The Keystone Centre is a multi-purpose facility located in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

. Its main 5,102-seat arena which is known as Westoba Place is the home of the Brandon Wheat Kings of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...

and the annual Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

History

The original structure was built in 1973 and was known as the Keystone Centre. It was a joint venture between the City of Brandon, the Government of Manitoba, and the

Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is a non-profit organization and an agricultural society in Brandon, Manitoba, that produces several fairs and events in the city, creating a significant economic impact in the region. It was established in 188 ...

, which organizes the Royal Fair each March. The Keystone Agricultural and Recreation Centre Inc., a non-profit corporation formed by the three parties, owns and operates the complex and grounds. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba contributed the original land and assets. The City of Brandon and the Province of Manitoba have agreed to cover any operating deficits of the Keystone Centre. The Keystone Centre was established through an agreement between the City of Brandon and the Province of Manitoba that saw the two parties share equally in any deficit of the Keystone. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba contributed the land and assets of the day, and the three parties formed the leadership of the corporation. A ten-member board of directors consisting of two representatives from the City of Brandon, two from the Province of Manitoba and two from the Provincial Exhibition, in addition to four members at large from the community appointed by the Leadership Group. The corporation employs a general manager and staff who carry out the management and operation of the facility. There have been several expansions to the Keystone Centre. In 1982 approximately 30,000 square feet of space was added with the development of the Manitoba Room, Pioneer Lounge, and Amphitheatre. In 1992, in response to ever-growing needs in the community, a major expansion was completed which added 165,000 square feet of new tradeshow and recreation space. Today the Keystone Centre sits on approximately 90 acres in Brandon's busiest commercial district and offers 540,000 square feet of multi-use all under one roof. As a significant contributor to the quality of life in Westman, the Keystone Centre plays an important role in the area of social and economic impact. Boasting over 1,500 event days annually, the Keystone Centre hosts a diverse array of activities providing a large component of the social, recreational, cultural and agricultural fabric of the area, and is one of Brandon's largest economic catalysts. The Canad Inns hotel replaced the Manex Arena, the former home of the Wheat Kings. The complex underwent through an interior redesign in the summer of 2007. The Keystone Centre also features an exhibition hall for trade shows and agricultural events, two smaller hockey arenas, and the Brandon Curling Club. On May 1, 2007, Westman Communications Group purchased the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

to the main arena and viewing lounge. Westman Communications Group ended their naming rights to the main arena in October, 2017, and signage was removed in January, 2018. On February 2, 2018, Westoba Credit Union purchased the naming rights to the main arena and viewing lounge.

Events

The Westoba Place hosted the 2010 Memorial Cup. Other major events held at the Keystone Centre include the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (co-hosted with

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

), the 1995 Ford Men's and

Women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as " women's rights" to denote female humans rega ...

World Curling Championships The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's ...

, the

1982 Labatt Brier The 1982 Labatt Brier was held from March 7 to 14 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. It was the first Brier to be attended by over 100,000 spectators. Al Hackner of Northern Ontario defeated Brent Giles of British Columbia to win his fi ...

, the

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

and 2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, the 1997 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, and the

1994 Air Canada Cup The 1994 Air Canada Cup was Canada's 16th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, which was played April 18 – 24, 1994 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. The Regina Pat Canadians defeated the Red Deer Chiefs in double over ...

. On October 13, 2017, Curling Canada announced that the

2019 Tim Hortons Brier The 2019 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 2 to 10 at Westoba Place in Brandon, Manitoba. In the final, Kevin Koe of Alberta defeated Team Wildcard skipped by Brendan Bottcher 4–3 by scoring two ...

will take place at the Keystone Centre from March 2 to 10. The Western Canadian Junior "B" Hockey Championship, the Keystone Cup, is named after the Keystone Centre as it was the alternate site used by the original tournament in 1983 that took place in

Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hi ...

. WWE held their flagship Monday Night Raw event on October 23, 1995.

References

External links

Keystone Centre
{{Authority control 1973 establishments in Manitoba Curling venues in Canada Indoor arenas in Manitoba Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Sports venues completed in 1973 Sports venues in Brandon, Manitoba Western Hockey League arenas