My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…
December 9, 2008 – Montreal, PQ
After seeing the Flames beat the Rangers in New York City, we headed to La Belle Province to see them play one of the most storied franchises in all of sport, the Montreal Canadiens. Arriving in Montreal the day of the game, we checked into our hotel before heading to the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal. Replacing one of hockey’s greatest venues, the Montreal Forum, the Bell Centre opened in 1996 and is the largest arena in the National Hockey League.
We arrived at the game well before puck drop to see the sights the Bell Centre had to offer. Before the doors opened, we popped into La Cage aux Sports, a bar within the arena that is accessible from the outside and serves the same purpose as Dutton’s in the Saddledome. Unlike Dutton’s however, La Cage sells pitchers of beer for only $10! After a quick jug, we entered the Bell Centre. On the main concourse, the arena features a hall of fame type area, where bronze plaques and busts commemorate many of the great players who have worn the famed red, white and blue of the Canadiens. Notables like Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy LaFleur, Larry Robinson and Patrick Roy have their achievements celebrated here.
Our seats were located in the upper levels of the Bell Centre, but we entered the seating bowl from the main concourse before the game to get a glimpse at how seating for 21,000 plus fit into an arena. The lower bowl of the Bell Centre is enormous with over 25 rows of seats. The seats in the lower section are also very steep, similar to the nose bleeds in the Dome, meaning that the upper level seats are not as far from the action as in many newer arenas, but are quite high up. In the rafters, the Bell Centre offers a very different view from most arenas. The Canadiens have 17 retired numbers, each with a banner, plus 24 banners celebrating their Stanley Cup victories. Unlike most teams, the Habs don’t waste their time with division or conference championship banners. As this was the Canadiens’ 100th season, there were additional banners in the rafters, on the walls of the concourse and even on the outside of the area, celebrating their long history.
The concourses of the Bell Centre are the same as any other arena, featuring wide, well lit walkways and standard concession offerings. Much to our surprise, none of the concession stands sold poutine, something we would have to buy after the game to enjoy. I had assumed that would be the local dish, available at almost every outlet, much like perogies in Edmonton.
The game began with a lengthy pre-game ceremony on the jumbotron to celebrate the team’s 100th season. For nearly ten minutes, the screen flashed photos and videos of great moments in Canadiens’ history, offering commentary in both French and English. This ended up being something we noticed that is unique to the Bell Centre in the NHL; as all announcements were made in French and English, including goal calls, penalty calls, and in-game promotions. Imagine Steve Strachan repeating everything he says in a second language.
The game turned out not to be one of the Flames’ best efforts as they lost to the home team 4-1. Dustin Boyd scored the lone Flames goal, in the 2nd period, while the Habs received goals from D’Agostini, Kovalev and two from Robert Lang. Former Flame, Alex Tanguay also had a pair of assists against his old team.
We left the arena, in search of poutine, having gone one and one on the short road trip out east.
Thirteen arenas in the books; almost half way there!
-TheRev
Bell Center Fast Facts
Seats: Section 325; $95 (face value $41), eBay
Score: Flames 1, Canadiens 4
Arena Rating: 7.4
Unique Concession: No poutine!
Souvenir Stick: Habs 100 Seasons, white, plastic
Public Transit: One block away, accessible without going outside
Unique Arena Trait: Canadiens’ Hall of Fame in concourse
Swag: none
Photos
Who knows where we’ll see the Flames next…
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