 | |
 Exterior view from Cnr Rue Lucien-Paiement & Rue Claude-Gagné in November 2019 | |
 Interactive map of Place Bell | |
| Address | 1950 Rue Claude-Gagné |
|---|---|
| Location | Laval, Quebec |
| Coordinates | 45°33′21″N73°43′18″W / 45.5558°N 73.7218°W /45.5558; -73.7218 |
| Public transit | |
| Owner | City of Laval |
| Operator | Evenko and Harden |
| Capacity | Main arena: 10,062 Arena 2: 2,500 Arena 3: 500 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2017; 8 years ago (2017) |
| Construction cost | $200 million |
| Architect | Lemay |
| Tenants | |
| Laval Rocket (AHL) (2017–present) Les Canadiennes de Montreal (CWHL) (2018–2019) Montreal Victoire (PWHL) (2024–present) | |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
Place Bell is a multi-purpose arena inLaval,Quebec, Canada. The complex includes a 10,062-seat main arena, which is the home of theLaval Rocket of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL), and two smaller community ice rinks, one of which has Olympic-size ice. The arena was also home toLes Canadiennes de Montréal for the final season of play in theCanadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). The arena hosted select games forMontréal Victoire of theProfessional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) during the inaugural2023–24 season, and became their permanent home for the2024-25 season.[1]
Then-mayor of Laval,Gilles Vaillancourt, announced the project on February 13, 2012.[2] The facility is managed byEvenko, the same company that operates theBell Centre inMontreal, home of theNational Hockey League'sMontreal Canadiens. As in the case of the Bell Centre, the naming rights for the Laval arena were acquired byBell Canada.[3] The cost of the project roughly doubled after it was first announced. Originally announced 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 be $200 million, because of costs not factored by the previous administration. TheGovernment 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]
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 theMontmorency station of theMontreal MetroOrange Line.[6] Construction started in late 2014 and was completed in 2017.[6][7]
On July 11, 2016, the Montreal Canadiens announced that its AHL affiliate, then known as theSt. John's IceCaps, would relocate to Place Bell in 2017.[8] On September 8, 2016, the Canadiens announced that the team would be named the Laval Rocket.[9] The Rocket hosted their inaugural game at the arena on October 6, 2017, defeating theBelleville Senators by a score of 3–0.[10] Canadiens ownerGeoff Molson and team legendGuy Lafleur both took part in the pre-game ceremonial puck drop;Daniel Audette scored the franchise's first goal, whileCharlie Lindgren recorded the shutout.[10] The Rocket's first home playoff game took place on May 12, 2022; the Rocket defeated theSyracuse Crunch by a score of 4–1.[11]
In 2020, it was announced that Place Bell would host the 2022AHL All-Star game.[12] The 2022 game was ultimately cancelled, and Place Bell hosted the 2023 game on February 6, 2023, instead.[13]
On September 20, 2018, it was announced that the Les Canadiennes de Montréal of the CWHL would be moving to the arena from theComplexe sportif Claude-Robillard, playing both in the main arena and the community rink.[14] Les Canadiennes also moved their daily operations and training camp into the complex. The team played one season at Place Bell before the league and team ceased operations following the2018–19 season. In their lone season at Place Bell, Les Canadiennes advanced to theClarkson Cup final by defeating theMarkham Thunder in the semi-final at Place Bell; they lost the championship final to theCalgary Inferno.[15][16]
In 2022, Place Bell began hostingNCAA basketball, including the annualNorthern ClassicDivision I tournament, which takes place each November.[17][18] The 2023 event featured six Division I teams.[19]
In 2023, it was announced that Montréal Victoire of the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) would host select2023–24 games at Place Bell, with the majority of its home games hosted atVerdun Auditorium.[20] The first game at Place Bell took place on January 16, 2024, with Montréal defeating visitingNew York Sirens by a score of 3–2.[21]
Following a partnership between Canadiens ownership and the owners of theBrooklyn Nets, the arena would host a series ofNBA G League home games for Brooklyn's affiliate theLong Island Nets beginning in the 2025 season; notably, for these games the G League Nets wear special home uniforms branding the team asLes Nets Montreal as a secondary name.[22][23]
| Team | League | Since | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laval Rocket | American Hockey League | 2017 | 0 |
| Montréal Victoire | Professional Women's Hockey League | 2023 | 0 |
| McGill Redbirds | Ontario University Athletics | 2024 | 1 |
| McGill Martlets | Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec | 2024 | 4 |
| Team | League | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Les Canadiennes de Montréal | Canadian Women's Hockey League | 2018–19 |
