The Big E Coliseum was built in 1926. The longtime home of the
Springfield Indians professional hockey team in the
American Hockey League, it was a part time home to the
New England Whalers ice hockey team while the team was in the
World Hockey Association, as well as briefly being the venue for the
Hartford Whalers when the team joined the
National Hockey League, until the repair of the
Hartford Civic Center in January, 1980.
[1] In the 1940s through to the building of the
Springfield Civic Center in 1972, the Coliseum frequently hosted local showings of the
Ice Capades and the
Ice Follies.
The first game played in the new arena was on December, 1, 1926. Boxing promoter
Tex Rickard dropped the ceremonial first puck.
When World War II broke out, the franchise had to be suspended for the duration of the war due to the
Eastern States Exposition grounds being commandeered by the United States Army for use as a quartermaster's depot. The Indians were back at the Coliseum for the 1946–47 season until 1972, when the team moved into the
Springfield Civic Center in downtown Springfield at the start of the 1972–73 season.
