Winnipeg Stadium

Winnipeg Stadium
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Address:	1465 Maroons Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 0L6
Capacity:	17,600 (1953-1971), 25,000 (1994-1998)
Opened:	1953
Surface:	grass (1953-1971), astroturf (1994-1998)
Also known as:	Winnipeg Stadium, Canad Inns Stadium
Current resident(s):	Winnipeg Goldeyes (Northern League) (1953-1964, 1994-1998), Winnipeg Whips (International League) 1970-1971
Field dimensions:	{{{field}}}

Winnipeg Stadium has been home to various incarnations of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Winnipeg Whips baseball teams. Originally built for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, the stadium was also suitable for baseball. The first Goldeyes team played here from 1953 until 1964. During that time they won the league championship 3 times - in 1957, 1959, and 1960.

On June 11, 1970 due to the decline of War Memorial Stadium and a series of poor clubs on the field, the original Buffalo Bisons, one of the International League's most dependable and storied franchises, was moved to Winnipeg by the parent Montreal Expos, where it was renamed the Whips. The Whips finished with a poor 52-88 record and drew only 89,000 fans. However, they finished first in the IL in attendance, outdrawing the 2nd-place Toledo Mud Hens by almost 3,500 people.

The next season, the Whips finished 44-96, 34 games from the lead. Nevertheless, they again showed a modest improvement in attendance - to almost 96,000 - and again outpaced Toledo.

In 1972, the team moved to Hampton, VA and became the Peninsula Whips. The move was due to the large distance between Winnipeg and the mostly east coast International League cities.

The original baseball grandstands were demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the Blue Bombers' new clubhouse. Stadium renovations in the late 1980s were aimed at attracting a AAA baseball club to the football-only portion of the complex. Artificial turf, retractable seats on the east side stands and new seating behind the home plate area were installed. Although AAA baseball never returned to the city, the independent Northern League granted Winnipeg as an expansion team for the 1994 season, adopting the Goldeyes name. After five years at the stadium, the Goldeyes moved to the new baseball-only facility, CanWest Global Park, in 1999.

The field was nicknamed "Deformity Field" due to its odd dimensions. In 2000 the naming rights to the stadium were purchased by Canad Inns and it is now known as Canad Inns Stadium.