For 66 years, the Colisée de Québec was the loudest room in Quebec hockey — a barrel-vaulted arena on Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel that shook with noise every time the Nordiques took the ice. It opened in 1949, said goodbye to the NHL in 1995, and closed for good in 2015, yet it’s still standing today, empty and waiting for a demolition date that keeps getting pushed back.
This guide covers everything people search for about the building: where exactly it sits, how big it was at each stage of its life, the international events and Nordiques history that made it famous, and the latest, verified word on when — and why — the city will finally tear it down.
Quick Answer
The Colisée de Québec is a closed, 15,176-seat former NHL/WHA arena at 250 Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel in Quebec City, part of the ExpoCité complex. It was home to the Quebec Nordiques from 1972 to 1995 and closed in September 2015 when the Videotron Centre opened nearby. The city has approved demolition, but as of 2026 the building is still standing — officials say deconstruction won’t start before the end of 2027, once the 2027 Canada Games finish using the site.
Where Is the Colisée de Québec?
The arena sits at 250 Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel in Quebec City’s Limoilou-adjacent ExpoCité grounds, the same municipally owned exhibition and events complex that hosts the Expo Québec fair and sits right next to the Videotron Centre, the modern arena that replaced it. The building is not open to the public — there are no tours, tickets, or events inside — but it’s still visible from the street as part of the ExpoCité site while the city finalizes what happens next.
Home of the Nordiques
When the Quebec Nordiques joined the World Hockey Association in 1972, the Colisée de Québec became one of the loudest and most passionate arenas in professional hockey. The building’s intimate barrel-vault structure amplified crowd noise to legendary levels, giving Quebec City fans a ferocious home-ice advantage.
After the WHA folded in 1979, the Nordiques joined the NHL and the Colisée was expanded to meet the league’s seating requirements, eventually topping out around 15,400 seats before settling at a final capacity of 15,176. The Nordiques played there until their controversial 1995 relocation to Denver, where they became the Colorado Avalanche — a departure that left a lasting wound in Quebec City’s hockey culture. The arena kept going as home of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL until its final night in 2015.
Architecture and the “House That Béliveau Built”
The Colisée opened on December 8, 1949, replacing an earlier arena on the same site that had burned down the year before. It was designed by architect Robert Blatter along with F. Caron and the firm Rinfret and Bouchard, blending an International Style exterior with an Art Deco interior — a striking combination for a hockey barn of that era.
Long before the Nordiques arrived, the building earned the nickname “The House That Béliveau Built,” a nod to Jean Béliveau, who packed the arena playing for the Quebec Aces in the early 1950s before moving on to NHL stardom with the Montreal Canadiens.
Capacity Through the Years
The Colisée’s seating grew in stages as the building was renovated to keep pace with professional hockey standards: 10,034 seats from 1949–1973, dipping slightly to 10,004–10,012 through the mid-1970s, then jumping to roughly 15,250 in 1981 when the Nordiques moved to the NHL. Capacity peaked at 15,434 in the mid-1980s before settling at a final figure of 15,176 seats from 2009 until closure in 2015.
A Stage for International Hockey
Beyond its NHL and WHA tenants, the Colisée hosted some of hockey’s biggest international moments: games from the 1974 Summit Series (the WHA’s answer to the famous 1972 series), the 1976 and 1991 Canada Cups, the 1978 World Junior Championships, and the 2008 IIHF World Championship. It also crowned a Memorial Cup champion in 1971 and staged Rendez-vous ’87, the NHL All-Star Game’s one-off showdown against the Soviet national team.
Its full list of tenants over the decades included the Quebec Aces, Quebec Nordiques, Quebec Remparts, Quebec Rafales (IHL), and Quebec Citadelles (AHL) — making it one of the busiest multi-sport buildings in Canadian hockey history.
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament
Every February from 1960 to 2015, the Colisée became the center of youth hockey in North America, hosting the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. The event drew roughly 2,300 young players from about 16 countries each year and is widely credited with helping launch the careers of future NHL stars, giving the arena a legacy that reaches well beyond its pro tenants.
From Colisée de Québec to Colisée Pepsi
The building carried its original name for exactly 50 years until PepsiCo bought the naming rights on November 18, 1999, renaming it Colisée Pepsi for the rest of its operating life. Longtime fans still refer to it interchangeably by both names, and both show up in historical references to the same building.
Closure: The Move to the Videotron Centre
The Colisée closed on September 14, 2015, days after the new Videotron Centre opened just steps away on the same ExpoCité grounds. The modern arena offered contemporary amenities and a larger footprint the aging Colisée couldn’t match, making the 66-year-old building redundant as a major-event venue almost overnight. Fittingly, the Colisée’s very last public event was the closing night of Metallica’s Lords of Summer Tour on September 14, 2015.
Demolition and What Comes Next
Quebec City confirmed in February 2025 that the Colisée will be demolished and the site redeveloped into a mixed-use residential and commercial project. But the building is still standing in 2026, and city officials have since clarified the timeline: demolition will not begin before the end of 2027, because the site is currently needed to support the 2027 Canada Games. Because the structure contains lead and asbestos, the demolition itself is expected to take about two years and roughly $20 million once it finally starts.
Before any wrecking crew arrives, Quebec City’s development agency ExpoCité must present a formal replacement plan for the site and win approval from the city’s urban planning commission — a process the city says will produce a fuller vision report around November 2026. In the meantime, the city has spent over a million dollars just to keep the vacant building structurally safe. For the latest official updates on the site and its future, check the official ExpoCité website, which manages the grounds where the Colisée still stands.
Colisée de Québec FAQs
Is the Colisée de Québec still standing?
Yes. As of 2026 the building is still standing, though empty and stripped of its seats and equipment. City officials have said demolition won’t begin before the end of 2027.
Why is the Colisée de Québec being demolished?
The arena has sat vacant since 2015 and is considered obsolete now that the Videotron Centre handles Quebec City’s major hockey and entertainment events. The city announced in February 2025 that it will demolish the building and redevelop the ExpoCité site with housing and commercial space.
When will the Colisée de Québec be demolished?
Not before the end of 2027. The site is currently needed for the 2027 Canada Games, and the city must still finalize a redevelopment plan and get planning-commission approval before demolition can proceed. Once underway, the process is expected to take about two years because of lead and asbestos in the structure.
What teams played at the Colisée de Québec?
Its most famous tenant was the Quebec Nordiques, who played there from 1972 to 1995 in both the WHA and NHL. Other tenants included the Quebec Aces, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL), Quebec Rafales (IHL), and Quebec Citadelles (AHL).
Where is the Colisée de Québec located?
It’s at 250 Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel in Quebec City, on the ExpoCité grounds right beside the Videotron Centre.
What was the Colisée de Québec’s seating capacity?
It opened in 1949 with 10,034 seats and was expanded in stages as it moved into the NHL, reaching a final capacity of 15,176 seats by the time it closed in 2015.
Why did the Colisée de Québec close?
It closed on September 14, 2015, when Quebec City’s new Videotron Centre opened nearby. The modern arena offered updated amenities and a larger footprint, making the 66-year-old Colisée redundant as a major-event venue.
Why was the Colisée de Québec called “The House That Béliveau Built”?
The nickname dates back to the early 1950s, when Jean Béliveau regularly sold out the arena playing for the Quebec Aces before he became an NHL star with the Montreal Canadiens.
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