User:Samharris1/sandbox

= Scotiabank Arena =

History
The Canada Post Building was built in 1938, in hope that it would assist in the recent population growth of Toronto and its surrounding area.

Modifications were added to the Canada Post building in order for it to be more adequately equipped for postal delivery, after it was altered due to the Department of National Defence. After the work was completed in 1948, the building now posed the capabilities and equipment for proper mail sorting and other mailing functions.

The Canada Post building was in need of major renovations, so in order to cut costs, Canada Post decided to open an alternate letter processing plant. This new processing plant was located on Eastern Avenue and eventually all of the old buildings work was transferred here.

In 1995, it was decided that the NBA would expand into Canada. The Toronto Raptors were created and would need an indoor arena to play in. The Canada Post building was chosen to be the new home of the Raptors due to its downtown location and the lot size. Other venues such as Exhibition place, North York Centre, Bay and Wellesley, and Bay and Dundas were also considered. The Canada Post building was purchased for $60 million.

In December 1998, the building’s construction was completed and the opening basketball game, hockey game and first concert took place early the next year. The home opening basketball and hockey games took place in February 1999. The opening hockey game took place February 20, 1999 (Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens), the opening basketball Game took place February 21, 1999 (Toronto Raptors vs. Vancouver Grizzlies), and the opening concert took place February 22, 1999 (The Tragically Hip).

In its first ten years of operation, the new arena had an estimated economic benefit of $2.4 billion. This was a huge boost in Toronto's economy and led to the motivation of further construction in the downtown core. It led to many projects in the area getting completed ahead of schedule. This was thanks to the desire to increase the infrastructure of downtown Toronto, and also from private funding (approximately $13 million) that was interested in seeing the economic growth of Toronto. These projects included the Bay West Teamway, Union Plaza, the Galleria (shopping centre), and Bremner Boulevard.

Features of the new building consists of a 65,000-square-foot arena and a 165,000-square-foot office tower. There is also east-west covered, climate controlled galleria and walkway onsite that contains restaurants, the ticket office, and other commercial units. The Galleria also connects the Scotiabank arena to popular locations in the downtown core such as Union Station, Bay street and York Street. The Galleria also acts as a historical museum by displaying numerous artifacts from the old Canada Post building.

The Galleria also hosts Real Sports Apparel. This is located by Gate 1, and is a retail store that offers authentic sports paraphernalia. The store mainly focuses on their exclusive merchandise such as exclusive collections, and gear actually worn by the players. The store also boasts its on-site jersey personalization where fans can purchase and subsequently customize their merchandise. Real Sports Apparel is open to fans during all Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors games that take place at the arena.

In the winter of 2003, The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario handed over a seven-day penalty to the area. This was because of the arena “permitting drunken patrons to be in the licensed patrons.” This was said to have occurred in the fall of 2002 at a Toronto Maple Leafs game and also a Rolling Stones concert. As a result of these misdemeanours, there was no alcohol to be served at the arena from December 21-28, 2003. The venue had multiple major events during this time frame which included a Toronto Raptors-Orlando Magic game on Dec. 21, a Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers game on Dec. 23, and Disney On Ice: Toy Story 2, which ran from Dec. 25-Jan. 1.

The statues were situated in multiple waves from 2014-2016 and include Ted Kennedy, Johnny Bower, Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming, Syl Apps, George Armstrong, Mats Sundin, Dave Keon, Turk Broda, and Tim Horton. In 2017, the final four statues were unveiled including Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich, Charlie Conacher, and Wendel Clark.

Events
On September 23, 2017 the ACC presented the opening ceremony as a live two-hour event spectacular. This ceremony was designed to welcome and honour the 550 competitors and their families who come from 17 different competing nations. The show featured hundreds of cast members, including honorary men and women from the Canadian Armed Forces. The cast showed a brilliant display of ceremony in multiple different productions and the raising of the flag. Other guests of the event included celebrities, world dignitaries, headline music stars and other special guests. They gathered to celebrate the brave service and stories of the members of the 2017 Invictus Games. Headline performers included Laura Wright, Alessia Cara, The Tenors, Sarah McLachlan, and La Bottine Souriante.

The ACC hosted the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Closing Ceremony on September 20, 1017. The event featured an outstanding arrangement of international headline music artists, coming together to celebrate and recognize the achievements and sacrifices of the Invictus Games competitors. The closing ceremony featured headline musical guests Bachman & Turner, Bryan Adams, Coeur de Pirate, Bruce Springsteen, and Kelly Clarkson. This celebration also included words from world dignitaries and stories of inspiration as the Games are passed to the host nation of the Invictus Games 2018, Sydney, Australia.