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Canada Life Centre

Coordinates: 49°53′34″N 97°8′37″W / 49.89278°N 97.14361°W / 49.89278; -97.14361
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MTS Centre
Map
Former namesTrue North Centre
Location300 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 5S4
Coordinates49°53′34″N 97°8′37″W / 49.89278°N 97.14361°W / 49.89278; -97.14361
OwnerTrue North Sports & Entertainment
OperatorTrue North Sports & Entertainment
CapacityHockey: 15,004[6]
End-Stage Concert: 16,170[6]
Centre-Stage Concert: 16,345[6]
Rodeo/Motocross: 13,198[6]
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundApril 16, 2003[1]
OpenedNovember 16, 2004
Construction costCA$133.5 million
($230 million in 2024 dollars[2])
ArchitectSink Combs Dethlefs
Number TEN Architectural Group
Project managerHammes Company
Structural engineerMartin & Martin/Crosier Kilgour[3]
Services engineerM*E/MCW-AGE[4]
General contractorPCL Constructors Canada Inc.[5]
Tenants
Winnipeg Jets (NHL) (2011-present)
Manitoba Moose (AHL) (2004–2011)
Winnipeg Alliance FC (CMISL) (2007 & 2010)

The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League, and also served as the home of the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose (now the St. John's IceCaps) from 2004 to 2011.

It is located on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet[6] (41,000 m2) building was constructed at a cost of $133.5 million CAD. It opened on November 16, 2004, replacing the since-demolished Winnipeg Arena. The MTS Centre has a capacity of 15,004 for hockey and 16,345 for concerts. It was originally known as the True North Centre during its planning and construction stages before the naming rights were purchased by Manitoba Telecom Services.

The arena has made Winnipeg a more prominent location for concerts, as the building is known for its excellent acoustics.[7] It is also known since the return of the Jets as the loudest arena in the NHL, despite having the smallest seating capacity of any NHL arena. [8]

History

With the bankruptcy of the iconic Eaton's retailer, the famed store that was originally constructed 1899 in Winnipeg was emptied in late 2001.[9] Various alternative uses for the building (including residential condominiums) were suggested, but ultimately the arena was deemed to be the most viable and beneficial to the city's struggling downtown by Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray and True North.[10] After a small, but emotional resistance to losing the Western Canadian landmark Eaton's building by some locals and the Save the Eaton's Coalition, which inspired a "group hug" of the "Big Store" by a reported 180 people in 2001, the store was demolished in 2002 to make way for the new entertainment complex.

The building was officially opened November 16, 2004. In an effort to recognize the store's history, red bricks were incorporated into the design of the arena façade, evoking the memory of the Eaton’s store that had once graced Portage Avenue. An original store window and Tyndall stone surround is mounted in the arena concourse to house a collection of Eaton's memorabilia, in addition two war memorials were incorporated into the building.[9] The Timothy Eaton statue that was once a main feature of the store is also housed in the MTS Centre.[11]

Events hosted

Past

A Manitoba Moose game

The MTS Centre was home to the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose from its opening in 2004 to 2011.[6] The Moose were moved to St. John's after the Atlanta Thrashers were sold to True North and relocated to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 NHL season.[12]

In October 2006, the MTS Centre improved its washroom facilities to eliminate long lines and it installed 340 "demountable" seats in the lower bowl to replace 352 narrower "retractable" chairs, in a renovation priced at more than $120,000, which lowered capacity from 15,015 to 15,003. A "peanut-restricted" zone for allergic spectators was also added.

Bon Jovi played the MTS Centre December 9, 2007 and was the largest event the centre has seen since its 2004 debut. 16,000+ fans enjoyed the New Jersey rock band and Jon Bon Jovi stated "We'll be back" during his performance. However, the Metallica concert on October 12, 2009 broke this record with Metallica selling more because of general admission on the floor.

The MTS Centre also hosted on September 17, 2006, an NHL pre-season game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Phoenix Coyotes in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,015, before 11 seats were removed, with the Oilers winning 5-0.[13] Later the arena hosted another NHL exhibition game with the former Winnipeg franchise, the Phoenix Coyotes, playing host to the Calgary Flames on September 24, 2008. Calgary defeated Phoenix 3-2, in front of 12,621 fans (84% capacity). On September 24, 2009, the MTS Centre welcomed the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning to face off the year's NHL exhibition game. The Lightning won in overtime over the Oilers 4-3 .[14] On September 22, 2010, the MTS Centre welcomed the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second straight year for an exhibition game in front of a crowd of 14,092 (94% capacity). The Lightning won the game 4-2.

