MTS Centre
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| Former names | True North Centre (planning) |
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| Address | 300 Portage Avenue |
| Location | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Coordinates | 49°53′34″N 97°8′37″W / 49.89278°N 97.14361°WCoordinates: 49°53′34″N 97°8′37″W / 49.89278°N 97.14361°W |
| Owner | True North Sports & Entertainment |
| Operator | True North Sports & Entertainment |
| Capacity |
Hockey: 15,294 End-Stage Concert: 16,170 Centre-Stage Concert: 16,345 Rodeo/: 13,198 Basketball: ≥15,750 |
| Field size | 440,000 square feet (41,000 m2) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 16, 2003 |
| Opened | November 16, 2004 |
| Construction cost |
CA$133.5 million ($185 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | Sink Combs Dethlefs Number TEN Architectural Group Smith Carter |
| Project manager | Hammes Company |
| Structural engineer | Martin & Martin/Crosier Kilgour |
| Services engineer | M*E/MCW-AGE |
| General contractor | PCL Constructors Canada Inc. |
| Tenants | |
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Winnipeg Jets (NHL) (2011–present) Manitoba Moose (AHL) (2004–2011, 2015–present) Winnipeg Alliance FC (CMISL) (2007, 2010) |
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| Website | |
| Official website | |
The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue located at 300 Portage Avenue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The arena is the home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and the Jets' American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
The MTS Centre stands on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet (41,000 m2) building was constructed at a cost of $133.5 million CAD. It opened on November 16, 2004, replacing the since-demolished Winnipeg Arena. It has a capacity of 15,294 for hockey and 16,345 for concerts. Originally known as the True North Centre during its planning and construction stages, its naming rights are owned by Bell MTS.
With the bankruptcy of the iconic Eaton's retailer, the famed store that was originally constructed in Winnipeg was emptied in late 2001. Various alternative uses for the building (including residential condominiums) were suggested, but ultimately the arena was deemed to be the most viable and beneficial to the city's struggling downtown by Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray and True North. After a small, but emotional resistance to losing the Western Canadian landmark Eaton's building by some locals and the Save the Eaton's Coalition, which inspired a "group hug" of the "Big Store" by a reported 180 people in 2001, the store was demolished in 2002 to make way for the new entertainment complex.
The MTS Centre officially opened on November 16, 2004, replacing the aging Winnipeg Arena, which had been in operation since 1955. In an effort to recognize the store's history, red bricks were incorporated into the design of the arena façade, evoking the memory of the Eaton’s store that had once graced Portage Avenue. An original store window and Tyndall stone surround is mounted in the arena concourse to house a collection of Eaton's memorabilia. In addition, two war memorials were incorporated into the building. The Timothy Eaton statue that was once a main feature of the store is also housed in the MTS Centre, near the spot where it stood in the Eaton's building.
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