Montreal Forum

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Montreal Forum
Location	2313 Saint Catherine Street West
Opened	1924
Owner	Candererel Management
Tenants
Montreal Maroons (NHL) (1924-1938) Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1926-1996) Montreal Junior Canadiens (QJHL)(1933-1961), (OHA) (1961-1972)
Seats
17,959

A veritable shrine to hockey fans everywhere [1], the Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996. The Forum was built by the Canadian Arena Company in 159 days.

Located at 2313 Saint Catherine Street West (45°29′24.50″N, 73°35′5.00″W) at the corner of Atwater Avenue (next to Atwater metro station), the building was historically significant as it was home to 16 Stanley Cups. It was also home to the Montreal Maroons, Montreal Roadrunners and Montreal Junior Canadiens.

The Forum opened on November 29, 1924 at a total cost of $1,500,000 with an original seating capacity of 9,300. It underwent two renovations, in 1949 and 1968 [2]. When the Forum closed in 1996 it had a seating capacity of 17,959.

The Montreal Forum hosted Memorial Cup games in 1950, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973 & 1976, with the Junior Canadiens winning on home ice in 1970.

The Montreal Forum hosted 5 events in the 1976 Summer Olympics: Gymnastics, Handball, Basketball, Volleyball, and Boxing.

On March 11, 1996, the Montreal Canadiens played their last game at the Montreal Forum, beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 on a Monday night. The game was televised on TSN. After the game, many previous hockey greats were presented to the crowd. The largest ovation of the night was left at the end for legendary Canadiens star Rocket Richard - at over 16 minutes in length.

[edit] After hockey

After the Canadiens left the Forum, the building was used to film arena sequences for the Brian de Palma film Snake Eyes[3]. It was then completely gutted and converted into a downtown entertainment centre called the Pepsi Forum. Centre ice has been recreated in the centre of the complex while original stands are scattered throughout. On the Saint Catherine Street entrance there is a Quebec Walk of Fame consisting of Céline Dion and Maurice Richard. Both were on hand for their bronze star's respective unveiling. The Atwater street entrance has a large bronze Montreal Canadiens logo surrounded by 24 bronze Stanley Cup banners cemented into the sidewalk. Inscribed in French are the words "Forever proud". The entire building is themed after the Forum's storied history with special emphasis on the Montreal Canadiens.

[edit] External links

• Farewell to the Montreal Forum

Preceded by Mount Royal Arena 1919–1926

Home of the Montreal Canadiens 1926–1996

Succeeded by Molson Centre 1996–present

Preceded by first arena

Home of the Montreal Maroons 1924–1938

Succeeded by last arena

Montreal landmarks
Buildings	Biodome | Biosphère | Bell Centre | Canadian Centre for Architecture | Montreal Casino | Complexe Desjardins | Montreal Forum | Grande Bibliothèque du Québec | Habitat '67 | Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral | McCord Museum | Montreal Science Centre | Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica | Olympic Stadium | Palais des congrès de Montréal | Place des Arts | Place Ville-Marie | Redpath Museum | Saint Joseph's Oratory | Tour de la Bourse | Underground City | World Trade Centre Montreal
Neighbourhoods	Chinatown | Old Montreal | Old Port | Quartier international de Montréal
Nature and Parks	Jardin botanique de Montréal | Mount Royal
Islands	Île Bizard | Island of Montreal | Île Notre-Dame | Nuns' Island | Saint Helen's Island
Transportation	Montréal-Mirabel International Airport | Montreal Metro | Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport | Windsor Station | Central Station