TD Coliseum - Toronto Rock
- Dave Cottenie
- Dec 23, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 26, 2025
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14
TD Coliseum 101 York Boulevard Hamilton, ON L8R 3L4
Year Opened: 1985
Capacity: 17,383
Rock City Renovation
The expansion Ontario Raiders joined the National Lacrosse League in 1998. They played one season in Hamilton before being sold to an ownership group consisting of Toronto Maple Leafs Assistant GM, Bill Watters, Blue Jays President, Paul Beeston, Tie Domi and Bobby Orr, and immediately moved to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and rebranded the Toronto Rock.
After being the final event in the venerable arena, the Rock moved south to join the Leafs and Raptors at what was then known as the Air Canada Centre. The Rock enjoyed great success in Downtown Toronto, but decided to make the move west, back to Hamilton in 2021. While maintaining the Toronto Rock brand, the team, under the ownership of Jamie Dawick, helped push the FirstOntario Centre to a much-needed renovation. After a year in Mississauga during construction, the Rock have returned to the newly christened TD Coliseum and are optimistic about the future in the Hammer.
TD Coliseum opened in 1985 as Copps Coliseum, to attract an NHL expansion franchise in the forefront. The shock of Ottawa gaining the Senators at the detriment of Hamilton still has not fully healed. The Coliseum has been home to a host of AHL franchises and the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. In 2024, the City of Hamilton began a $300 million renovation on what would become TD Coliseum. The Toronto Rock is the only sports tenant at the time of writing, but they will soon have company, as the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League will be moving to Hamilton for the 2026-2027 season.
Food & Beverage 4
One of the main areas of focus for the recent renovation of the arena was concessions. The concession. Food options now feature higher quality and significant variety. Sugar & Salt, Matty’s Patty’s, Fizzy Feathers, Dip City, Mr. Softee, Casa Escobar, Rizzo’s House of Parm, and Shaq’s Big Chicken are all available stands. A further focus of the renovation was the creation of new premium dining areas, including the Vinyl Room, Rogers Club, and TD Lounge. A full accounting of the concession landscape can be found on the TD Coliseum website. It should not be surprising that with the improvement in quality of the concessions has come an increase in the cost.
Atmosphere 3
The exterior of TD Coliseum now punctuates the theme throughout the arena. TD Coliseum’s exterior, which once featured white or off-white siding, now features a black colour scheme with green highlights; the same green of the TD logo. A new exterior sign at the northwest corner of the footprint is the other main highlight of the renovations on the outside.
The footprint of the arena remains the same, and there is not much of a gathering area outside the arena. The largest would be the northwest corner. A new focus at TD Coliseum is ensuring that fans enter their assigned gate, which uses the arena’s resources a little bit better.
Inside TD Coliseum, the dark theme with a charcoal grey colour scheme throughout the concourses. At first glance, it seems that TD Coliseum is envisioned more as a concert venue than a sports arena. There are no markings for the Toronto Rock or any of the FirstOntario Centre, formerly had a single concourse which serviced both the upper and lower bowl, similar to the Palace of Auburn Hills.
With all of the new premium dining areas, this has changed a bit, and the lower concourse, which was once used just for arena personnel, is now used in some areas. Entering the seating bowl shows more renovations. The floor runs from east to west, with the best view of the centre logo from the north side. The suites, which were once behind the lower seating bowl, have been reoriented and are mainly on the south side. Floor-level suites are now on the north side, and where the suites were previously, there are now high-top rail seats.
The four-sided videoboard is state-of-the-art and modest in size, a refreshing change from the newer ones in major arenas that are nearly the length of the floor. A full 360-degree LED ribbon is found on the fascia of the upper level. All of the seats have been replaced and are dark charcoal and no longer the assorted bubble gum colours. Many sections of the upper deck were curtained off, and the lower bowl definitely has a more intimate feel than it did previously. No Toronto Rock banners were hanging in TD Coliseum; however, it is assumed that this will change for subsequent games.
The Toronto Rock pulls out all of the stops when it comes to the gameday production. The PA announcer is strong and leads cheers and chants throughout the game, not as over the top as found in Buffalo, but more than a typical hockey announcer. In place of a “First Pitch” is a first shot. The game ball is delivered to the referee via a remote control car in a unique promotion.
