Place Bell

Place Bell is a multi-purpose arena in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The complex includes a 10,000 seat main arena which is the home of the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League and two smaller community ice rinks, one of which has Olympic size ice.

For the office tower in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, see One60 Elgin.
Place Bell
Place Bell is located in Quebec
Place Bell
Place Bell
Location in Quebec
Place Bell is located in Canada
Place Bell
Place Bell
Location in Canada
LocationLaval, Quebec
Coordinates45.5558°N 73.7218°W / 45.5558; -73.7218
Public transit Montmorency station
Bus interchangeTerminus Montmorency
  Société de transport de Laval
OwnerCity of Laval
OperatorEvenko and Harden
Capacity10,062 (main arena; hockey)
2,500 (olympic rink)
500 (practice rink)
Construction
Broke ground2014 (2014)
Opened2017 (2017)
Construction cost$200 million
ArchitectLemay
Tenants
Laval Rocket (AHL) (2017–present)
Les Canadiennes de Montreal (CWHL) (2018–2019)
Website
Official Website

History

Then-mayor of Laval, Gilles Vaillancourt, announced the project on February 13, 2012.[1][2] The facility is managed by Evenko, the same company that operates the Bell Centre in Montreal, home of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. As in the case of the Bell Centre, the naming rights for the Laval arena were acquired by Bell Canada.[3] The cost of the project roughly doubled since it was first announced. Originally announced by Vaillancourt in 2012 to cost $92.6 million, the estimate was revised less than a year later to $150 million. In March 2014, Laval's new mayor Marc Demers estimated that the cost of Place Bell would double to $200 million, because of costs not factored by the previous administration. The Government of Quebec committed to contributing $46 million; Demers asked that the province assume more of the costs, as it did for other arena projects.[4][5]

Place Bell during a 2017 Laval Rocket game against the Syracuse Crunch
Place Bell prior to the 2023 AHL Skills Competition

Initial plans called for the arena to be built in the city's Quartier de l'Agora district, next to the Laval courthouse, but the unstable soil in that location led to a move. In October 2012, the city announced that the project would be located adjacent to the Montmorency station of the Montreal Metro Orange Line.

Construction of Place Bell in 2015.

Construction started in late 2014 and was completed in 2017.[6][7]

On 11 July 2016, the Montreal Canadiens announced it would relocate its American Hockey League affiliate, then known as the St. John's IceCaps, to Place Bell in 2017.[8] On 8 September 2016, the Canadiens announced the team would be named the Laval Rocket.[9]

On 20 September 2018, it was announced that the Les Canadiennes de Montreal of the Canadian Women's Hockey League would be moving to the arena complex from Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard playing both in the main rink and the community rink.[10] The Les Canadiennes also moved their daily operations and training camp into the complex. They played one season at Place Bell before the league and team ceased operations in 2019.

References
  1. "Laval pushes ahead with arena plans: Sports complex set to be completed by 2014", CBC News, February 13, 2012.
  2. "Laval to go ahead with controversial $120-million sports complex", Global Montreal, February 13, 2012.
  3. "Laval ice complex to be run by management of Habs’ Montreal arena", The Hamilton Spectator, February 13, 2012.
  4. Martin C. Barry, "Laval to build Place Bell amphitheatre by 2014", Laval News, February 27, 2012.
  5. "Laval's Place Bell arena to cost $50M more in overruns". CBC News. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. François Gagnon, "Laval: la Place Bell changera d'adresse", La Presse, October 10, 2012 (in French).
  7. "Le déménagement de la Place Bell confirmé", Courrier Laval, October 14, 2012 (in French).
  8. "Canadiens moving AHL affiliate to Laval in 17-18". AHL. 11 July 2016.
  9. "New Laval AHL team will be known as the Rocket". CJAD. September 8, 2016.
  10. "LES CANADIENNES TO PLAY AT PLACE BELL STARTING THIS FALL - Les Canadiennes de Montreal". Les Canadiennes de Montreal. 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
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