Dee Stadium, also called The Dee, is an ice hockey arena in Houghton, Michigan, that replaced, and is located on the same site as, the Amphidrome. It is regarded as the birthplace of professional hockey, and is the seventh oldest indoor ice rink in the world.AmphidromeThe Houghton Warehouse Company, operated by James R. Dee, built and owned the Amphidrome. Construction of the Amphidrome finished in December 1902.The first hockey game was played on December 29, 1902, in which the Portage Lakes Hockey Club defeated the University of Toronto, 13-2. The game was attended by over 5000 spectators. For the 1903-04 season, the Portage Lakes became the first hockey team whose players were all paid. James Dee and John "Doc" Gibson formed the International Hockey League later that year, in which the Portage Lakes competed. These events marked the beginning of professional hockey.In 1907, an addition was constructed on the western end of the Amphidrome. Styled like a castle, it was used as a community ballroom and armory.FireThe Amphidrome burned down on January 9, 1927. The fire was discovered at 3:45 a.m. in the upper floors of the 1907 addition. The fire destroyed a nearby warehouse and the equipment of the Portage Lakes, the Michigan College of Mines hockey team, and the Houghton and Hancock high school sextets. The fire cancelled the regional high school hockey season and forced other area teams to use the Calumet Colosseum in Calumet, Michigan.
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