Air Canada Centre
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| Air Canada Centre | |
| Facility Statistics | |
| Location | 40 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5J-2N8 |
| Broke Ground | March 12, 1997 |
| Opened | February 19, 1999 |
| Owner | Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment |
| Construction Cost | C$265 million |
| Architect | PCL Constructors Western, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1999-present |
| Toronto Raptors | 1999-present |
| Toronto Rock | 2001-present |
| Toronto Phantoms | 2001-2002 |
| Seating Capacity | |
| 1999 Basketball | 19,800 |
| 1999 Hockey | 18,800 |
| 2001 Lacrosse | 18,800 |
| 1999 Concerts | 19,800 |
| 1999 Theatre | 5,200 |
The Air Canada Centre is an arena at 40 Bay Street, in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and is 665,000 square feet (62,000 m²) in size. It is the official home of the NBA's Toronto Raptors, the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, and the NLL's Toronto Rock. It was also home to the Toronto Phantoms of the Arena Football League during their brief existence.
It is sometimes known as "The Hangar" due to the corporate sponsor of the arena.
History
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Air Canada Centre's groundbreaking was performed in February of 1997. The site was formerly occupied by a postal distribution building; the striking facades of the east and south walls of that structure are retained on those faces of the arena. It was built to replace the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens, which was too small and aged for modern times.
Its opening NHL game was vs. the Montreal Canadiens on February 20, 1999; its opening NBA game was vs. the Vancouver Grizzlies on February 21, 1999.
The first major championship won at the Air Canada Centre was on May 14, 2005, when the Toronto Rock beat the Arizona Sting to win the National Lacrosse League Champion's Cup.
See Also
External links
- The Air Canada Centre (http://www.theaircanadacentre.com/)
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