Bell Centre

The Bell Centre (French: Centre Bell), formerly known as the Molson Centre (or Le Centre Molson), is a multi-purpose arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened on March 16, 1996, after nearly three years under construction. It is best known as the home of the Montreal Canadiens, who play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bell Centre has the largest arena capacity to regularly host an NHL team.

"Bell Center" and "Molson Centre" redirect here. For the arena in Barrie, Ontario, see Barrie Molson Centre. For other uses, see Bell Center (disambiguation).

Bell Centre
Exterior of the Bell Centre, 2015
Bell Centre
Location in Montreal
Bell Centre
Location in Quebec
Bell Centre
Location in Canada
Former namesNew Montreal Forum (pre-construction–1996)
Molson Centre, Centre Molson (1996–2002)
Address1909, avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal[1]
LocationMontreal, Quebec
Coordinates45°29′46″N 73°34′10″W
Public transitMontreal Metro (STM):
at Lucien-L'Allier
at Bonaventure
  Société de transport de Montréal
OwnerMolson family
OperatorMolson family
CapacityHockey: 21,273[2]
Basketball: 22,114
Concerts: 15,000
Amphitheatre: 10,000–14,000
Theatre: 5,000–9,000
Hemicycle: 2,000–3,500
MMA: 16,000–23,152
Field size780,000 sq ft (72,000 m2)
Construction
Broke groundJune 22, 1993
OpenedMarch 16, 1996
Construction costC$270 million
($405 million in 2018 dollars[3])
ArchitectLeMay & Associate, LLC.[4]
LeMoyne Lapointe Magne[4]
Project managerIBI/DAA Group[5]
Structural engineerDessau[6]
Services engineerSNC-Lavalin[7]
General contractorHuber, Hunt & Nichols[8]
Tenants
Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1996–present)
Montreal Roadrunners (RHI) (1996–1997)
Montreal Impact (NPSL) (1997–2000)
Montreal Rocket (QMJHL) (2001–2003)
Montreal Express (NLL) (2002)
Laval Rocket (AHL) (2021)

It is currently owned by a partnership group headed by Geoff Molson and his brothers, Andrew and Justin. The same ownership group also owns the Montreal Canadiens and Evenko, an entertainment event promoter.[9] 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

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 November 9, 1997, the Molson Centre was the site of WWE's Survivor Series event, and the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

On October 14, 2015, it was announced that Bell Centre would undergo renovations, including 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 are not expected to interfere with normal operations, have a budget of $100 million.[12]

Location

Bell Centre is located in downtown Montreal, near the corner of Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal (formerly Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest) and De La Montagne Street. The Lucien L'Allier commuter rail terminal, to which it is connected, is next door on that corner. In addition it is located across the street from the 1250 René-Lévesque skyscraper. It is easily accessible by public transportation, as it is linked to both Lucien-L'Allier and Bonaventure Metro stations. It is also connected to the underground city and Central Station.

Arena information
Inside the arena during a hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres
The newly fitted electronic scoreboard in 2008

The building covers an area of 1.568 hectares (3.87 acres) (15,680 square metres (168,800 sq ft)). It has a seating capacity of 21,288,[13] making it the largest hockey arena in the world. It also holds six restaurants.
Capacities of the Centre are:[14][15]

The public address announcer for the Canadiens' games is Michel Lacroix, while the national anthem singer alternates every home game after Charles Prevost-Linton was not asked to return at the end of the 2013–2014 season. Most notable amongst these rotating performers is Quebecois pop legend Ginette Reno, whose appearances to sing the Canadian anthem at playoff games were highly popular. Diane Bibeau plays the organ on Saturday nights.

A new scoreboard was installed prior of the 2008–2009 season. The new scoreboard consists of four 510 square foot (47 m2) video panels. It was the biggest in the NHL until 2012.[16]

It is one of only two NHL arenas that uses an old-style siren to mark the end of periods instead of a horn; the other is TD Garden in Boston. The sirens were inherited from the arenas' predecessor facilities, coming from the disused Montreal Forum and the Boston Garden respectively.

Seating

Unlike most North American arenas, which have generally been designed by Populous and its predecessors, the Bell Centre was designed by a local consortium, and has many unique design features. The grandstands are sloped steeply, to improve sight lines. Washrooms on the 100 level are centralized on a specific lower level located at each end.

The Bell Centre is arranged in a three-tier layout: The lower 100 section, commonly referred to as "the reds" since these seats are coloured red; the 200 section, known as "Club Desjardins", and the upper 300–400 section.

