SaskTel Centre - Saskatchewan Rush
- Jim Flannery
- Apr 22
- 8 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Photos by Jim Flannery, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
SaskTel Centre 3515 Thatcher Ave Saskatoon, SK S7R 1C4 Map It
Year Opened: 1988
Capacity: 15,195
Rush Into Saskatoon
Until 2016 the province of Saskatchewan was home to just a single professional sports franchise: the Roughriders, playing in Regina as part of the Canadian Football League. But since then, the Saskatchewan Rush have been residing in Saskatoon.
The Rush were playing in Edmonton in 2015 when they won their National Lacrosse League division for the third straight season, went to the Champion’s Cup for the second time, and won their first championship. A few weeks later, the team announced that they were relocating from Edmonton to Saskatoon.
After the move, the team went to the finals again for three straight years, winning twice, and giving their new fans a ton to cheer for. They won their division yet again in 2019, although their playoff run was cut short and they were leading the division in 2020 when the pandemic shut the league down, cancelling the season. So, the fans have gotten used to success.
The Rush now play indoor (aka “box”) lacrosse at SaskTel Centre. The arena has undergone a number of renovations, expansions and improvements since it opened its doors in 1988, with seating capacity more than doubled in that time, such that the facility can now hold more than 15,000 people. As a result, SaskTel Centre has played host to a number of high-profile events, including the men’s and women’s Canadian curling championships, the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships, the Memorial Cup and any number of first-rate concerts and exhibitions.
Food & Beverage 4
Concession stands around SaskTel Centre have improved over the last few years, adding some variety to what used to be a pretty unremarkable selection. On the main concourse, every concession has a different menu; upstairs in the mezzanine are three concession stands offering more conventional fare.
Prices are pretty reasonable as well. At The Classics concession on the main floor, you can get a Loaded Burger for $10.50 or trade up to a Bison Burger from $19.50. A 21 oz fountain drink is $4.75.
You’ll also find several specialty locations offering pizza and a variety of fancy adult beverages from wine to whiskey to cocktails.
The Original 16 Lounge is also open on the upper floor during the game. The lounge is a quieter place to have a beverage and relax, with a few tables and TVs showing the game out in the arena.
Atmosphere 3
Box lacrosse is one of the best spectator sports ever created. It has everything that a sport needs to be entertaining: speed, power, finesse, subtlety, aggression, and a healthy dollop of rough-and-tumble to round it all off.
So it comes as no surprise that there’s some good energy in the building when the Rush take the floor.
There is always music playing at NLL games, which adds extra juice to the atmosphere and helps keep the fans engaged throughout the event. This is apparently a rather polarizing subject with most fans either loving it or hating it and not many in between.
Adding to the atmosphere are a number of touches around the arena. The three league championship banners and one conference championship banner are hanging from the rafters as well as a banner commemorating the team’s first and only retired jersey number (Jimmy Quinlan’s number 81). Unfortunately, these banners are tucked so high up in the rafters that they can only be seen from a couple of sections in the lower bowl—dropping them down to the same level as the hockey banners are found would make them much more prominent.
On the downside at SaskTel Centre, if you’re sitting high up in the balcony along the sides of the arena your view of the scoreboard is obstructed by the press box. TV monitors and smaller scoreboards are located in several locations to help address this issue but you’ll be getting a little less detail. Views of the game don’t appear to be blocked, however, so you’ll still have a good look at the main event.
Additionally, views from Section 8 in the upper bowl can be badly obstructed by curtains drawn around the unused portion of the upper bowl, which is close to half of the seating up there. You may have to relocate if the arena crew is unable to draw those curtains back for you.
Neighborhood 2
The location of SaskTel Centre was very controversial when the arena was announced in the late 80s. Located in the Agriplace Industrial Park north of the Saskatoon International Airport, it is a couple kilometers north of the city proper, which means anyone visiting will be in for a trip, either by car or bus.
Although there are several industrial businesses around SakTel Centre, there is virtually nothing in the way of food or entertainment options in the area. A few blocks away you’ll find a Tim Horton’s, a Subway, a Husky House and, across Highway 11 in the Travel J truck stop, there is a Denny’s.
In other words, if you’d like a bite to eat before or after the game, you’ll again be going for a drive, as there really isn’t much locally.
The good news is that Circle Dr. on the north end of Saskatoon is only a couple kilometres south of the rink. This is a major artery for the city, so you can find lots of dining options there. For example, on the southeast corner of the intersection between Highway 11 and Circle Dr. you’ll find Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Bar and the dining and other entertainment choices just grow from there as you travel east, west or south.
