FirstOntario Centre

FirstOntario Centre (formerly known as the Copps Coliseum) is a sports and entertainment arena, on the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard, in Hamilton, Ontario. Depending on event, the Copps Coliseum has a capacity of up to 19,000.
It is named after the former Hamilton mayor, Victor K. Copps.
Saturday Night Live has used an exterior of the arena in many ESPN Classic sketches.
It was started at 1983 and was completed in 1985 at a cost of $33.5 million, and an additional $2.3 million for a parking garage. The construction was overseen by local Hamiltonian, Joseph Pigott.
The scoreboard clock was originally from the Winnipeg Arena, purchased for $214,000. Although it was not brand new, the scoreboard clock met the needs of Copps Coliseum.
While Copps Coliseum was built in the hope that Hamilton could draw an NHL franchise, for the past 12 seasons, beginning in October 1996, Copps Coliseum has been home to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. The Bulldogs, the top affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (1996–2002) and the Montreal Canadiens (2002–present) have brought over 2 million fans to Copps Coliseum, and are the longest serving pro hockey team in Southern Ontario, aside from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bulldogs are the sole primary tenant in the facility. On June 7, 2007, the Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup Championship in franchise history at home in Copps Coliseum by defeating the Hershey Bears.
In 1986, the World Junior Hockey Championships were held in Southern Ontario, with Copps Coliseum used as the primary venue. In the decisive game, the Soviet Union defeated Canada 4-1.
In 1987, the arena was the primary host for the Canada Cup ice hockey tournament and was the site of Mario Lemieux's famous goal that beat the Soviets 6-5 in the decisive game. It hosted a number of games in the Canada Cup again in 1991 when Canada defeated USA in the finals.
On January 24, 1988, the arena hosted the World Wrestling Federation's first ever Royal Rumble. The Rumble was won by Jim Duggan.
On January 27, 2014, the Hamilton City Council voted to approve a 10 year $3.5 million naming rights deal with local credit union FirstOntario which would change the name of the Copps Coliseum to the FirstOntario Centre. 
==Events==
==External links==
* Official Site
* Wikipedia page
* Pro Fight DB page
Category:Arenas
Category:Venues in Canada