It was built in 1989–1990 and opened in the fall of 1990 as the principal venue for the 1991 Canada Winter Games which Prince Edward Island hosted in February 1991.

The 3,200 seat capacity arena was to be built on the southern side of the Charlottetown Driving Park (a harness racing track) and adjoining Kennedy Coliseum (an agricultural show facility), which would be renovated into a multi-use exhibition hall.

The facility has been the home rink of the Charlottetown Islanders, formerly the PEI Rocket, of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since the team relocated from Montreal in 2003.

Both teams moved in the fall of 2003 to the newly built MacLauchlan Arena on the University of Prince Edward Island campus.

The facility has hosted numerous concerts over the years, including The Tragically Hip, Bryan Adams, The Guess Who, Willie Nelson, The White Stripes, George Jones, and Girlicious on their first tour.