Molson Centre
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| Former names | New Montreal Forum (pre-construction–1996) Molson Centre, Centre Molson (1996–2002) |
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| Address | 1909, avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 45°29′46″N 73°34′10″W / 45.49611°N 73.56944°WCoordinates: 45°29′46″N 73°34′10″W / 45.49611°N 73.56944°W |
| Public transit | |
| Owner | Molson family |
| Operator | Molson family |
| Capacity |
Hockey: 21,288 Basketball: 22,114 Concerts: 15,000 Amphitheatre: 10,000 to 14,000 Theatre: 5,000 to 9,000 Hemicycle: 2,000 to 3,500 MMA: 16,000 to 23,152 |
| Field size | 780,000 square feet (72,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 22, 1993 |
| Opened | March 16, 1996 |
| Construction cost |
C$270 million ($385 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | LeMay & Associate, LLC. LeMoyne Lapointe Magne |
| Project manager | IBI/DAA Group |
| Structural engineer | Dessau |
| Services engineer | SNC-Lavalin |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichols |
| Tenants | |
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Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1996–present) Montreal Impact (NPSL) (1997–2000) Montreal Rocket (QMJHL) (2001–2003) Montreal Express (NLL) (2002) |
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The Bell Centre (French: Centre Bell), formerly known as the Molson Centre (or Le Centre Molson), is a sports and entertainment complex 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 National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team.
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. 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. In 2012, it was the fifth-busiest arena in the world based on ticket sales for non-sporting events.
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 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.
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