Cardiff Arena
| Cardiff Arena | |
|---|---|
| Cardiff Bay Ice Arena | |
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| Location | Cardiff Bay, Cardiff |
| Opened | 6 December 2006 |
| Closed | 27 February 2016 |
| Owner | |
| Tenants | Cardiff Devils |
| Capacity | 2,500 |
The Cardiff Arena, also known as Cardiff Bay Ice Arena and also known by ice hockey fans as the Big Blue Tent, was a temporary ice rink in Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales. It had a capacity of 2,500 for ice hockey and was home to the Cardiff Devils after leaving the Wales National Ice Rink which was being demolished to make way for a John Lewis store. It was also used for figure skating and hosted three competitions (February 2009, '11, '12). It was replaced as the home of the Cardiff Devils when they moved into the Ice Arena Wales. The last game in the Cardiff Arena was played against Coventry Blaze on 27 February 2016. The first game in Ice Arena Wales was against the Belfast Giants on 12 March 2016.
The ice rink was a prefabricated structure constructed in Finland. Assembly began in 2006 and after a number of delays opened on 6 December 2006 when the Devils hosted the Manchester Phoenix (who, coincidentally, were also waiting for a similar venue to be completed) in an Elite Ice Hockey League fixture. The Devils won the game 7-4 while Manchester's Tony Hand became the first player to score a goal at the rink.
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