than the 17,100 the arena held before the 2001–02 NHL season. It was one of three NHL arenas (the others being the MTS Centre in Winnipeg and Barclays Center in Brooklyn) seating less than 17,000 fans in its configuration. When it opened, the capacity was 15,423, but it was increased to 17,490 after the Oilers joined the NHL by adding an extra tier of seating on the side opposite the press box. This was increased to 17,498 in 1982 and to 17,503 in 1986. The arena underwent an extensive renovation in 1994 in which the seating capacity was reduced to make way for 52 luxury suites. 15 more suites were added in 2001. The arena could also be noisy, as noise levels reached 119 decibels during playoff games. Northlands Coliseum was the first NHL arena in Canada to have a centre-hung scoreboard with an electronic messageboard; the original scoreboard including a black-and-white dot matrix board. This was replaced in 1987 by a centre-hung scoreboard with a colour matrix screen, which in 1994 was replaced with an eight-sided scoreboard with four video screens. The last centre-hung scoreboard, designed by White Way Sign, featured eight message boards at the top and four video screens at the bottom, separated by LED rings. The arena also featured 360-degree fascia signage by Daktronics. The Coliseum was the last NHL arena with the player benches on the same side as the TV cameras. In all other NHL venues, the TV cameras are on the same side as the scorekeepers table and penalty boxes. Notable events The 1975 Skate Canada International. Gymnastics in the 1978 Commonwealth Games. The 1981 Canada Cup, along with three other venues in Canada. Games 1 & 2 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals. The 1984 Canada Cup, along with six other venues in Canada and the United States. Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals. Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals. Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals. Games 1, 2, and 5 of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals. The 1989 National Hockey League All-Star Game. Games 3 and 4 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals. The 1994 Canadian Figure Skating Championships. The 1995 NHL Entry Draft. In the 1995 World Junior Hockey Championships, which were held in various cities and towns throughout Alberta, Edmonton Coliseum was the