Fans 4
While in Edmonton, the Rush were never really able to establish a fan base big enough to justify the cost of playing in the big city; in 2015, the Rush were sixth in the NLL in attendance with an average crowd of 6,568 in an arena that holds 16,000.
Things improved for the Rush after the move, however. In their first season in Saskatoon, the team drew over 11,000 fans per game. And from 2017-2020, they averaged better than 13,700 per game, putting them in the Top 4 in league attendance.
Times have gotten tougher since the pandemic, however. After losing the 2021 season entirely due to a league-wide shut down, it seems the city has forgotten about lacrosse. Between 2022-2024, the team brought in around 8,000 per game, right around league average. And for the 2025 season, they’ve dropped to only 6,500 fans per game, in spite of being in playoff contention.
The fans who are still coming out to see the Rush enthusiastically embrace their team. In-game rituals are well established, such as a chest-thumping routine many fans have adopted following Rush goals, inspired by a scene from the movie “Wolf of Wall Street.”
There are also lots of people wearing Rush gear throughout the arena. The fan base has shrunk in recent years, but the ones who continue to show up are hard core.
Access 3
In spite of being on the outskirts of town, access to SaskTel Centre is pretty easy. The arena is located in between Highways 11 and 16, so getting there is relatively simple, although it may be a bit of a drive from the south end of town.
There are 4,000 parking spots around the facility and they are free, so there is ample parking for those who drive. Getting into and out of the parking lot can be a hassle due to a limited number of entrances and exits, however, with the reduced crowd numbers recently, traffic flows fairly well before and after the game.
There is also transit service to SaskTel Centre, making that an option as well for those who don’t want to drive.
Once inside, you’ll find that the almost 30-year-old building struggles to accommodate big crowds. This is much less of an issue when the place is less than half full.
The concourse has a couple pinch points where passing through can be a challenge, particularly around the Rush souvenir table. Washrooms—particularly the men’s—can also get quite busy between periods. Pro tip: The upstairs concourse, which wraps around about half of the stadium, is far less busy than the main floor, as they’re only opening about half of it to fans, what with the much smaller crowds these days. If you’re looking to get away from the crush of the crowds, find your way up there.
Return on Investment 4
With ticket prices as low as $32 in the balcony Family Zone and the best seats in the house a bargain at $70 apiece, attending a Rush game is a terrific value. Seats are available at all price levels, although the lower bowl seems to fill up pretty quickly, so plan accordingly.
The seats themselves are comfortable and provide a great view of the floor regardless of location, so there really isn’t a bad seat in the house (except possibly in Section 8, as noted above). If you sit high enough you’ll lose your view of the scoreboard, but you won’t lose sight of the game itself.
Extras 5
The Rush provide a solid product over and above the game itself.
There is a stand set up in the concourse for souvenir collectors, for all your Rush hat, shirt and knick-knack needs. The downside of these tables is that it chews up some of the concourse, which is tight to begin with, but it has tons of stuff and looks to me to be an upgrade in size and scope from the stand the Rush had back in Edmonton.
The team’s mascot, Rowdy the Bison, keeps the kids entertained with his antics on the floor during breaks in the action and touring the stands.
The Rush have a dance team, the 016 Electric Crew, who helps with giveaways and maintain a presence around SaskTel Centre throughout the game. They perform several routines on the floor during breaks in the action to help keep the audience fired up.
You’ll see the Rush’s Championship banners hanging in the SaskTel rafters, helping to make the place look like home. Also, SaskTel Centre lights the exterior of the building in Rush green so there’s no doubt who is playing on game day.
The Rush are good at running special game day promotions. For instance, they held a Marvel Super Heroes night this season where everyone got a comic book tying the NLL with the Marvel comic universe and fans were encouraged to dress up as their favourite superhero.
After games, the Rush and 016 Electric Crew come out onto the floor for an autograph session with any fans who want to hang around for a bit. This is a great feature of the NLL and gives fans a chance to meet the team.
The inner walls of the concourse feature TVs allowing people to check out what else is happening in the sports world as well as game action when they’re out getting a snack.
If you’re sufficiently inspired by the game that you need to get some ink, Headrush Tattoo has a location set up here with some of the best tattoo artists in the province ready to create something special for you.
Recycling bins are provided throughout the concourse for fans to drop their cans and bottles in.
As an added bonus, you’ll also find a cell phone charging station in the concourse for SaskTel customers with low batteries and there is also free Wi-Fi for SaskTel customers.
Final Thoughts
The lacrosse community in the Saskatchewan is still relatively small, so seeing people with little knowledge of the game come out and have a great time is gratifying.
Box lacrosse truly is nothing short of excellent. Expect a good time and a great game.
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