Mount Royal Arena stood at the corner of Mount Royal Avenue and St. Urbain Street in Montreal, Quebec, built in a hurry after the Canadiens’ previous rink, the Jubilee Arena, burned down in the summer of 1919. Construction moved quickly, and the building opened its doors, still partly unfinished, on January 10, 1920, for a game that saw the Montreal Canadiens defeat Toronto 14-7.
For six seasons the arena served as the Canadiens’ home before the team moved on to the newly built Montreal Forum in 1926. The club had already cycled through earlier rinks, including the Jubilee Arena and the Montreal Arena in Westmount, but Mount Royal Arena’s natural ice, with no mechanical refrigeration, left it prone to an uneven surface that contributed to the Canadiens’ eventual departure. The building outlived its hockey days by decades, serving later as an auditorium and commercial space, until it was destroyed by fire on February 29, 2000.
- Montreal Canadiens played here 1920–1926. See every Canadiens arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Montreal Canadiens (1920-1926)
- Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Opened: January 10, 1920
- Closed: Destroyed by fire, February 29, 2000
- Capacity: About 6,000 seated, up to 10,000 with standing room
- Ice Surface: Natural ice, not mechanically refrigerated
Home Ice for the Canadiens
Mount Royal Arena opened as a hurried replacement after the Jubilee Arena fire and quickly became the Canadiens’ base of operations. A balcony partially collapsed just a week after opening, prompting police to cap ticket sales at 6,500, but the rink carried on as the club’s home through six NHL seasons. Its natural ice surface was notoriously uneven, and by 1926 the Canadiens had moved to the better-equipped Montreal Forum, which featured artificial ice.
Life After Hockey
After the Canadiens left, the building found a second act as an auditorium, hosting events that included performances by opera singer Enrico Caruso and a 1937 speech by physician Norman Bethune on the Spanish Civil War. It was later converted again for commercial use. The arena’s story ended on February 29, 2000, when a fire destroyed the structure; a Maxi supermarket now occupies the site.
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Mount Royal Arena FAQs
What NHL team played at Mount Royal Arena?
The Montreal Canadiens played at Mount Royal Arena from its opening in January 1920 until 1926, when they moved to the newly built Montreal Forum.
Was Mount Royal Arena the Canadiens’ first rink?
No. The Canadiens had already played at the Jubilee Arena and the Montreal Arena in Westmount before Mount Royal Arena was built to replace the Jubilee Arena after it burned down in 1919.
What happened to Mount Royal Arena?
After its hockey years it became an auditorium and later a commercial building. The structure was destroyed by fire on February 29, 2000, and the site is now occupied by a Maxi supermarket.
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