheads team take home the title. Portland had a very good team there as well, and the final between the Winterhawks and Mooseheads was excellent.

Thank you to the nice lady in the Blades office for taking us on a mini tour of the rink in the fall of 2019 which allowed me to snap some better interior photos, as there was a game taking place a few hours later but we were going to Moose Jaw for a game instead.

Games Attended

May 17, 2013: London 3 – Saskatoon 2

May 18, 2013: Halifax 7 – Portland 4

May 19, 2013: Saskatoon 5 – Halifax 2

May 20, 2013: Portland 6 – London 3

May 21, 2013: Halifax 9 – London 2

May 22, 2013: Portland 4 – Saskatoon 2

May 23, 2013: London 6 – Saskatoon 1

May 24, 2013: Portland 2 – London 1

May 26, 2013: Halifax 6 – Portland 4