Bell Centre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bell Centre | |
|---|---|
  |
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| Location | 1260 De la Gauchetière Ouest Montreal, Quebec H3B 5E8 |
| Broke ground | June 22, 1993 |
| Opened | March 16, 1996 |
| Owner | George N. Gillett Jr. |
| Construction cost | C$270 million |
| Former names | |
| Molson Centre (1996-2002) | |
| Tenants | |
| Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1996-present) Montreal Rocket (QMJHL) (2001-2003) Montreal Express (NLL) (2002) |
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| Capacity | |
| Hockey: 21,273 Theatre: 5,000 to 9,000 Full Capacity: 14,000 to 21,500 Hemicycle: 2,000 to 3,000 |
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The Bell Centre (French: Le Centre Bell), formerly known as the Molson Centre, has been the home of the Montreal Canadiens since March 16, 1996 when they hosted the New York Rangers (a game which they won 4-2). The team departed from the historic Montreal Forum after their last game on March 11 of the same year. Construction began on the site on June 22, 1993. The name of the arena initially reflected Molson, Inc., a brewing company which owned a large share of the Canadiens at the time. Molson elected not to keep the naming rights when they sold the team, and the name officially changed on September 1, 2002 after Bell Canada acquired the naming rights.
The building covers an area of 15,680 square metres (168,778 sq. ft). It is located in downtown Montreal, connected to Lucien-L'Allier and Bonaventure metro stations and to the underground city; the Lucien-L'Allier commuter train station is incorporated into the building. It has the largest seating capacity of any amphitheatre in the NHL with a seating capacity of 21,273. The public address announcer for the Canadiens' games is Michel Lacroix. The final two games of the 3-game 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship series were held at the Bell Centre (the USA won both games, defeating Canada in the series 2-1). The Bell Centre was also host of one Quarter-Final game in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
In addition to hockey, the Bell Centre also hosts a number of other events throughout the year including concerts, boxing, professional wrestling, and more. On November 9, 1997, the infamous Montreal Screwjob Survivor Series involving Bret Hart, Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels took place at the Bell Centre. WWE did not have another televised event there until a fall 2001 taping of WWE Smackdown. A less controversial card, WWE No Way Out 2003, also took place at the Bell Centre. The last WWE show at the Bell Centre was a Supershow with Raw and Smackdown TV Shows on September 18, 2006. The next WWE show at the Bell Centre will be a House Show with the superstars of RAW on May 27TH 2007. The 2007 edition of the Survivor Series was to be held on November 25th, marking the 10-year anniversary of the now infamous "Montreal Incident," however, it was announced recently that this event would now take place in Miami, Florida at the American Airlines Arena on November 18th. It was also the home arena of the Montreal Express of the National Lacrosse League in 2002 before the team folded at the end of the season. The Bell Centre will play host to the 2009 NHL All-Star game.
Capacities of the Centre are:
- Arena 21,273
- Amphitheatre 10,000-14,000
- Theatre 5,000-9,000
- Hemicycle 2,000-3,500
The following numbers are retired by the Canadiens (positions in parentheses) and hang from the rafters:
- 1 Jacques Plante (G) October 7, 1995
- 2 Doug Harvey (D) October 26, 1995
- 4 Jean Béliveau (C) October 9, 1971
- 5 Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion (RW) March 11, 2006
- 7 Howie Morenz (C) November 2, 1937
- 9 Maurice "The Rocket" Richard (RW) October 6, 1960
- 10 Guy Lafleur (RW) February 16, 1985
- 12 Dickie Moore (LW) and Yvan Cournoyer (RW) November 12, 2005
- 16 Henri Richard (C) December 10, 1975
- 18 Serge Savard (D) November 18, 2006
- 29 Ken Dryden (G) January 29, 2007
More numbers will be retired during the next 3 years until the team's centennial anniversary.
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 Nationals unretired the numbers, so the Canadiens raised a special banner honouring these baseball players:
- 8 Gary Carter
- 10 Andre Dawson and Rusty Staub
- 30 Tim Raines
Ironically, Jackie Robinson, whose number was retired twice (#20 because of his minor-league playing days in the city, and #42 as required by MLB), was not given a banner.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Montreal Forum 1926—1996 |
Home of the Montreal Canadiens 1996—present |
Succeeded by current |
| Montreal landmarks | |
|---|---|
| Buildings | Biodome | Biosphère | Bell Centre | Canadian Centre for Architecture | Montreal Casino | Complexe Desjardins | Montreal Forum | Grande Bibliothèque du Québec | Habitat '67 | Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral | McCord Museum | Montreal Science Centre | Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica | Olympic Stadium | Palais des congrès de Montréal | Place des Arts | Place Ville-Marie | Redpath Museum | Saint Joseph's Oratory | Tour de la Bourse | Underground City | World Trade Centre Montreal |
| Neighbourhoods | Chinatown | Old Montreal | Old Port | Quartier international de Montréal |
| Nature and Parks |
Jardin botanique de Montréal | Mount Royal |
| Islands | Île Bizard | Island of Montreal | Île Notre-Dame | Nuns' Island | Saint Helen's Island |
| Transportation | Montréal-Mirabel International Airport | Montreal Metro | Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport | Windsor Station | Central Station |
