Tri-City Americans

Tri-City Americans

Arena Name: Toyota Center
Capacity: 5694
Built: 1988
Address: 7000 W Grandridge Blvd, Kennewick, WA 99336
Telephone: (509) 736-0606
Ice Surface Size: Regulation
Franchise Date: 1988-89
WHL Championships: None
Memorial Cup Championships: None
Colours: Red, White & Blue
Official Web Site: AmsHockey.com
Venue Web Site: YourToyotaCenter.com

WHL

 What's the Arena Like?

Yet to Visit

I have never been to Kennewick, Richland or Pasco, Washington or seen the Tri-City Americans play, home or road. The city and team are probably the least familiar to me in the entire CHL, which only makes me want to get to a game there even more.

 Future Developments
Toyota Center received a $4.1 million renovation over the summer of 2022, that among other things replaced all the original orange seats with new ones in team colours.

 Franchise History
The Americans are one of the founding WHL teams, starting in Calgary in 1966 as the Buffaloes and playing at the Corral. They were renamed the Centennials the next year and maintained that name until moving to Billings in 1977, becoming the Bighorns and playing at MetraPark Arena. The team moved to Nanaimo for one season in 1982-83, becoming the Islanders and playing at Frank Crane Arena, then to New Westminster, becoming the second iteration of the Bruins in 1983. They left Queen's Park Arena and moved south of the border in 1988, playing their first seventeen games on the road before opening the new Tri-Cities Coliseum in November. The area previously had had neither a spectator arena nor even ice to skate on, which meant that the Americans held their training camp and practices that first season in Walla Walla, a good thirty minutes away. The Americans played in the same black and gold uniforms as the Bruins had for their first two seasons owing to the owner not wanting to pay for new uniforms, before being rebranded in red, white and blue in 1990.

 Retired Numbers
8 Brian Sakic
14 Stu Barnes
14 Todd Klassen
33 Olaf Kolzig

 Feedback
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at Email and I'll update the guide.


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Last Revised: October 23, 2022