The Club Desjardins section is premium section between two levels of private and corporate boxes. Larger seats and free food and non-alcoholic drinks are provided.

The 300–400 section is divided into three zones by seat colour: white section rows AA–FF, the grey section rows A–D, and the blue section, labelled "400," and consisting of rows A–D. The ends of the 400 section are further divided into two more groups. At the end the Canadiens shoot towards twice is the Coors Light Zone, featuring section cheerleaders and a band playing in the hallway. At the opposite end is the Family Zone, featuring child-specific ticket prices and limited alcohol.

Seats behind the press gondola, in Sections 318, 319, and 320, feature their own scoreboards on the back of the gondola, due to the normal scoreboard being blocked.

Interior
The Canadiens' locker room prior to being renovated.

After some early complaints of a generic feel, especially compared to the Forum, the Canadiens started to incrementally decorate the building with celebrations of the team's history, including a ring of players around the top level of seating. The Molson Ex Zone features a live band stage and its own red theme.

Entertainment
See also: List of entertainment events held at the Bell Centre

The Bell Centre is the main venue in Montreal for large-scale entertainment events. Many artists have performed at the arena, like Céline Dion, Stromae, Tina Turner, Elton John, Billy Joel, Shania Twain, Cher, Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Rihanna, Guns N' Roses, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Roger Waters, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Metallica, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith.

The singer who has performed the most times at the Bell Centre is Céline Dion with 50 performances between 1996 and 2020 from her Falling into You: Around the World tour in 1996 and 1997, Let's Talk About Love World Tour in 1998 and 1999, Taking Chances World Tour in 2008 and 2009, Summer Tour 2016 in 2016 and Courage World Tour in 2019 and 2020. On December 31, 1999, she performed the final show of the Let's Talk About Love World Tour, which was her last performance before a three-year hiatus from the music industry.

Sports

Ice hockey

The final two games of the three-game 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship series were held at Bell Centre (the USA 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 NHL Entry Draft.

Montreal Canadiens home games have been consistently sold out since January 2004.[17] 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.[18] 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 135 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,[19] making it one of the loudest NHL arenas during hockey games. The Bell Centre has the dubious distinction of being the oldest NHL venue that has never hosted any games of a Stanley Cup Final.

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.[20]

Basketball
Bell Centre in a basketball configuration.

Bell Centre hosted an NBA basketball game for the first time on Friday, October 22, 2010, a preseason game featuring the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks. Another preseason game, featuring the same teams, was held on October 19, 2012. On October 20, 2013, Bell Centre hosted its third preseason game featuring the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. Another Toronto–New York preseason game was held at the arena on October 24, 2014. On October 23, 2015, Bell Centre hosted its fifth preseason game featuring the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards. On October 10, 2018, Bell Centre hosted its sixth preseason game featuring the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets. The five most recent preseason games were all sell-outs.

Date Opponent Result Home Game Type Attendance
October 22, 2010New York Knicks103-108Toronto RaptorsPS-
October 19, 2012New York Knicks88-107Toronto RaptorsPS-

MMA

Bell Centre hosted UFC 83 in April 2008, marking the first UFC mixed martial arts event to take place in Canada. The main event was a rematch between Welterweight champion Matt Serra and Montreal native Georges St-Pierre.[21] The tickets available to the public sold out in under one minute, and the event set the all time UFC attendance record, at that time (since surpassed by UFC 129 in Toronto).[22] Other UFC events have subsequently been held at Bell Centre, including UFC 97, UFC 113, UFC 124, UFC 154 and UFC 158, the most recent three of which were headlined by St-Pierre.[23][24][25][26]

Professional wrestling

Bell Centre has occasionally hosted WWE professional wrestling events, including three pay-per-views (Survivor Series in 1997, No Way Out in 2003, and Breaking Point in 2009), as well as broadcasts of Raw and SmackDown. In April 2019, Bell Centre hosted both Raw and SmackDown on consecutive nights for the 2019 Superstar Shake-up.[27]

During Survivor Series, Bell Centre was the site of the infamous "Montreal Screwjob"—a match where Calgary-native Bret Hart controversially lost the WWF World Heavyweight Championship to his rival Shawn Michaels. Hart had signed a contract to leave WWF for the rival WCW the following month, and did not want to lose a championship match to Michaels in his own country. The original plan was for the match to be interrupted by a brawl among the wrestlers' allies—causing the match to end by disqualification, and allowing Hart to lose or vacate the championship at a later date before leaving the promotion. However, WWF owner Vince McMahon intervened without Hart's knowledge to force a Michaels victory, having the referee call the fight as a victory by submission after Michaels performed a Sharpshooter on Hart, even though he had not actually submitted.[28][29] Wrestling writer Mike Johnson considered the match to be "arguably the most talked-about match in the history of professional wrestling".[30]

