Bell Centre
Bell Centre (French: Centre Bell) formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montreal Forum. It is owned by the Molson family via the team's ownership group Groupe CH, and managed via Groupe CH subsidiary Evenko.[8][9]
"Bell Center" and "Molson Centre" redirect here. For the arena in Barrie, Ontario formerly known as the Barrie Molson Centre, see Sadlon Arena. For other uses, see Bell Center (disambiguation).Former names
New Montreal Forum (pre-construction–1996)
Molson Centre (1996–2002)
1909 Canadiens-de-Montréal Avenue
Groupe CH
(Molson family)
Hockey: 21,273 (1996–2014)
21,288 (2014–2017)
21,302 (2017–2021)
21,105 (2021–present)[1]
Basketball: 22,114
Concerts: 15,000–19,200
Amphitheatre: 10,000–14,000
Theatre: 5,000–9,000
Hemicycle: 2,000–3,500
MMA: 16,000–23,152
780,000 sq ft (72,000 m2)
June 22, 1993
March 16, 1996
IBI/DAA Group[4]
With a capacity of 21,105 in its hockey configuration, Bell Centre is the second largest ice hockey arena in the world after the SKA Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia. Alongside hockey, Bell Centre has hosted major concerts, and occasional mixed martial arts and professional wrestling events. Since it opened in 1996, it has consistently been listed as one of the world's busiest arenas, usually receiving the highest attendance of any arena in Canada.[10] In 2012, it was the fifth-busiest arena in the world based on ticket sales for non-sporting events.[11]
History[edit]
Construction began on the site on June 22, 1993, almost two weeks after the Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings at the Forum for their 24th and most recent Stanley Cup. The name of the arena initially reflected Molson, Inc., a brewing company which was owner of the Canadiens at the time. Molson elected not to keep the naming rights when they sold the team and the name was officially changed on September 1, 2002, after Bell Canada acquired the naming rights.
On October 14, 2015, it was announced that Bell Centre would undergo renovations, including the replacement of all the seats, renovated hallways and concessions, new restaurants, public Wi-Fi, and the planned conversion of Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal (the section of De la Gauchetière Street on which the arena is situated) into a pedestrian-only street. The renovations, which were not expected to interfere with normal operations, have a budget of $100 million.[12][13]
Sports[edit]
Ice hockey[edit]
The final two games of the three-game 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship series were held at Bell Centre (the United States won both games, defeating Canada in the series 2–1). Bell Centre was also host to two pool games in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. The Bell Centre was the host of the 2009 NHL All-Star Game and hosted the 2009 and 2022 NHL Entry Drafts, the latter of which saw the Canadiens take Juraj Slafkovský first overall.[19]
Montreal Canadiens home games have been consistently sold out since January 2004.[20] Additionally, the Canadiens have among the top attendance figures in the NHL. For the 2009–2010 season, the Habs had the highest attendance played at their home arena.[21] All 21,273 seats were sold in 45 minutes on May 12, 2010, for fans to watch the 7th game in the playoff series versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was shown on the big screens. Noise levels in the arena allegedly reached as high as 110 dB when goals were scored by the Canadiens, most notably, during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, during Game #6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 10, 2010,[22] making it one of the loudest NHL arenas during hockey games.
On December 9, 2014, the Canadiens hosted the Vancouver Canucks, the first home game since the death of Jean Béliveau. The game was preceded by a memorial tribute to him. Bell Centre remained sold-out that night with 21,286 fans in attendance and one empty seat left for Mr. Beliveau, with the official attendance shortened by one to honour him.[23]
Bell Centre hosted its first Stanley Cup Finals in 2021, with games three and four against the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning played inside the arena.[24] The Canadiens were allowed to have 2,500 fans from May 29 to June 14, and later, 3,500 fans was allowed for the third round against the Vegas Golden Knights and the Stanley Cup Finals due to Quebec government public health restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec.[25] The Canadiens had hoped to further increase their arena capacity limit to 50% of the arena's total seating capacity (10,500 people) for the Stanley Cup Finals, however, that request was denied by the Quebec government.[26] While the arena's capacity was limited to 3,500 fans during the third round and the Final, thousands more fans gathered outside the arena to watch the games on a TV screen outside of the La Cage sports bar situated adjacent to the arena.
From September 26 to October 8, 2021, 7,500 fans were also allowed at Bell Centre for the pre-season games, and for the opening day on October 13, the Quebec government made new rules and stated that the Canadiens could return to its full capacity of 21,105 people.[27]
On April 20, 2024, the Bell Centre hosted its first home game for the new Montreal team of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), a match against PWHL Toronto that was marketed as the "Duel at the Top", reflecting the two teams' position atop the league standings at the time.[28] The sellout crowd of 21,105 set a new attendance record for a women's hockey game.[29]
The following numbers have been retired by the Canadiens and hang from the rafters:
While Elmer Lach and Henri Richard both wore the number 16, they were given separate ceremonies unlike Cournoyer and Moore. All have their own banner.
On October 18, 2005, the Canadiens also raised the following numbers on a single banner in honour of the former MLB team Montreal Expos, who left the city for Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season:
The only other banners hanging from the rafters at the arena are those of the Canadiens' Stanley Cup championship banners. Unlike other NHL arenas, the Canadiens do not display division or conference championship banners.
