Changing of the guard at major Ontario arena and concert venue [Video]

After nearly two decades at Oshawa’s Tribute Centre bringing in events from curling grand slams to the Road to WrestleMania and from KISS to Jerry Seinfeld, Vince Vella is skating off to retirement.

Vella, the general manager at the downtown arena and concert venue since 2008, will take his last stroll through the home of the Oshawa Generals June 30.

Throughout his tenure, Vella brought numerous high-profile events to the venue, including the 2011 NHL Rookie Tournament, Skate Canada National Events (2009 and 2018), Grand Slam of Curling Series (2011 and 2015), and the 2016 CrossFit Invitational. The Tribute Communities Centre also played host to some of the world’s biggest stars, including Elton John, KISS, Selena Gomez, Luke Combs, Eric Church and Seinfeld.

The venue has also become a go-to destination for spectacles like WWE’s Road to WrestleMania (2018 and 2019) as well as popular family entertainment, welcoming events such …