The 1946 Macdonald Brier was opened by Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas and was the first to be broadcast nationally on CBC radio, while the 1965 edition set a new tournament attendance record.

[11] The 1972 Macdonald Lassies Championship also set a new tournament attendance record and was won by Vera Pezer's Saskatoon rink, their second in a run of three consecutive national titles.

[12][13] Even in its final decade, as the city debated replacing the aging facility, it continued to host major musical and traveling acts, including the Harlem Globetrotters.

[9][10] The city proved hesitant to lose the landmark and a number of years passed between the first proposal to replace the structure in the 1970s and its eventual closure in the late 1980s.

[14] The situation was complicated when local sports promoter Bill Hunter instigated efforts to bring the NHL to Saskatoon, including a failed bid to purchase and relocate the St. Louis Blues in the early 1980s.

[15] Hunter's efforts included plans to build a modern, 18,000 seat arena, which was considered too big for any available site in downtown Saskatoon.