Air Canada Centre

  • Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL ) (since 1999)
  • Toronto Raptors (NBA ) (since 1999)
  • Toronto rock ( NLL ) (since 1999)
  • Toronto Phantoms (AFL ) ( 2001-2002)
  • NHL All-Star Game in 2000
  • NBA All- Star Game in 2016

The Air Canada Centre is a Built in 1999, multi-purpose indoor arena in the Canadian city of Toronto. It is located on Bay Street near the banks of Lake Ontario, near the main train station ( Union Station ), is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.. and named after the airline Air Canada. The hall with a size of 62,000 m², because of their appearance and the name of the sponsor referred to as " The Hangar ", is mainly used as a sports stadium. The Air Canada Centre is the official home game arena of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA ( basketball), the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL (Ice Hockey) and Toronto Rock in the NLL ( lacrosse ). Other cultural events such as concerts and theater performances are held there.

History

The initiative for the construction of the stadium came from John Bitove, owner of the Toronto Raptors basketball team founded in 1995. The Raptors played at the nearby SkyDome (now Rogers Centre ), which was unsuitable for Basketball Games, however. The foundation stone of the aligned to the needs of basketball hall took place on 12 March 1997. Shortly after the start of construction to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment ( MLSE ) involved in the project. MLSE was looking for the Maple Leafs for a replacement for the outdated and outgrown Hockey Hall Maple Leaf Gardens and took over the franchise of the Raptors.

Designed by the architectural firm Brisbin Brook Beynon Air Canada Centre is located on the grounds of a former Canada Post sorting center. The south and east facade of the building remained. Located next to the hall was a 15-storey office tower. Was in the building complex integrated the Best Buy Theatre, a theater hall with 5200 seats. In addition, there is a direct connection to Union Station.

On 19 February 1999, the Air Canada Centre was officially opened. A day later, the first NHL game took place, which won the Maple Leafs against the Canadiens de Montréal. Again, one day later, on 21 February, the first NBA game was played, the Raptors against the Vancouver Grizzlies played. Just two weeks before the official opening, on 6 February, the 50th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the Air Canada Centre. The lacrosse team Toronto rock was in its first home game on December 21, 2000.

The end of 2005 MLSE announced a modernization of the western part of the Air Canada Centre. The hall is to be connected in 2008 with the planned urban development project in Maple Leaf Square. There are plans to invest around 500 million CAD. Planned are two restaurants, a hotel, a shopping center with Fanshops the Raptors, Maple Leafs and the Toronto FC, ​​two residential towers with 54 floors, a TV studio and a public square. The construction work was completed in the fall of 2010 and inaugurated the building complex on October 8, 2010.

The Air Canada Centre was selected by the NBA for the All -Star Game in 2016. Thus, the event will take place for the first time outside the United States.

Gallery

View of Union Station and the Air Canada Centre from the CN Tower from

Duran Duran concert in April 2005

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