Retired jerseys

The following numbers have been retired by the Canadiens and hang from the rafters:

Montreal Canadiens retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Date of honour
1Jacques PlanteG1952–63October 7, 1995
2Doug HarveyD1947–61October 26, 1985
3Emile BouchardD1941–56December 4, 2009
4Jean BeliveauC1950–71October 9, 1971
5Bernie GeoffrionRW1950–64March 11, 2006
Guy LapointeD1968–82November 8, 2014
7Howie MorenzC1923–37November 2, 1937
9Maurice RichardRW1942–60October 6, 1960
10Guy LafleurRW1971–85February 16, 1985
12Dickie MooreLW1951–63November 12, 2005
Yvan CournoyerRW1963–79November 12, 2005
16Henri RichardC1955–75December 10, 1975
Elmer LachC1940–54December 4, 2009
18Serge SavardD1966–81November 18, 2006
19Larry RobinsonD1972–89November 19, 2007
23Bob GaineyLW1973–89February 23, 2008
29Ken DrydenG1970–79January 29, 2007
33Patrick RoyG1984–95November 22, 2008

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 Bell Centre are those of the Canadiens' Stanley Cup championship banners. Unlike other NHL arenas, the Canadiens do not display division or conference championship banners, despite the fact they have won many championships over the years (including 24 Stanley Cups). At Bell Centre, as had the Forum, only Stanley Cup championship banners are raised to the rafters.

See also

References
  1. "Directions and Parking". Bell Centre. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  2. "Our History". Centre Bell. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020. and 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  4. Chronology - HW: World Wide Habs Fans Community Archived May 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Bell Centre". IBI/DAA Group. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  6. "Bell Centre". Dessau. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  7. "Buildings". SNC-Lavalin. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  8. "Bell Centre". Ballparks.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  9. "Habs' Sale to Molson Family Approved". ESPN. Associated Press. December 1, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  10. Bouchard, Dany (January 11, 2006). "The best Bell Centre". Canoë. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  11. "2012 Year End Worldwide Ticket Sales Top 100 Arena Venues" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  12. "Bell Centre to undergo $100 million renovation". CTV Montreal. Bell Media. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  13. "Close to $100 million to be invested at the Bell Centre" (Press release). Montreal Canadiens. 2015-10-14. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  14. Bell Centre (2009). "Bell Centre - Our History". Bell Centre. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  15. Bell Centre (2009). "Bell Centre - Venue Specifications". Bell Centre. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  16. http://tbo.com/sports/lightning/tampa-forum-adding-record-size-high-def-video-board-399775
  17. "Season Ticket Waiting List". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  18. NHL attendance
  19. Turgeon, Pierre (May 22, 2010). "An Awfully Strong Playoff Fever". La Tribune (in French). Cyberpresse. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  21. Stupp, Dann (January 4, 2008). "Matt Serra Is Willing to Fight Georges St-Pierre in Canada". MMAJunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  22. Stupp, Dan (February 8, 2008). "UFC 83 Creates Record Sellout". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  23. Holland, Jesse (February 18, 2009). "UFC 97 to remain in Montreal on April 18". MMAmania.com. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  24. Morgan, John (2012-12-15). "Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz official for UFC 158 in Montreal". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  25. Andrews, Kenai (2012-12-17). "MMA Crossfire – St-Pierre vs Nick Diaz highlights UFC 158 welterweight trilogy in Montreal". The Gazette. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  26. Deibert, Dave (2012-12-12). "St-Pierre vs. Diaz, MacDonald vs. Condit targeted for UFC 158 in Montreal". The Star Phoenix. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  27. "Smackdown: The Big Dog claims a new yard during the Superstar Shake-up". Canoe.com. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  28. "Shawn Michaels on the Montreal Screwjob: The worst day I can recall in the entire 25 years I was in the wrestling business". ESPN.com. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  29. Mick Foley (2000). Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Regan Books. p. 626. ISBN 978-0-06-103101-4.
  30. Johnson, Mike (November 9, 2015). "11/9 This Day in History: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels in Montreal". PWInsider. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
Events and tenants
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
RBC Center
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