The Calumet Colosseum in Calumet, Michigan, is considered one of the oldest in-use indoor ice arenas in the world. For the residents of this small village in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, hockey has been an integral part of their culture for more than a century. Since hosting its first hockey game in 1914, the Calumet Colosseum has served as a venue for both semi-professional and recreational hockey teams and was even briefly converted to a National Guard Armory during World War II.
The facility maintained an all-natural ice rink until 1968, when artificial ice was installed and supported via a dedicated refrigeration system. Since then, this system has undergone minor periodic renovations to keep it operational but had never experienced a major upgrade.