Image Credit: Dennis Jarvis (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The first indoor hockey game was played in 1875 in Montreal, Quebec. Fast forward more than 100 years later and the National Hockey League has expanded to 31 teams in North America and could possibly add more in the near future. We wanted to compile a list of the largest NHL hockey arenas in Canada. Our list begins with the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
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Bell MTS Place. Home of the Winnipeg Jets. Capacity: 15,294.
Bell MTS Place, formerly called the MTS Centre, is Canada’s smallest NHL arena and has been home to the Winnipeg Jets since 2011. The arena was constructed at a cost of $134 million Canadian dollars and first opened in 2004. The arena is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment, the ownership group that also owns the Winnipeg Jets. Bell MTS Place is also home to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
Address:
300 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3C 5S4
Image Credit: Vince Alongi (CC BY 2.0)
Canadian Tire Centre. Home of the Ottawa Senators. Capacity: 17,373.
The Canadian Tire Centre is the 6th largest NHL arena in Canada and has been home to the Ottawa Senators since 1996. It is the only Canadian NHL arena not located in the city’s central business district. Instead, the venue is located in the suburb of Kanata, Ontario. The Ottawa Senators are currently trying to build a new arena for the team in downtown Ottawa. The Canadian Tire Centre cost $170 million Canadian dollars to build and was formerly called the Corel Centre and Scotiabank Place.
Address:
1000 Palladium Drive
Ottawa, ON K2V 1A5
Image Credit: Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Rogers Place. Home of the Edmonton Oilers. Capacity: 18,641.
The Rogers Place is Canada’s newest NHL arena and replaced the Rexall Place as the home of the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. Rogers Place was constructed at an estimated cost of $480 million Canadian dollars and is owned by the city of Edmonton. The arena is part of a mixed-used development called the “ICE District” and is also home to the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.
Address:
300-10214 104 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0H6
Image Credit: Roland Tanglao (CC BY 2.0)
Scotiabank Arena. Home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Capacity: 18,800.
Scotiabank Arena is the 4th largest arena in the NHL and is located in the South Core District in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Scotiabank Arena has been home to the Toronto Maple Leafs since 1999 and is the only Canadian NHL arena that is also home to an NBA team (Toronto Raptors). The venue is owned and operated by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and cost $265 million Canadian dollars to construct.
Address:
40 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M5J 2X2
Image Credit: Mike/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Rogers Arena. Home of the Vancouver Canucks. Capacity: 18,910.
Rogers Arena is the 3rd largest arena in the NHL and has been home to the Vancouver Canucks since 1995. Rogers Arena was formerly known as General Motors Place (GM Place) and is owned and operated by Canucks Sports & Entertainment. The venue cost $170 million Canadian dollars to build and was also home to the NBA’s Vancouver Grizzlies before the team relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.
Address:
800 Griffiths Way
Vancouver, BC V6B 6G1
Image Credit: Bernard Spragg
Scotiabank Saddledome. Home of the Calgary Flames. Capacity: 19,289.
The Scotiabank Saddledome is the 2nd largest arena in the NHL as well as the league's 2nd oldest arena. The Saddledome has been home to the Calgary Flames since 1983 and was formerly known as the Pengrowth Saddledome, Canadian Airlines Saddledome and Olympic Saddledome. The Calgary Flames have been trying to build a new arena in downtown Calgary for the last several years but have not been able to secure the funding from the city.
Address:
555 Saddledome Rise SE
Calgary, AB T2G 2W1
Image Credit: Stuart001uk/Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Bell Centre. Home of the Montreal Canadiens. Capacity: 21,288.
The Bell Centre is the largest arena in the NHL and has been home to the Montreal Canadiens since 1996. The arena is owned and operated by the Molson family who also own the Montreal Canadiens and cost $270 million Canadian dollars to build. The Bell Centre was known as the Molson Centre until 2002. Despite having 24 Stanley Cup championships in their trophy case, the Montreal Canadiens have yet to win a Stanley Cup since they moved to the Bell Centre from the old Montreal Forum.
Address:
1909 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal
Montreal, QC H4B5G0
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