The Eastern States Coliseum, better known as the Big E Coliseum, is a 5,900-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

West Springfield, Massachusetts West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was ...

History

Built as the Eastern States Coliseum in 1916, adding to the facilities for the annual

Eastern States Exposition The Big E, formally known as The Eastern States Exposition, and billed as "New England's Great State fair", is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the fifth-largest fair in the nation. The Big E is inclusive of all six o ...

, the Big E Coliseum was the longtime home of the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in exi ...

professional hockey team in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

, and later served as a part-time home to the

New England Whalers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

hockey team while the team was in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

. In the 1940s through to the building of the

Springfield Civic Center The MassMutual Center (formerly Springfield Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center complex located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, in the city's Metro Center. The arena opened in 1972 and the convention center opened ...

in 1972, the Coliseum frequently hosted local showings of the

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Olympic and US National Champion figure skaters who had retired from formal competition. Started in 1940, the Ice Capa ...

and the

Ice Follies The Ice Follies, formerly known as the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies, is a touring ice show featuring elaborate production numbers, similar in concept to Ice Capades. It was founded in 1936 by Eddie and Roy Shipstad, and Oscar Johnson. In later ...

. It was for many years the largest capacity rink in western Massachusetts, and was the home arena of several local high school hockey teams as well as a prominent venue for regional and state high school tournaments. In 1991, the ice plant was dismantled and hockey games are no longer played there. The arena continues as a venue for The Big E, and hosts Shriner circuses, equestrian shows and other local events. The Coliseum has often been the location for the draft horse World Championship Finals, serving as such in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009, and has been a venue for rodeos.

Indians and The Coliseum

The first game played in the new arena was a

Canadian–American Hockey League The Canadian–American Hockey League, popularly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional ice hockey league that operated from 1926 to 1936. It was a direct predecessor of the American Hockey League. For its first ten years the Can-Am's me ...

game on December 1, 1926. Boxing promoter

Tex Rickard George Lewis "Tex" Rickard (January 2, 1870 – January 6, 1929) was an American boxing promoter, founder of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and builder of the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City ...

dropped the ceremonial first puck. The

lost to the

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...

3–1. In 1933, the parent

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

decided to pull the franchise out of Springfield, but the Indians were back in the Coliseum for the 1935–36 season when Lucien Garneau transferred his

Quebec Castors The Quebec Castors or Quebec Beavers were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec from 1926 until 1935. They were members of the Canadian–American Hockey League (CAHL). History The team first played in the 1926–27 season. Th ...

club to Springfield. When World War II broke out, the Indians had to be suspended for the duration of the war due to the

grounds being commandeered by the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στ� ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

for use as a depot. The Indians were back at the Coliseum for the 1946–47 season until 1972, when the team moved into the new

in downtown Springfield at the start of the 1972–73 season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big E Coliseum Indoor arenas in Massachusetts Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Indoor ice hockey venues in Massachusetts Springfield Indians Defunct National Hockey League venues World Hockey Association venues West Springfield, Massachusetts Rodeo venues in the United States Defunct indoor soccer venues in the United States 1916 establishments in Massachusetts Sports venues completed in 1916 Sports venues in Hampden County, Massachusetts