Bell Centre

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Bell Centre

Centre Bell
Location 1260 Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest Montreal, Quebec H3B 5E8
Broke ground June 22, 1993
Opened March 16, 1996
Owner George N. Gillett Jr.
Construction cost C$270 million
Former names Molson Centre (1996–2002)
Tenants Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1996-present)
Montreal Impact (NPSL) (1997–2000)
Montreal Rocket (QMJHL) (2001–2003)
Montreal Express (NLL) (2002)
Capacity Hockey: 21,273
Theatre: 5,000 to 9,000
Full Capacity: 14,000 to 21,500
Hemicycle: 2,000 to 3,000

The Bell Centre (French: Le Centre Bell), formerly known as the Molson Centre, has been the home of the Montreal Canadiens since March 16, 1996 when they hosted the New York Rangers (a game which they won 4–2). The team departed from the historic Montreal Forum after their last game on March 11 of the same year. Construction began on the site on June 22, 1993, 13 days 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. As a result, it quickly gained the nickname "The Keg." Molson elected not to keep the naming rights when they sold the team, and the name officially changed on September 1, 2002 after Bell Canada acquired the naming rights.

In 2007, the arena was the busiest in Canada, 2nd in North America and 5th in the world, through paid attendance. In 2006, it was first in Canada, third in North America and fourth in the world. Since it opened in 1996, it has consistently been listed as one of the world's busiest arenas.[1]

Contents

[edit] Arena information

The building covers an area of 1.568 hectares (15,680 square metres, 168,778 sq. ft). It is located in downtown Montreal, connected to Lucien-L'Allier and Bonaventure metro stations and to the underground city; the Lucien-L'Allier commuter train station is incorporated into the building. It has the largest seating capacity of any NHL arena.


Capacities of the Centre are:

The public address announcer for the Canadiens' games is Michel Lacroix.

[edit] Events

The final two games of the 3-game 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship series were held at the Bell Centre (the USA won both games, defeating Canada in the series 2–1). The Bell Centre was also host to two pool games in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. The Bell Centre will host the 2009 NHL All-Star Game and the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Bell Centre has also held several WWE events, including the 1997 Survivor Series where the infamous Montreal Screwjob took place, as well as other Pay-Per-Views including 2003 No Way Out.

The Bell Centre was the home to the first UFC event (UFC 83) to take place in Canada on April 19, 2008. The show was headlined by a rematch between Welterweight champion Matt Serra and Montreal native Georges St. Pierre.

[edit] Records

Bell Center in Downtown Montreal.
Bell Center in Downtown Montreal.

Concerts by Celine Dion for August 15 and 16, 2008 were sold out within 6 minutes. The next day, Dion's management added two more concert dates on August 18 and 20, 2008. 80,000 tickets for the four concerts sold out in only 35 minutes, setting a record in the history of the Bell Centre as well as Canada. A few days later, a fifth concert has been announced for Montreal on August 23, 2008. This was then followed by another date being added on August 25, 2008, bringing the total to 6 shows and 120,000 spectators, the largest audience on the tour. These last two shows sold-out in less than 35 minutes as well. On August 22, 2008, Dion will join the concert for the 400th anniversary celebrations of Quebec City.

[edit] Retired jerseys

The following numbers are retired by the Canadiens (positions in parentheses) and hang from the rafters:

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 Nationals unretired the numbers, so the Canadiens raised a special banner honouring these baseball players:

Jackie Robinson, whose number was retired twice (#20 because of his minor-league playing days in the city, and #42 as required by MLB), was not given a banner.

[edit] Gallery

Canadiens win a game at the Bell Centre.

Inside the Bell Centre arena.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Montreal Forum		 Home of the
Montreal Canadiens
1996 — present		 Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Philips Arena		 Host of the
NHL All-Star Game
2009		 Succeeded by
TBA

Coordinates: 45°29′45.67″N, 73°34′9.66″W

[edit] References

  1. ^ Le quatrième amphithéâtre au monde - L'incontournable Centre Bell | Nouvelles | Arts & scène | Canoë
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Current arenas in the National Hockey League
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