Canadian Tire Centre is the NHL arena in Kanata, a suburb about 22 kilometers west of downtown Ottawa, Ontario, where it has served as home ice for the Ottawa Senators since opening in January 1996. Built at a cost of roughly CA$170 million and designed by Rossetti Architects with Murray & Murray Architects, the venue has gone through several corporate names over the decades, opening briefly as The Palladium before becoming the Corel Centre, then Scotiabank Place, and finally Canadian Tire Centre in 2013.
Beyond hosting Senators hockey, the arena has staged major events including Games 3 and 4 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals and the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. It now also welcomes the Ottawa Black Bears of the National Lacrosse League and the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, cementing its role as the region’s primary multi-purpose sports venue while the Senators pursue a planned new downtown arena at LeBreton Flats for the early 2030s.
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Ottawa Senators (NHL); also Ottawa Black Bears (NLL) and Ottawa Charge (PWHL)
- Location: 1000 Palladium Drive, Kanata, Ottawa, Ontario
- Opened: January 15, 1996
- Capacity (hockey): About 18,000, varying by seating configuration
- Capacity (concerts): About 12,000 to 17,000 depending on setup
- Construction cost: Approximately CA$170 million
- Notable fact: Hosted Games 3 and 4 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals and the 2012 NHL All-Star Game
The Game-Day Experience
Fans arriving at Canadian Tire Centre find a four-level bowl built specifically for hockey sightlines, with the lower and club levels wrapping tightly around the ice for an intense atmosphere during Senators games. The arena’s suburban Kanata location, well off downtown Ottawa, means most fans arrive by car or shuttle bus rather than transit, giving the venue a distinct tailgate-style culture compared to many other NHL buildings.
The building has flexed well beyond hockey, hosting NHL playoff hockey at the highest level during the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals run and pulling in the league’s all-stars for the 2012 showcase. Concerts and family shows regularly reconfigure the bowl down to a smaller capacity, letting the venue serve as the National Capital Region’s default arena for touring acts.
A Venue in Transition
Since opening, the arena has changed corporate names four times, reflecting shifting naming-rights deals rather than any change in ownership by Capital Sports Properties Inc. Renovations over the years, including seating adjustments first made in 2017, have gradually trimmed hockey capacity from its original mark toward the current figure of roughly 18,000.
Looking ahead, the Senators organization has signed a land agreement for a new downtown arena at LeBreton Flats, targeted for the early 2030s, which would eventually shift the team’s home away from Kanata. Until then, Canadian Tire Centre remains the club’s base and continues adding tenants, including the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge starting in 2026.
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Canadian Tire Centre FAQs
What NHL team plays at Canadian Tire Centre?
The Ottawa Senators have played their home games at Canadian Tire Centre since the arena opened in January 1996.
What was Canadian Tire Centre originally called?
It opened as The Palladium in January 1996, then was quickly renamed Corel Centre, later Scotiabank Place in 2006, and finally Canadian Tire Centre in 2013.
How many people does Canadian Tire Centre hold?
It holds about 18,000 fans for hockey, with concert capacity ranging from roughly 12,000 to 17,000 depending on the show configuration.
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Photo: Quintin Soloviev / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.