[1] The arena was built at the fairgrounds in order to be away from the city, thus allowing it to also be used as a livestock pavilion, alongside the stables and horse race track.

The old house, with its obsolete lighting fixtures, oily wooden floors, and sordid washrooms, is an eyesore to hockey fans.

"Firstly, they stuffed it with 50 kilograms of dynamite, then, they used a bulldozer, but still the grand old lady of Edmonton sports wouldn't budge," one story reported.

"Gardens won't go boom," the headline read, recounting two days of the crew drilling holes into the walls and supports, and then cramming in 320 sticks of dynamite.

A second try at demolishing what's left of the Edmonton Gardens ended with a wham, a puff of dust and peals of laughter.

Because the Northlands Coliseum was unavailable, Game 1 of the 1981 NASL indoor finals was played at the Edmonton Gardens on March 2, 1981.