page_title: St. Albert, Alberta
section_title: Sports and recreation
hierarchical_section_title: St. Albert, Alberta / Sports and recreation
caption_attribution_description: English: An RCAF Canadair CT-133 Silver Star mounted for display by Millenium Park in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.
context_page_description: St. Albert is a city in Alberta on the Sturgeon River northwest of the City of Edmonton. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second-largest city in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. St. Albert first received its town status in 1904 and was reached by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1906.
  Originally separated from Edmonton by several miles of farmland, the 1980s expansion of Edmonton's city limits placed St. Albert immediately adjacent to the larger city on St. Albert's south and east sides.
context_section_description: Parks
  The Red Willow park trail system winds its way all through St. Albert and connects many parks, schools, and residential areas, including Lacombe Lake Park.
  Facilities
  In September 2006, a $42.77-million multi-purpose leisure centre, Servus Credit Union Place, was built. It features a recreational aquatic centre, a kid's play area, the Troy Murray, Mark Messier and Go Auto Arenas, two indoor soccer/lacrosse fields, three basketball courts, a large exercise room, and a running track among other amenities. Construction of the facility, touted as an eventual break-even operation, was approved via plebiscite during the 2004 municipal election.
  Servus Credit Union Place served as an expansion of the original Campbell Twin Arenas, which housed the Mark Messier and Troy Murray hockey rinks built in 1992, named for those two local National Hockey League (NHL) players. There was some controversy in 2006 when the city announced that they would rename the two existing rinks, and were going to offer those naming rights for sale. Following coverage of the controversy surfacing in Sports Illustrated, then mayor Paul Chalifoux decided to repeal the decision. The twin arenas were upgraded concurrent with the construction of Servus Credit Union Place.
  A smaller pair of ice hockey arenas, the Kinex and Akinsdale arenas, were opened side by side in 1982 in the Akinsdale neighbourhood. The Akinsdale Arena served as the city's main arena until the opening of the Campbell Twin Arenas. In August 2019, a ceremony was held renaming Akinsdale Arena after retired NHL star Jarome Iginla, who played his minor hockey in St. Albert until leaving to the Western Hockey League as a 16-year-old.
  There is also Fountain Park pool and Grosvenor pool, both offering a variety of pools, tennis courts, racketball courts and child play areas.
  Hockey
  St. Albert was twice formerly home to an Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) franchise. Between 1977 and 2004, it was home to the St. Albert Saints, which produced players such as Messier and Mike Comrie. The team moved to Spruce Grove in 2004, becoming the Spruce Grove Saints. In 2007, the AJHL returned to St. Albert when the Fort Saskatchewan Traders relocated to the city, becoming the St. Albert Steel. Playing out of Servus Credit Union Place, the team lasted five seasons before moving to Whitecourt in 2012, becoming the Whitecourt Wolverines.
  NHL ice hockey player Jarome Iginla is from St. Albert. He played his entire minor hockey career in the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association, which included stints with the Bantam AAA Sabres and the Midget AAA Raiders. It was during the 1992–93 season with the Raiders that Iginla, then an under-age midget player, scored 87 points to lead the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey league in scoring. Following this season Iginla joined the Kamloops Blazers as a 16-year-old.
  Other hockey players that have played in St. Albert are Rob Brown, Geoff Sanderson, Fernando Pisani, Paul Comrie, Troy Murray, Stu Barnes, Brian Benning, Matt Benning, Steven Goertzen, René Bourque, Jamie Lundmark, Erik Christensen, Steve Reinprecht, Todd Ewen, Dion Phaneuf, Drew Stafford, Nick Holden, Emanuel Viveiros, Colton Parayko, Tyson Jost, and Josh Mahura.
  Football
  St. Albert recently added an artificial turf field in Riel Park as the home of every minor team in the city.
  Cross Country Skiing
  St Albert has cross country skiing along the Sturgeon River and at River Lot 56 Natural Area – Stanski. River Lot 56 is across from the NE corner of Sir Winston Churchhill Ave and Poundmaker Rd and has professionally groomed multiple loop trails with interpretive signs and maps.
caption: RCAF CT-133 Silver Star mounted by Millennium Park
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