Air Canada Centre

For the headquarters of Air Canada in Montreal, see Air Canada#Headquarters.

Air Canada Centre
The ACC, The Hangar
Location	40 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2X2
Coordinates	43°38′36″N 79°22′45″W
Broke ground	March 12, 1997
Opened	February 19, 1999
Owner	Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Construction cost	C$265 million ($342 million in 2012 dollars)
Architect	Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB Architects)
Project Manager	Clarendon Projects Ltd.
Structural engineer	Sayers & Associates Limited
General Contractor	PCL Constructors Western, Inc.
Capacity	Basketball: 19,800 Ice hockey: 18,819 Lacrosse: 18,819 Concerts: 19,800 Theatre: 5,200 Wrestling: 16,105
Tenants
Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) (1999–present) Toronto Raptors (NBA) (1999–present) Toronto Rock (NLL) (2001–present) Toronto Phantoms (AFL) (2001–2002) 2015 Pan American Games

The Air Canada Centre (ACC) is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar (the latter nickname came from its sponsorship by Air Canada).

It is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

It was also home to the Toronto Phantoms of the Arena Football League (AFL) during their brief existence.

In 2006, the ACC was the 11th busiest arena in the world.

From its initial design to completion, it revolutionized many concepts included in new arenas and stadiums since then, such as luxury suites accessible on the ground floor, splitting the main scoreboard into several sections, rotating all sponsor signage in the bowl at once (to allow dominant messaging), and multiple restaurants in and out of the main arena bowl view.

The arena is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., the same group that owns both the Leafs and Raptors, and is 665,000 square feet (62,000 m²) in size. Air Canada Centre is connected to Union Station and the underground pedestrian PATH system, providing easy access to public transportation (TTC's Union subway station and GO Transit) for fans attending events. There are also 13,000 parking spaces within immediate walking distance.

History

The Air Canada Centre was started by the Toronto Raptors under its initial ownership group headed by Canadian businessman John Bitove. The groundbreaking was performed in March 1997.

While construction was in progress, the Raptors and their partially completed arena were purchased by MLSE. Prior to this development, the Maple Leafs had been contemplating building their own arena to replace the aging Maple Leaf Gardens. MLSE subsequently ordered major modifications to the original design, which was basketball-specific, such that the arena become more suitable for hockey.

Air Canada purchased naming rights to the arena for $30 million dollars over 20 years.

The site was once occupied by the Canada Post Delivery Building. The current building retains the striking Art Deco façades of the east (along Bay Street) and south (Lake Shore Boulevard) walls of that structure, but the rest of the building (facing Union Station) was removed to make room for the arena, through the process of facadism.

The 15-storey tower on Bay Street stands at 55 metres and provides connections in the atrium to Union Station, Bay Street, and York Street (via Bremner Boulevard). The Air Canada Centre is connected to the PATH network.

Games and events

Sports

Preparing for the National Anthem at the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener against the Montreal Canadiens.

The first Maple Leafs home game took place on February 20, 1999 versus the Montreal Canadiens, won by the Leafs 3-2 on an overtime goal by Steve Thomas. The first Raptors game took place the following night versus the Vancouver Grizzlies (later moved to Memphis). The Raptors won 102-87 in front of a sell-out crowd. The facility hosted the 2000 NHL All-Star Game and the championship game of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

The Toronto Rock also moved to the ACC from Maple Leaf Gardens for the 2001 NLL season. The Rock's first game was a 17-7 win over the Ottawa Rebel on December 21, 2000.

On October 3, 2003, the ACC had a power outage during the third quarter of a Raptors pre-season game against the Greek club Panathinaikos. The game was called final, because the power was not restored in time, and Toronto already had a thirty-point lead.

Concerts

The Air Canada Centre has played host to a number of musicians.

Bon Jovi hold the record for having played the most shows in the Air Canada Centre during one tour. On their 2007–2008 Lost Highway Tour, they played five shows in Toronto. They were breaking their own earlier four-night record at the ACC that tied with U2, The Spice Girls, The Police and Rush.

The Tragically Hip played the first ever concert at the arena on February 22, 1999 to a sold out crowd.

Pearl Jam played two shows at the arena in September 2011, as part of the band's 20th anniversary celebrations. In the past, Pearl Jam have played the arena in 2000, 2005, and two shows to kick off their 2006 world tour.

On April 7, 2008, Avril Lavigne played at the arena to a sold-out crowd as a part of her 2008 Best Damn Tour, The concert went onto video named The Best Damn Tour - Live in Toronto

On August 13 and 14, 2011, Britney Spears filmed two sold out shows on her Femme Fatale Tour for a DVD release, and was broadcast on EPIXHD in November of that year.

Political conventions

In 2003, the Liberal Party of Canada held their leadership convention at the Air Canada Centre.

Late 2000s developments

A Raptors game with the previous logo and colours as well as the old scoreboard, later relocated to Ricoh Coliseum

In late 2005, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment announced that they would be renovating the western side of the Air Canada Centre during the 2008 off-season, to connect it with the Maple Leaf Square development. Maple Leaf Square is jointly owned by MLSE, Cadillac Fairview and Lantera Developments. The $500 million development includes two restaurants, Hotel Le Germain at Maple Leaf Square boutique hotel, extensive retail shopping including a 9,000-square-foot (840 m²) Leafs, Marlies, Raptors, and Toronto FC store, two 54-storey condominiums, a Longo's supermarket, a High-Definition broadcast studio, and a public square. It opened in 2010.

Gate 5 entrance off of Maple Leafs Square

The bridge from the Maple Leafs Square retail levels to the Air Canada Centre lit up in the Toronto Rock coloursceme.

External links

• Official website
• Arena map
• Air Canada Centre's conversion from hockey to basketball on YouTube

Events and tenants
Preceded by SkyDome	Home of the Toronto Raptors 1999 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Maple Leaf Gardens	Home of the Toronto Maple Leafs 1999 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Maple Leaf Gardens	Home of the Toronto Rock 2000 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Hartford Civic Center	Home of the Toronto Phantoms 2001 – 2002	Succeeded by last arena
Preceded by St. Pete Times Forum	Host of the NHL All-Star Game 2000	Succeeded by Pepsi Center
Preceded by Ford Center	Host of Unforgiven 2006	Succeeded by FedExForum