Fuel hosting open house at Coliseum Sunday

The Indy Fuel will host an open house at the newly-renovated Fairgrounds Coliseum Sunday afternoon.

The event will be held in two parts -- the first will be an open house and select-a-seat event for season ticketholders, who have been contacted and given times. The second part will be open to the public from 3-5 p.m. The merchandise store, dubbed "The Garage" will be up and running during the event, and fans will get a peek at the new Coliseum, which has undergone an extensive renovation into a virtually new, modern arena since summer 2012. The Coliseum officially opened last week, and will be the Indiana State Fairgrounds' concert venue. The Fuel will open the 2014-15 ECHL season at the Coliseum in October.

Today in history: October 31

October 31 in Indianapolis hockey history

1963: One of the saddest days in Indianapolis history, as a propane tank explodes under the bleachers at the Fairgrounds Coliseum explodes, killing 63 people at an ice show at the rink. The Coliseum is unusable as a result of the explosion, so the Central Professional Hockey League Capitols -- who were on an extended road trip at the time -- would play the balance of the season as the Cincinnati Wings. Indirectly, the franchise would actually return to Indianapolis as the Checkers in 1979.