Servus Arena
{{Short description|Indoor arena in Red Deer, Alberta}}
{{confused|Servus Place}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Servus Arena
| image =
| former names =
| location = Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
| coordinates = {{coord|52.26110|N|113.80606|W|display=inline}}
| broke_ground = 2016
| opened = 2018
| owner =
| operator =
| construction_cost = {{CAD|21.6 million}}
| architect =
| structural engineer =
| general_contractor =
| tenants = Red Deer Vipers (HJHL) (2018–present)
| seating_capacity = Hockey: 1,360
}}
Servus Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Red Deer, Alberta. Opened in January 2018, it was constructed on the site of the former Red Deer Arena (which was succeeded as Red Deer's primary events venue by ENMAX Centrium following its opening in 1994).
History
The arena replaced the Red Deer Arena, which first opened in 1952 and was demolished in 2016; equipment from the arena was salvaged and provided to other facilities, while its neon sign was incorporated into the new arena's design. The $21.6 million facility was scheduled to be completed by mid-2018, in anticipation of the 2019 Canada Winter Games. In 2017, Servus Credit Union acquired naming rights to the new facility, naming it Servus Arena.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/end-of-an-era-arena-demolition-begins/|title=End of an era: Arena demolition begins|date=2016-07-29|work=Red Deer Advocate|access-date=2018-08-06|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/servus-arena-name-of-new-facility-downtown/|title=Servus Arena name of new facility downtown|date=2017-04-10|work=Red Deer Advocate|access-date=2018-08-06|language=en-US}}
In November 2017, it was reported that construction was ahead of schedule, and that Servus Arena could open as early as January 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://rdnewsnow.com/article/560677/servus-arena-early-opening|title=Servus Arena skating toward early opening|date=2017-11-08|work=rdnewsNOW|publisher=Jim Pattison Broadcast Group|access-date=2018-08-06|language=en}} Servus Arena officially opened on January 13, 2018, with the Red Deer Vipers playing the Three Hills Thrashers in a Heritage Junior B Hockey League game.{{Cite news|url=https://rdnewsnow.com/article/568542/puck-drops-new-era-servus-arena|title=Puck drops on new era at Servus Arena|date=2018-01-13|work=rdnewsNOW|publisher=Jim Pattison Broadcast Group|access-date=2018-08-06|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/watch-red-deer-welcomes-servus-arena-the-citys-newest-skating-rink/|title=WATCH: Red Deer welcomes Servus Arena, the city’s newest skating rink|date=2018-01-13|work=Red Deer Advocate|access-date=2018-08-06|language=en-US}}
Events
Servus Arena hosted group B preliminaries during the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup U-18 hockey tournament, with Rogers Place in Edmonton hosting Group A and the semi-finals onward.{{Cite news|url=https://edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/hlinka-gretzky-cup-the-first-step-to-possible-nhl-stardom|title=Hlinka Gretzky Cup the first step to possible NHL stardom|date=2018-08-04|work=Edmonton Sun|access-date=2018-08-06|language=en-US}}