Edmonton Rogers Place community rink opens to public

The newest public rink in Edmonton is now open. People lined up for a free public skate Sunday at the new Downtown Community Arena which is attached to Rogers Place.

READ MORE: Rogers Place arena opens in downtown Edmonton to great fanfare

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The MacEwan Griffins hockey teams will play their home games at the arena. The men’s team played to a full house of about 1,000 people Saturday night.

“We’ve never had an arena,” MacEwan University president David Atkinson said. “We’ve kind of been gypsies as we’ve gone from  rink to rink around the city. But to have something like this, which is really something no other university in the country has, is really quite special.”

The Oilers and Oil Kings will also practice in the facility.

“It’s a real cool experience just to be able to see them sometimes, maybe before our practices or something. See what an NHL practice is like,” MacEwan Griffins assistant captain Taylor Bilyk said.

READ MORE: Sold-out Oil Kings home opener delayed due to technical difficulties

Initially pegged at $21 million, the final cost of the community arena came in at $25 million, even though some features were cut, including a wood panel ceiling and individual seats. Of the total, $7 million came from the federal government, $3.5 million came from MacEwan University and $14 million came from the City of Edmonton through the downtown revitalization levy.

“Through all the extra economic activity in the downtown, there is a tax lift, generally speaking, and some of those resources will be dedicated to pay for the community rink,” citizen services deputy city manager Rob Smyth said.

The rink was built with the intent all Edmontonians could enjoy it.

“It’s really important that we have these free skate times and free skate rentals and the ability for anyone of any income level to participate in the community arena. We want to be a downtown for everyone,” Downtown Edmonton Community League president Chris Buyze said.

The total cost of Rogers Place, including the community arena, is $613.7 million.

With files from Global News reporter Sarah Kraus