The Rock entered to some pyro and flanked by the community Fan Tunnel and Rock City Dancers. The Rock mascot, Iggy, takes part in promotions, and the Rock City Dancers perform during media breaks as well as in the corners at floor level. The Rock features individual goal songs, which is debatable whether it is a positive or negative feature.
Neighbourhood 2
TD Coliseum is located in Central Hamilton. It is generally a depressed area with plenty of signs of homelessness. There are a few spots for pre or post game food and drink in the area. These include Cowabunga, Undefined, Tobey’s Good Eats, The Mule and Merit Brewing. Hamilton does have some other sporting options including the Hamilton Kilty B’s, Dundas Blues, Forge FC, McMaster Marauders football and basketball and the Hamilton Cardinals.
It appears that TD Coliseum will once again be home to an American Hockey League franchise in the future. However, if there is one thing that Hamilton is known for, it is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. There are other tourist options in Hamilton worth checking out.
These include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame at Hamilton Stadium, FirstOntario Concert Hall, Hamilton Farmers Market, Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. For fans wishing to stay in the area, the Sheraton Hamilton and Homewood Suites are very close to the arena.
Fans 3
It will be interesting to see where the fan support for the Toronto Rock settles. The game that was reviewed was the first game at the refurbished TD Coliseum and the first home game of the 2025-26 season. The previous season, the Rock attracted an average of just over 5,100 fans per game at the much smaller Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga.
The average was just under capacity for the building and ranked them 11th in the 14 team NLL. The previous season, the Rock averaged more than 8,600 fans per game, ranking them 6th in the league. For the first game of the season, the Rock welcomed 5,700 fans. This is below their previous average in Hamilton, however, the NLL typically sees attendance rise after Christmas. The fans that are in attendance are a little louder and more vocal than typical Ontario fans.
Access 3
TD Coliseum is located in Central Hamilton, on the southeast corner of York Blvd and Bay Street. It is 1 ¾ km east of Highway 403, and much closer to major highways than some of the other sports venues in Hamilton. Getting to TD Coliseum is not too difficult when coming from the west, but the traffic definitely picks up when getting closer to Central Hamilton.
There are some parking garages and surface lots in the immediate area. It is recommended that fans use a pre-purchased parking option and plan ahead. For fans wishing to take public transit to the game, the West Harbour GO station is a 15 minute walk from TD Coliseum and HSR buses travel York and King Streets.
Fans should consult the GO Transit and HSR websites for fares, schedules and maps. With the renovation, getting around the concourses is more of a challenge. Use of both the upper and lower concourses will require fans to use staircases, where they previously did not need to, when walking a full 360 revolution around the arena. The new seats are definitely not larger than the previous ones and a case could be made that they are actually smaller. TD Coliseum is also a cashless venue.
Stadium Journey recognizes that security protocols at major sporting events are consistently changing. TD Coliseum does feature modern scanning equipment which keeps the entry flow moving. Stadium Journey highly recommends consulting the Toronto Rock and TD Coliseum websites for the most up to date security information including prohibited items and bag policies.
Return on Investment 3
Toronto Rock tickets begin at $56 and increase to over $120. The Rock have the most expensive ticket prices compared to the other Canadian NLL teams. Concession prices are also on the expensive side. Parking will go for at least $20. Overall, the Rock provide a more expensive experience than probably anticipated. That being said, the Rock provide a fantastic product. NLL lacrosse is fast paced, hard hitting and exciting. Music plays throughout the game and the promotions and gameday atmosphere are engaging and exciting.
Extras 4
An extra mark for the success the Rock have enjoyed including 6 Champions Cups and 5 in their first 7 years in Toronto.
An extra mark for the Toronto Rock closing Maple Leaf Gardens. The final event at the venerable arena before renovation and rebranding by Toronto Metropolitan University was the Rock’s NLL Championship in 2000.
An extra mark for the NLL everyman image. The majority of the players in the league have other full time jobs and are lacrosse “weekend warriors.”
An extra mark for the impact of the Toronto Rock on the lacrosse community in Southern Ontario. With the building of the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville, Jamie Dawick and the Rock have done a great job promoting lacrosse at a wide variety of levels, including the OJLL Oakville Buzz.
Final Thoughts
In a return to Hamilton, the Toronto Rock are enjoying a renovated new home in TD Coliseum. There is a different vibe surrounding the upgraded facility and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Rock in their return to the Hammer.
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