Montreal Forum

The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News^[1], it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996. The Forum was built by the Canadian Arena Company in 159 days. Located at the northeast corner of Avenue Atwater and Rue Ste-Catherine Ouest (Metro Atwater), the building was historically significant as it was home to 24 Stanley Cups (22 of the Canadiens and two of the Montreal Maroons, for whom the arena was originally built). It was also home to the Montreal Roadrunners and Montreal Junior Canadiens.

History

The Forum opened on November 29, 1924 at a total cost of $1,500,000 with an original seating capacity of 9,300. It underwent two renovations, in 1949 and 1968 ^[2]. When the Forum closed in 1996 it had a capacity of 17,959, which included approximately 1,600 in standing room. The Montreal Forum hosted Memorial Cup games in 1950, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973 & 1976, with the Junior Canadiens winning on home ice in 1970. In 1972 The Montreal Forum hosted game 1 of the famous "Summit Series" between Team Canada and the USSR, the USSR won the game 7-3. The Montreal Forum hosted 5 events in the 1976 Summer Olympics: Gymnastics, Handball, Basketball, Volleyball, and Boxing, including Nadia Comaneci's famous perfect 10, the first in Olympic history. In 1981, Canadian rock band Rush filmed (and recorded parts of) their 1981 concert film and album "Exit...Stage Left" here on their Moving Pictures Tour. That same year, British rock band Queen recorded and filmed their concert film We Will Rock You at this venue (to be re-released as Queen Rock Montreal in 2007). On April 19, 1984, Van Halen performed here, and were filmed by a fan, one of the few concert videos of their 1984 Tour. The Calgary Flames became the only visiting NHL team to ever win a Stanley Cup on Forum ice during the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals. On March 11, 1996, the Montreal Canadiens played their last game at the Montreal Forum, beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 on a Monday night. The game was televised on TSN and TQS in Canada, and on ESPN in the United States. After the game, many previous hockey greats were presented to the crowd.

After hockey

After the Canadiens left the Forum, the building was used to film arena sequences for the Brian de Palma film Snake Eyes ^[3]. It was then completely gutted and converted into a downtown entertainment centre called the Pepsi Forum. Centre ice has been recreated in the centre of the complex while original stands are scattered throughout. On the Saint Catherine Street entrance there is a Quebec Walk of Fame consisting of Céline Dion and Maurice Richard. Both were on hand for their bronze star's respective unveiling. The Atwater street entrance has a large bronze Montreal Canadiens logo surrounded by 24 bronze Stanley Cup banners cemented into the sidewalk. Inscribed in French are the words "Forever proud". The entire building is themed after the Forum's storied history with special emphasis on the Montreal Canadiens.

References

1. ^ The end of an era. (the Montreal Forum). High Beam Research (1996). Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
2. ^ Montreal Forum. Ballparks.com (1996-2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
3. ^ Stephen Burum - Snake Eyes. International Cinematographers Guild (1998). Retrieved on 2007-01-21.

External links

• Farewell to the Montreal Forum

Coordinates: 45°29′24.50″N, 73°35′5.00″W