IN PHOTOS: A look inside Edmonton’s Coliseum building as it awaits demolition

The Edmonton Coliseum was the site of some of the city’s greatest sports moments – the Edmonton Oilers captured the Stanley Cup four times in the building in the 1980s.

Now, the cheering crowds are no more, and the arena has sat empty for years.

Almost all of the seats where fans watched one of the best dynasties in hockey history are gone.

What was once one of the best locker rooms for the best team in the league is now empty, though city representatives giving the tour Friday said today’s Oilers might not want to get ready for games in it.

Edmonton city council voted to demolish the Northlands Coliseum, formerly known as Rexall Place and Skyreach Centre, during budget deliberations in December.

Old furniture, equipment and wires remain in the building, which will need to be removed first, according to Pascae Ladouceur, branch manager of infrastructure, planning and design for the city of Edmonton.

“Then we’re going to tackle the hazardous materials – asbestos, mold, lead paint – all of these things that were common in the 1970s,” said Ladouceur, adding the materials will be remediated.

Ladouceur said some fuzzy, winged creatures are also complicating the demolition.

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“We have bats that are protected by the Wildlife Act (living here) … we can remove them but we have to do it at a certain time in their reproductive cycle,” she said, adding the bats will be relocated.

Crews are slated to tackle the demolition of the actual structure in 2026.

The area where the Coliseum sits, along with the Exhibition lands to the south, is set to be redeveloped into a vibrant and welcoming place, and the city said it is weeks away from listing the first parcel for sale to a private developer.

The Exhibition Lands Redevelopment Project envisions housing, retail, commercial and recreational spaces, as well as two urban plazas beside two LRT stations.

— With files from Slav Kornik, Global News