Step Inside: Bell Centre – Home of the Montreal Canadiens

Home of the Montreal Canadiens

Bell Centre is home to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. Located at 1909 Canadiens-de-Montréal Avenue in Montreal, the venue is the largest ice hockey arena in North America (and second-largest in the world to St. Petersburg, Russia’s SKA Arena).

In addition to serving as the home arena for Canadiens hockey, Bell Centre is also regularly used for concerts as well as basketball, ice skating, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts and other events.

Below, take a step into Bell Centre, including the stadium’s history, parking and admission, and capacity and seating options, as well as food and beverage options inside the arena.

Bell Centre History

Bell Centre opened in 1996 as Molson Centre, three seasons after the Canadiens took home the Stanley Cup for the 24th time in the team’s history. (At the time, the team was owned by Canadian brewery Molson, Inc., who gave up naming rights when they sold the team to Bell Canada in 2002.)

Since moving into the arena, the Canadiens have made the Stanley Cup playoffs more than a dozen times, though they haven’t clinched the championship again since their 4-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings in 1993. In its first year of operation, Bell Centre hosted the final two games of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship series.

Other major hockey events that have taken place at the arena include the 2009 NHL All-Star Game and both the 2009 and 2022 NHL Entry Drafts. Since 2010, the venue has also regularly hosted select preseason NBA games for the Toronto Raptors, as well as games in the NBA Canada Series.

In the fall of 2015, Bell Centre underwent a round of major renovations, with all seats being replaced, as well as renovated hallways and concession stands, new restaurants added, public Wi-Fi installed and the conversion of Canadiens-de-Montréal Avenue into a pedestrian-only street.

Bell Centre hosted its first Stanley Cup Final in 2021, when the Canadiens lost, 4-1, to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2024, the Montreal Victoire, a new addition to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), played their first match at the arena against the Toronto Sceptres, and Bell Centre also hosted the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships. In 2025, Bell Centre was one of two venues to host the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off.

Numerous musical artists have brought high-profile tours to Bell Centre since its opening, including the likes of Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Shakira, Elton John, Billy Joel, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Janet Jackson, Linkin Park, Barbra Streisand, Tina Turner, Cher, Kylie Minogue, Shania Twain and more. Celine Dion holds the record for the most performances at the arena with 50 total from 1996 to 2020.

 

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Parking and Admission at Bell Centre

Parking at Bell Centre is open to the public for a fixed rate of $20 to $45 depending on the day and event. Attendees can pay for parking with credit and debit cards only. On event nights, parking at the arena opens at noon; on days without events, parking is open from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monthly parking passes can be purchased here.

Bell Centre is also accessible via Montreal’s public transit at Bonaventure, Lucien-L’Allier, Gare Centrale and Gare Lucien-L’Allier stations.

Bell Centre is dedicated to being accessible for all members of the public. As such, the arena offers accessible parking with dedicated parking spots on level B, section B113.

Items prohibited inside Bell Centre include all backpacks, coolers and sports bags (regardless of size), any bag larger than 10 cm x 15 cm x 4 cm, hard-covered briefcases, any weapon, knife (including pocketknives, cutters, blades or any other knives), aerosol, pepper spray, blunt objects or objects considered dangerous or risky; flags, banners or posters that might obstruct an audience member’s view; outside food, drinks, alcoholic beverages, glass bottles and cans; professional cameras with lenses over 2.5” or any other type of detachable lens; professional video/audio recording equipment, selfie sticks or similar monopods; drones or other similar objects; bells, horns and any object that makes noise; any animals; fireworks or other pyrotechnical apparatus; laser pointers; computers and tablets; souvenir cups; and any object deemed suspicious by security personnel.

Additionally, smoking and vaping are prohibited inside Bell Centre.

Bell Centre Capacity & Seating Options

Bell Centre has a seating capacity of 21,105 for hockey games — making it the largest ice hockey arena in North America. Seating at Bell Centre is split between 100, 200 (including Club Dejardins and the VIP Space), 300 and 400 levels with two levels of luxury suites. During concerts, additional floor seating is added to the venue. A seating chart of the venue can be viewed on Ticketmaster.com.

Wheelchair accessible seating (with a companion seat) is available on level 100 (red), row N with direct access to street-level doors. Each ticketholder in a wheelchair can be accompanied by one person. Patrons with functional mobility limitations can contact Bell Centre customer service at 1-877-668-8269 for assistance with their ticket purchase.

Food & Beverage Options at Bell Centre

Bell Centre offers a diverse array of restaurants including Mythik, 9-4-10 Steakhouse, Canti Osteria, Bazarette, La Mise au Jeu and La Cage.

Additional food and beverage options include HABSburger, HABSdog, HABS Déli, Pizza Pizza Trattoria, Mito, CHOPA, Chquick Chquick, Sna’QC, Deli Montreal, La Classique, Tim Hortons, Bell Centre’s famous hot dogs at Le Hot de MTL and more.

Concessions throughout Bell Centre feature a variety of both vegetarian and gluten free options for attendees with dietary restrictions.