Montreal Forum
| Le Forum | |
The Montreal Forum in 2011
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| Location | 2313 Saint Catherine Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°29′25″N 73°35′5″W / 45.49028°N 73.58472°WCoordinates: 45°29′25″N 73°35′5″W / 45.49028°N 73.58472°W |
| Owner | Investissements Forum Canadien Inc. Ben Ashkenazy (today) |
| Operator | Investissements Forum Canadien Inc. Ben Ashkenazy (today) |
| Capacity |
Ice hockey: 17,959 Basketball: 18,575 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 24, 1924 |
| Opened | November 29, 1924 |
| Expanded | 1949, 1968 |
| Closed | 1996 |
| Demolished | 1998 (interior only; exterior still stands) |
| Construction cost |
C$1.5 million ($21.1 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | John S. Archibald |
| General contractor | Atlas Construction Company |
| Tenants | |
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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) |
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| Designated | 1997 |
Montreal Forum (French: Le Forum de Montréal) was an indoor arena located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was the 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 Atwater and Ste-Catherine West (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.
The Forum opened on November 29, 1924, at a total cost of C$1,500,000 ($21.1 million in 2016 dollars) 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.
By the time of the 1968 renovations, a centre-hung digital scoreclock was installed, designed by the Day Sign Company of Toronto and similar to those installed at the Boston Garden and Chicago Stadium during the 1970s. A new centre-hung scoreclock, designed by Daktronics, was installed in the mid-1980s and contained on each side a color matrix board. Along with one other Original Six indoor ice hockey arena, the Boston Garden, the Montreal Forum used a high-pitched siren to signal the end of an NHL game's period — the siren would later be re-installed in the Forum's successor facility, the Bell Centre (and still in use there), much as the TD Garden in Boston inherited the lower-pitched Garden's siren. A Rainforest Cafe was supposed to open, but never got built since the building closed.
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