Winnipeg Arena Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located at 1430 Maroons Road in Winnipeg , Manitoba , across the street from Canad Inns Stadium . Built in 1955 , it was owned by community - owned Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation . At the time of the arena ' s construction , Enterprises was headed by prominent businessman Culver Riley and had borrowed about $ 2 . 5 million , most of it from the City of Winnipeg , to build the Arena . At the time , Winnipeg was Canada ' s third largest city and the new Winnipeg Arena was considered to be the finest facility in the western half of North America . The building ' s first major tenant was the Winnipeg Warriors ( minor pro ) of the Western Hockey League ( minor pro ) from 1955 – 1961 . Its major tenant subsequently was the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA and the NHL from 1972 - 1996 . In 1972 the Winnipeg Arena hosted game 3 of the famous " Summit Series " between Team Canada and the USSR . The game ended in a 4 – 4 tie . Following the departure of the Jets to Phoenix , Arizona , the Arena ' s prime tenant from 1996 - 2004 was the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League , and later of the American Hockey League . The Winnipeg Arena was also home to the Winnipeg Warriors of the ( Junior ) WHL from 1980 through 1984 prior to the Warriors relocation to Moose Jaw , Saskatchewan , and the Winnipeg Monarchs of the same league in the 1960s and 70s . Also a popular location for filming movies , the building was used in the made - for - television " Inside the Osmonds " and the ESPN film " A Season on the Brink " . It hosted the fourth WWF In Your House pay - per - view in 1995 . The arena opened October 18 , 1955 with the first regular season game between the Winnipeg Warriors ( minor pro ) and the Calgary Stampeders . The ceremonial opening faceoff was conducted by J . D . Perrin , President of the Warriors Hockey Club , before a sell - out crowd ( including standing room ) of 9 , 671 . This was , at the time , the largest crowd in WHL history . The occasion marked the return of professional hockey to Winnipeg after a 27 - year absence . The building sat 9 , 500 at its opening and replaced the obsolete Shea ' s Amphitheatre . In 1956 , J . D . Perrin made an offer to purchase the Winnipeg Arena , Stadium , and Baseball Park Complex from Winnipeg Enterprises . In keeping with the tenor of the times , when public ownership was thought to be advantageous , the offer was rejected . Renovations in 1979 expanded capacity to 15 , 565 . That same year , a painting of Queen Elizabeth II was commissioned for the Arena by Manitoba ' s Lieutenant Governor , Francis Lawrence Jobin . Gilbert Burch did the painting , which measured 5x7 metres ( one of the largest ever painted of the Queen ) and hung from the Arena rafters . In 1998 , two years after the Jets left , another renovation took place . Club seats were added , and the North End ice level seats were replaced with a club lounge . The portrait of the Queen was also removed ; as of 2007 , it sits in a Whitby , Ontario storage facility and is for sale . The Winnipeg Arena earned the nickname of the " White House " amongst locals for its traditional White Out during Jets ' playoff games . Decommission and demolition . Due to the opening of the MTS Centre , the Winnipeg Arena ' s demolition was approved , with the Arena holding its last event on November 7 , 2004 . The City of Winnipeg took on the $ 1 . 45 million expense of demolishing the now - vacant arena . Final demolition was scheduled for 7 : 15am on Sunday March 26 , 2006 . However , the dynamite failed to bring the entire structure down . Hours later , construction vehicles pulled down the rest of the structure . The Ontario Teacher ' s Pension Plan Board , or " Ontrea Inc . " , purchased the Winnipeg Arena site for $ 3 . 6 million . The land is now being used as a parking lot for the Blue Bombers , and is expected to be used for retail .