Bell Centre
Bell Centre (French: Centre Bell) formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montreal Forum. It is owned by the Molson family via the team's ownership group Groupe CH, and managed via Groupe CH subsidiary Evenko.
| Centre Bell (French) | |
Bell Centre in 2017 | |
Bell Centre Location in Montreal Bell Centre Location in Quebec Bell Centre Location in Canada | |
| Former names | New Montreal Forum (pre-construction–1996) Molson Centre (1996–2002) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1909 Canadiens-de-Montréal Avenue |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 45°29′46″N 73°34′10″W |
| Public transit | Lucien-L'Allier (Metro), Bonaventure Lucien-L'Allier (Exo) Terminus Centre-Ville Gare Centrale |
| Owner | Groupe CH (Molson family) |
| Operator | Evenko |
| Capacity | Hockey: 21,273 (1996–2014) 21,288 (2014–2017) 21,302 (2017–2021) 21,105 (2021–present) Basketball: 22,114 Concerts: 15,000–19,200 Amphitheatre: 10,000–14,000 Theatre: 5,000–9,000 Hemicycle: 2,000–3,500 MMA: 16,000–23,152 |
| Field size | 780,000 sq ft (72,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 22, 1993 |
| Opened | March 16, 1996 |
| Construction cost | C$270 million ($430 million in 2021 dollars) |
| Architect | LeMay & Associate, LLC. LeMoyne Lapointe Magne |
| Project manager | IBI/DAA Group |
| Structural engineer | Dessau |
| Services engineer | SNC-Lavalin |
| General contractor | Magil Construction |
| Tenants | |
| Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1996–present) Montreal Roadrunners (RHI) (1996–1997) Montreal Rocket (QMJHL) (2001–2003) Montreal Express (NLL) (2002) Laval Rocket (AHL) (2021) | |
With a capacity of 21,105 in its hockey configuration, Bell Centre is the second largest ice hockey arena in the world after the SKA Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia. Alongside hockey, Bell Centre has hosted major concerts, and occasional mixed martial arts and professional wrestling events. 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.