On October 29, 2005, Mike Scott was the 1,000,000th customer through the door and received a pair of tickets to every event in 2006.[15]

In 2008, the MTS Centre sold 385,427 tickets. These ticket sales included only non-sporting events and did not include hockey games. With the tickets sales the MTS Centre placed as the 19th busiest arena in the world. The arena sat as 11th busiest among facilities in North America, its highest ranking ever, and it remained in the 3rd spot in Canada, after the Bell Centre in Montreal (sixth worldwide) and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto (fifth worldwide).[16] For the year of 2009 it ranked as the 39th busiest arena in the world, and 26th busiest in North America.[17]

The American band Pearl Jam played at the arena on September 17, 2011, as part of the bands 20th anniversary celebrations.[18]

NHL returns

From 1972 to 1996, the Winnipeg Jets played home games out of the now-demolished Winnipeg Arena. Facing mounting financial troubles, the franchise relocated to Arizona and became the Phoenix Coyotes for the 1996-97 NHL season.

In the interim, the idea of Winnipeg one day returning to the NHL gained momentum, especially after the MTS Centre, constructed entirely with private money, opened. In response to this, many questions were raised about the MTS Centre's potential suitability to host an NHL team. At its current hockey capacity of 15,004, it is the smallest home arena in the NHL, well below the next-smallest—the New York Islanders' Nassau Coliseum, which seats 16,234.

The Winnipeg Jets celebrate their first regulation win in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre on October 17, 2011.

After the building of the MTS Centre, the owners of the arena, David Thomson and True North chairman Mark Chipman, began to be floated as the potential owners of an NHL team. Chipman stated that the arena's current size was sufficient for an NHL team due to its unique economics. Further supporting the viability of the arena was the reported attendance figures of many struggling teams averaging below the MTS Centre's capacity.[19] Eight teams, or over 26% of the league, had lower attendance than the MTS Centre's capacity through the 2010-11 NHL season.[20]

After two failed attempts to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes, on May 19, 2011 the Globe and Mail reported that the Atlanta Thrashers would be moved to Winnipeg.[21] These reports were at the time denied by True North saying, "It's simply not true, it's not a done deal."[22] Twelve days later, however, a deal was completed and announced May 31, 2011 at a press conference at the MTS Centre. The sale and relocation was formally approved by the NHL Board of Governors at their meeting on June 21. As part of the transition to the NHL, the arena went through some minor renovations to bring it in line with the league's standards.[23]

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum

Main article: Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

See also

References

  1. ^ MTS Centre - Construction
  2. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  3. ^ Crosier Kilgour - Projects
  4. ^ Number TEN Group - Recreation
  5. ^ Emporis.com - MTS Centre
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Community MTS Centre - Quick Facts". MTS Centre. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  7. ^ "Simon & Garfunkel at MTS Centre". Concertticketcenter.com. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ a b "MTS Centre (True North Centre". PCL Construction. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  10. ^ Ternette, Nick (December 3, 2009). "The MTS Centre Has Not Revitalized Downtown". The Uniter. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  11. ^ "Timothy Eaton statue begins relocation to MTS Centre". Concertticketcenter.com. October 29, 2003. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  12. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6610414
  13. ^ "Former Jets Return to Winnipeg After 10 Years". The Globe and Mail. September 16, 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  14. ^ "Lightning to Host Oilers at MTS Centre". Winnipeg Sun. May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  15. ^ "Thanks a Million, Folks!". Winnipeg Free Press. October 29, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  16. ^ "MTS Centre 19th-Busiest Showbiz Venue in World". Winnipeg Free Press. January 24, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
  17. ^ "Pollstar Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues 2009" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  18. ^ "Pearl Jam reveals WI Labor Day Festival". billboard.com. May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  19. ^ Ternette, Nick (November 3, 2010). "Coyote Question: Is Phoenix an NHL Market?". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  20. ^ "NHL Attendance Leaders". ESPN. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
  21. ^ Brunt, Stephen (May 19, 2011). "Atlanta Thrashers Moving to Winnipeg". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  22. ^ Sources: Thrashers deal not done, ESPN, May 19, 2011.
  23. ^ Daly says MTS Centre meets most league standards as is, TSN, June 9, 2011.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MTS Centre.
Preceded by Home of the
Manitoba Moose
2004 – 2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Home of the
Winnipeg Jets
2011 – present 		Succeeded by
present
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