Montreal Forum

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Lore & Background

Located at the northeast corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine West (Metro Atwater), the building was historically significant as 15 Stanley Cup championships were clinched/presented on its ice: twelve for the Canadiens and one for the Maroons (for whom the arena was built initially); one each for the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. The Forum was also home to the Montreal Roadrunners and Montreal Junior Canadiens. The idea to build the Forum in 1923 is credited to Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. At the suggestion of Senator Donat Raymond, William Northey developed a plan for a 12,500-seat capacity rink. Plans were scaled back for financial reasons to a rink of 9,300 seats. Even at the reduced size, the rink could not immediately find financing. The Forum would eventually be financed by H. L. Timmins. The site selected was the site of a roller skating rink named the Forum, and the name was kept. The site had previously been the site of an outdoor ice hockey rink, used by Frank and Lester Patrick, Art Ross and Russell Bowie as youths. The Forum opened on November 29, 1924, at a total cost of 1.5 million 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. In 1968, the arena was given a major renovation and redesign. The work was carried out by engineering firm Stone & Webster Canada Limited, whose chief architect was Kenneth Sedleigh. The Montreal firm David & Boulva served as consulting architects. As part of the 1968 renovations, a centre-hanging digital score clock 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-hanging score clock, designed by Daktronics, was installed in 1985 and contained on each side a colour 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 is still in use there), much as the TD Garden in Boston inherited the lower-pitched Garden's siren.

In Their Own Story

On March 11, 1996, the Montreal Canadiens played their final game at the Forum, defeating the Dallas Stars 4-1. The match was televised on TSN, TQS in Canada, and ESPN2 in the United States. Guy Carbonneau, who captained the Canadiens from 1989 to 1994, took the ceremonial opening faceoff. Following the game, hockey greats were presented to the crowd, most notably Maurice Richard, who received a sixteen-minute standing ovation as he broke down in tears. A symbolic torch, quoting "To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high" from In Flanders Fields, was carried by Émile Bouchard out of the dressing room. The flame passed to all seven living former captains: Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer, Henri Richard, Serge Savard, Bob Gainey, Carbonneau, and finally then-captain Pierre Turgeon. The next day, a parade moved the torch to the Molson Centre for the team's first game there against the New York Rangers.

Reader's Guide

While hosting the Canadiens and Maroons on Thursdays and Saturdays, the Forum also hosted the Quebec Senior Hockey League, featuring the Montreal Victorias, Montreal Royals and the Montreal Canadiens amateur team on Wednesdays and Sundays. The Quebec Junior Hockey League played on Monday nights, the Bank League on Tuesdays, and the Railways and Telephone League played on Friday nights. The Montreal Forum hosted Memorial Cup games in 1950, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973 & 1976, with the Junior Canadiens winning on home ice in 1970. In 1972, the Forum hosted game one of the famous "Summit Series" between Team Canada and the USSR; the USSR won the game 7-3. The 1980 NHL entry draft was hosted at the Forum. It would mark the first time that an NHL Arena hosted the event. The Forum hosted the Stanley Cup Final in 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1989, and 1993. Only two visiting teams have won the Stanley Cup on Forum ice. The New York Rangers accomplished this in 1928 against the Maroons and the Calgary Flames defeated the Canadiens in 1989. On March 11, 1996, the Montreal Canadiens played their last game at the Montreal Forum, defeating the Dallas Stars 4-1. The game was televised on TSN and TQS in Canada and on ESPN2 in the United States. The Stars' Guy Carbonneau, who had captained the Canadiens from 1989 to 1994 (including their 1993 Cup win), took the ceremonial opening faceoff. After the game, many previous hockey greats were presented to the crowd, most notably Maurice Richard, who received a sixteen-minute standing ovation from the crowd as he broke down in tears. A symbolic torch—representative of a line quoted from the poem In Flanders Fields, "To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high," displayed in the Forum's home dressing room—was carried by Émile Bouchard out of the Canadiens dressing room to the playing surface. The flaming torch was passed on to all seven of living former Canadiens captains (Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer, Henri Richard, Serge Savard, Bob Gainey, and Carbonneau) and finally to the then-current captain Pierre Turgeon. The next day, a parade was organized in which the torch was carried down the route to the Molson Centre (which has since been renamed the Bell Centre). Thei

Did You Know?

• The Forum was built in 159 days.
• 15 Stanley Cup championships were clinched or presented on its ice: 12 for the Canadiens, 1 for the Maroons, 1 for the New York Rangers, and 1 for the Calgary Flames.
• The Forum hosted the 1972 Summit Series game one, where the USSR defeated Team Canada 7-3.
• The Forum was a venue for five events at the 1976 Summer Olympics, including gymnastics where Nadia Comaneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history.
• The Forum's siren was re-installed in the Bell Centre and is still in use.

Founding and Early Identity

The idea to build the Forum in 1923 is credited to Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. At the suggestion of Senator Donat Raymond, William Northey developed a plan for a 12,500-seat capacity rink. Plans were scaled back for financial reasons to a rink of 9,300 seats. Even at the reduced size, the rink could not immediately find financing. The Forum would eventually be financed by H. L. Timmins. The site selected was the site of a roller skating rink named the Forum, and the name was kept. The site had previously been the site of an outdoor ice hockey rink, used by Frank and Lester Patrick, Art Ross and Russell Bowie as youths.

Dynastic Eras and Record-Breaking Success

Fifteen Stanley Cup championships were clinched or presented on its ice: twelve for the Canadiens and one for the Maroons (for whom the arena was built initially); one each for the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. The only visiting teams to win the Stanley Cup on Forum ice were the New York Rangers in 1928 against the Maroons and the Calgary Flames defeating the Canadiens in 1989.

The Montreal Forum Era

The Forum hosted the Stanley Cup Final in 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1989, and 1993. It also hosted Memorial Cup games in 1950, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973 & 1976, with the Junior Canadiens winning on home ice in 1970. In 1972, it hosted game one of the Summit Series between Team Canada and the USSR; the USSR won 7-3. The 1980 NHL entry draft was hosted at the Forum, marking the first time an NHL Arena hosted the event.

Modern Challenges and Financial Resilience

After the Canadiens left in 1996, the building was used to film arena sequences for the Brian De Palma film Snake Eyes. It was then completely gutted and converted into a downtown entertainment centre called the Pepsi Forum, consisting of an AMC Theatres multiplex theatre (sold to Cineplex Odeon in July 2012), shops and restaurants. A Rainforest Cafe was planned but never built. The site hosted five events in the 1976 Summer Olympics: gymnastics, handball (final), basketball (final), volleyball (final), and boxing (final). The gymnastics event included Nadia Comaneci's famous perfect 10.