The Memorial Stadium was a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the former home of the St. John's Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League (1991-2001). The building opened in December 1954, after St. John's previous indoor arena, Prince's Rink, burned down in 1941. The demands of the Second World War prevented the city from replacing it until well after the war ended. The Stadium played host to many events, such as an exhibition game featuring the local senior hockey team, the St. John's Caps and the Russian Red Army. It also played host to two NBA exhibition games, and musical acts such as The Beach Boys, Tina Turner, and Rod Stewart. Wooden bleachers were used throughout the building's earlier life, and plastic seats were installed later, towards the beginning of the Stadium's AHL tenure. Memorial Stadium closed in 2001, replaced by Mile One Stadium. The interior structure of the building has been torn down and, as of July 2006, construction is underway on a new Dominion supermarket. Incidentally, the parent company of Dominion in Newfoundland, Loblaw Companies, is converting Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the former stadium of the Maple Leafs' parent club, to a Real Canadian Superstore supermarket; both projects were approved despite grassroots protests. On September 21st 2007 Mayor Andy Wells cut the ribbon opening Dominion Memorial Market. The converted stadium is unlike any other supermarket in Atlantic Canada. Some features include underground parking, an escalator and a movator. The store also kept the scoreboard from the stadium's days as a hockey arena.
