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Kenji and Yumi make their way to the arena and take their seats, super excited to watch the Canada-USA Men's hockey game. The program they purchased for $8 states that GM Place has a capacity of 20,000, not including the suites (on level 200) and wheelchair seating. Configuration/Seating Plan of GM Place They find themselves sitting next to a local Vancouverite named Mathu, who is an avid hockey fan. The game doesn't start for another 30 minutes, so Mathu starts a conversation with Kenji and Yumi. Mathu: Hey neighbours, did you know that the ice rink had to be expanded from the original NHL size to the international size for the Olympics? An official NHL size rink measures 200 feet in length and 85 feet in width, with corners rounded to a 28-foot radius. However, an international size rink has dimensions of 200 feet by 100 feet. Pretty cool, eh? Kenji: Uh, I guess so.
Kenji: So it must be pretty cold down there on the ice rink, you think? Mathu: Yeah, you bet. It's between 24 and 26°F. But in Canada we measure temperature in degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit.
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Having only seen pictures of General Motors Place in Japan, Kenji
and Yumi are impressed with its state-of-the-art design. They read
about it before leaving for Vancouver. At a cost of $160 million
CDN, GM Place officially opened in September 1995. It replaced the
Pacific Coliseum as the venue for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks hockey
team and is also the home of the Vancouver Ravens lacrosse team.
GM Place is one of the most active entertainment venues in North
America, attracting the biggest names in show business to its stage
since its conception.
