Scotiabank Centre

Scotiabank Centre
Scotiabank Centre Halifax Exterior Shot 2014
Location 1800 Argyle Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia
Coordinates 44°38′54″N 63°34′36″W / 44.64833°N 63.57667°WCoordinates: 44°38′54″N 63°34′36″W / 44.64833°N 63.57667°W
Owner Halifax Regional Municipality
Capacity Hockey: 10,595
Basketball: 11,093
Concerts: up to 13,000
Construction
Broke ground July 1976
Opened February 1978
Tenants
Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL) (1978–84)
Nova Scotia Oilers (AHL) (1984–88)
Halifax Citadels (AHL) (1988–93)
Halifax Windjammers (WBL) (1991–92)
Halifax Windjammers (NBL) (1993–94)
Men's Basketball Championship (CIS) (1984–2007, 2011–12)
Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) (1994–present)
Halifax Rainmen (NBL) (2007–present)

Scotiabank Centre (formerly known as Halifax Metro Centre) is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The building is next to the World Trade and Convention Centre, at the foot of Citadel Hill. It is the largest arena in Halifax.

History

The arena was opened on February 17, 1978 as the Halifax Metro Centre, and was built into the ground to compensate for the steep elevation of the land it occupies. One can see cars at street level, outside, while watching an event.

In recent years there has been some talk of a possible new, larger arena to be built sometime in the next few years. It would likely have a seating capacity of over 15,000 for hockey games. In December 2007, an Ozzy Osbourne concert sold out in nine minutes, setting a box office ticket record for the Halifax Metro Centre. In July 2008, the Halifax Metro Centre also set a record sell-out (25,000 tickets sold in forty minutes), for two back-to-back Elton John concerts held in late September 2008. In April 2012, the Halifax Mooseheads sold out game 6 of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League semifinals in 20 minutes. On May 9, 2013, QMJHL Presidents Cup final Game 5 sold-out in record time 11 minutes, setting another attendance mark for the Scotiabank Centre.

The facility is owned by the municipality but operated by Trade Centre Limited.

On June 25, 2014, it was announced that Scotiabank had won the naming rights to the facility and that the Metro Centre would be renamed the Scotiabank Centre.[1] The facility official opened its doors as the rebranded Scotiabank Centre on September 19, 2014.[2]

Arena information

It originally featured a full ring of bright orange seats around the playing surface, which is known as the "lower bowl". It also has an incomplete "upper bowl" on each side of the arena facing rink-side (court-side) with seats of the same colour. In the mid to late 1990s, there were numerous renovations to the arena, including the addition of forty-three SkyBoxes and eleven "Executive Suites". The addition of the SkyBoxes has since partially obscured views for people sitting high up in the upper bowl. These boxes do not cut off views of the events, but more cut off views of the rest of the seating area. Before the 2002–03 ice hockey season, in preparation for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, a new scoreboard and "SilverVision" LED screens were added. The arena concourses feature photographs of the various events that have taken place at the Scotiabank Centre, with one side featuring entertainment events and the other featuring sporting events. It currently has a seating capacity of 10,595 for ice hockey. The building is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link system.

When the rebranded Scotiabank Centre was unveiled in September 2014, plans to use funding received from the naming rights partnership for capital reinvestment in the facility were also announced. Based on customer input, facility enhancements will include renovation and expansion of washroom facilities, expansion of concession area to improve traffic flow and replacement of the 38 year old seats. The upgrades to the facility began in January 2015 and are expected to be complete by September 2015. [3]

Notable events

The Scotiabank Centre prior to a Mooseheads game against Lewiston on December 27, 2005

References

  1. ↑ Scotiabank wins naming rights for Halifax Metro Centre The Chronicle Herald
  2. ↑ http://www.scotiabank-centre.com/en/home/about-us/news/Scotiabank-Centre-Opens-Sept-19-2014.aspx
  3. ↑ http://www.scotiabank-centre.com/en/home/about-us/news/Scotiabank-Centre-Opens-Sept-19-2014.aspx

External links