Montreal Forum

Montreal Forum / Forum de Montréal

Pepsi Forum
File:Montreal Forum, 1950s.png Montreal Forum in 1955
Location	2313 Saint Catherine Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Coordinates	45°29′25″N 73°35′5″W
Owner	Canadian Arena Company Canderel Management and pepsi (today)
Capacity	Ice hockey: 17,959 Basketball: 18,575
Construction
Opened	November 29, 1924
Closed	1996
Construction cost	$1.5 million
Tenants
Montreal Maroons (NHL) (1924-1938) Montreal Canadiens (NHL) (1926-1996) Montreal Junior Canadiens (QJHL) (1933-1961), (OHA) (1961-1972) Montreal Voyageurs (AHL) (1969-1971) Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge (QMJHL) (1972-1975) Montreal Juniors (QMJHL) (1975-1982) Montreal Manic (NASL Indoor) (1981-1982) Montreal Roadrunners (RHI) (1994-1995)

The Montreal Forum (French: Le Forum de Montréal) was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, 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 rue Atwater and rue Ste-Catherine ouest (Metro Atwater), the building was historically significant as it was home to 24 Stanley Cup championships (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 ($19,083,333.33 as of December 11, 2008 by inflation) with an original seating capacity of 9,300. It underwent two renovations, in 1949 and 1968 . When the Forum closed in 1996 it had a capacity of 17,959, which included approximately 1,600 in standing room.

Construction

The Montreal Forum under construction in 1924.

The idea to build the Forum in 1923 is credited to Sir Edward Beattie, president of the Canadian Pacific railway. At the suggestion of Senator Donat Raymond, William Northey developed a plan for a 12,500 seat capacity rink. Plans were scaled back for financial reasons to a rink of 9,300 seats. Even at the reduced size, the rink could not immediately find financing. The Forum would eventually be financed by H. L. Timmins. The site selected was the site of a roller skating rink named the Forum, and the name was kept. The site had previously been the site of an outdoor ice hockey rink, used by Frank and Lester Patrick, Art Ross and Russell Bowie.

Ice hockey

While hosting the Canadiens and Maroons on Thursdays and Saturdays, the Forum also hosted the Quebec Senior Hockey League, featuring the Montreal Victorias, Montreal Royals and the Montreal Canadiens amateur team on Wednesdays and Sundays. The Quebec Junior Hockey League played on Monday nights, the Bank League on Tuesdays and the Railways and Telephone League played on Friday nights.

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.

Only two visiting teams ever won the Stanley Cup on Forum ice: the New York Rangers did so in 1928, defeating the Maroons, while the Calgary Flames defeated the Canadiens in 1989.

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 ESPN2 in the United States. After the game, many previous hockey greats were presented to the crowd. Maurice Richard received a ten minute standing ovation from the crowd. A symbolic torch was carried by Émile Bouchard out of the Canadiens dressing room, after which he proceeded out onto the playing surface. The torch was passed on to each captain up to Pierre Turgeon who was the current captain at the time. The next day, a parade was organized in which the torch was carried down the route to the Molson Center, which has since been renamed the Bell Centre. Their first game at the new venue was against the New York Rangers, a game which they won.

Other sport

The Forum also hosted other sports, including indoor soccer, boxing and tennis. The Forum was a site of 5 events in the 1976 Summer Olympics: gymnastics, handball, basketball, volleyball, and boxing. The gymnastics event included Nadia Comaneci's famous perfect 10, the first in Olympic history.

The Forum was the site of many major professional wrestling matches, as shown in the 1961 National Film Board of Canada documentary Wrestling (La Lutte).

Notable events

Music

In 1981, Canadian rock band Rush filmed (and recorded almost all 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 (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.

After hockey

The Pepsi Forum as seen in 2009.

After the Canadiens left the Forum, the building was used to film arena sequences for the Brian de Palma film Snake Eyes. It was then completely gutted and converted into a downtown entertainment centre called the Pepsi Forum, consisting of an AMC multiplex theater, shops and restaurants. Centre ice has been recreated in the centre of the complex complete with a small section of the grandstand, along with a statue of a fan leaning forward in delight, while original seats are used as benches throughout the complex. A statue of Maurice Richard can be found next to the grandstand. On the Saint Catherine Street entrance there is a Quebec Walk of Fame consisting of Richard and Céline Dion. 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

• Mouton, Claude (1987). The Montreal Canadiens. Key Porter Books.

External links

• Farewell to the Montreal Forum