I am very late to the party on this, but as its the dog days of summer, and the OHL schedule has really yet to come out, this article on the opening of the Meridian Centre on October 2nd with the first hockey game as Niagara hosts Mississauga, ironically the same opponent that the IceDogs faced in their first ever regular season home game here in St Catharines.
(Article is here by the way) http://localsportsreport.com/niagaraicedogs/2014/06/07/693/
It will be a busy start for the arena as there is hockey on the 2nd and 4th and a special opening concert with an act to be named. Then again what better way to showcase the fact that this is an entertainment facility AND a hockey arena? Guess we will get our first look at exactly how the arena turn around will go right off the bat as there will be a fair amount of legwork needed to turn the place from a concert venue to a hockey venue in 24 hours.
More importantly, lots of rumours swirling as to who will open the new facility and be the headline act. Names such as Elton John, the Dixie Chicks and Brian Adams made the round. Heck, maybe a cruel joke will be played on us all and it will be the bland, generic repetiveness of Nickelback. How about Honeymoon Suite, with its Niagara roots and theme, even though Wave Babies might rank up there now for political incorrectness in a video simply for the scene in which they dump cold water on the topless sunbathers to cop a view.
It would be nice if the act was Canadian, but not mandatory. Given the realistic confines of the arena my vote would go for KISS, who did play GMC in Oshawa, or Tragically Hip, whose popularity spans all ages. Plus, if its KISS, maybe you will get to see the TV Cogeco Crew in full kiss make-up!! Sorry, Al Galloway, you get Peter Criss :-)
There will be a tremendous buzz in the area when as October 2nd, 3rd and 4th approaches. The arena, if you check out the web cams, is really taking shape and the amenities make it a first class arena. Weight rooms, big coaches office, TV friendly lighting and sitelines. This arena seems to have it all. Couple that with an IceDog team that could have 6 players drafted to the NHL, and it could be a fun fall and winter in the Garden City.
Now about that opening act. Gowan? Leonard Cohen? Anne Murray out of retirement? The sky is the limit! Just no Bieber, no Drake and no Nickelback...
Steve Clark
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