10 years of the Essar Centre: Construction to 2008 (37 photos)

In September 2006, Sault Ste. Marie welcomed a new member to its sports and entertainment sector.

The weekend of September 29 through October 1 was dedicated to celebrating our new arena, the then-named Steelback Centre.

At a May 2006 meeting, City Council approved a proposal to sell naming rights of the Memorial Gardens’ replacement to the Steelback Brewery for $1.35 million, payable over 10 years.

However, in November of 2007, the brewery defaulted on its second scheduled payment to the city after filing for bankruptcy protection.

In July 2008, Essar Steel Algoma announced it had purchased the naming rights for 10 years with a one-time lump sum payment of $1.5 million.

Thus, the Steelback Centre became the Essar Centre, and remains so today.

When the decision to replace the outdated Memorial Gardens was made, it was decided to preserve the original structure’s Memorial Tower and name the surrounding block Memorial Square.

The sidewalk adjacent to Memorial Square, up until recently, included plaques commemorating inductees into the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame.

Honoured with a ceremony during the Steelback Centre’s opening weekend celebration, the first inductees into the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame were:

    •    Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut
    •    Francis H. Clergue, founding industrialist
    •    Joanie and Gary McGuffin, well-known adventurers and authors
    •    Jessica Tuomela, Canadian Paralympic medalist
    •    Ron Francis, NHL Hall of Famer
    •    Morley Torgov, award-winning author
    •    Treble Charger, gold record recording artists
    •    Kevin Scott, Canadian Olympic speedskater
    •    Ken Danby, renowned artist appointed to the Order of Canada
    •    Ted Nolan, NHL coach and recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award

As the new home of the Sault’s OHL franchise, the Soo Greyhounds played their first game in the new facility on October 11, 2006.

Fun facts: Part 1

The Hounds suffered a bit of bad luck at the onset of the 2006-2007 season, losing their first three home games in the new arena.

Local steel was used in the arena’s construction – trusses were constructed using welded beams from Essar Steel and steel tube from TenarisAlgomaTubes

The first concert announced was Tom Jones who was scheduled to perform on November 16, 2006. That show was cancelled and the opening concert at the new arena was a sold out show by Motley Crue on December 6, 2006.