The Montreal Forum is one of hockey's most storied buildings and a cornerstone venue in Canadian sports history. Opened in 1924, it hosted decades of Canadiens championships and major cultural events before the team moved to Bell Centre in 1996. A full Stadiums.ca profile should treat the Forum as both a venue and a symbol of Montréal hockey identity.

The Montreal Forum is the most successful arena in professional sports history — 24 Stanley Cups for the Canadiens were celebrated under its roof, plus championship runs for the Maroons. Built in just 159 days in 1924 at the corner of Atwater and Sainte-Catherine, it was the centre of Canadian hockey for 72 years.

Today the building is the Forum Pepsi, a downtown entertainment complex — a movie theatre, restaurants and shops — but the original centre-ice seating section is preserved as a memorial, complete with the Canadiens' bench and a row of seats overlooking the polished hardwood.

17,959 historic hockey listing

• Hockey17,959

Historic capacity; building no longer operates as an NHL arena.

• Opened in 1924 for the Montreal Maroons and became the long-time home of the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996.
• Parks Canada identifies the Forum as an important Canadian sport symbol and 20th-century sporting venue.
• Closed to NHL use in 1996 when the Canadiens moved to Molson Centre/Bell Centre.

1. 1924Opens November 29; built in 159 days
2. 1924Maroons (not Canadiens) play first NHL game in the Forum
3. 1926Canadiens move in full-time
4. 1968Major renovation; capacity expanded
5. 1993Canadiens win their 24th Stanley Cup here — last for any Canadian team
6. 1996Canadiens play final game March 11; ghost goal lights and tradition pass to new Molson Centre

Past

• Montréal Canadiens (1926–1996)
• Montréal Maroons (1924–1938)

• 24 Canadiens Stanley Cup championships
• 1972 Summit Series — Game 1 (USSR def. Canada 7-3)
• Multiple Canada Cup finals
• The Rocket Richard Riot (1955)

Preserved centre-ice memorial section inside the entertainment complex. The Centre Bell across town now houses the franchise's daily operations.

Atwater Métro is directly underneath. Walking distance to Westmount and downtown.

Multiplex cinema, AMC theatre, restaurant chains, La Cage. Pilgrimage site for hockey fans.

What to check before you go

• bag policy
• prohibited items
• camera/video rules
• mobile tickets
• cashless payments
• re-entry
• accessibility entrances
• transit and parking
• door times
• food and beverage
• family washrooms
• sensory/accessibility accommodations

No verified attendance entries in our archive yet for Montreal Forum. We only publish crowd figures we can tie to a named source, so this section stays empty rather than showing estimates.

Browse the full archive How we read these numbers

• Understanding the numbersStadium Capacity vs Attendance: Why Figures Can DifferListed capacity, announced attendance and the number of people actually inside a Canadian stadium are three different figures. Here is how to read each one.
• Before you buyHow to Choose Seats at a Canadian Stadium or ArenaA practical framework for picking seats at Canadian venues: sport versus concert sightlines, accessible and companion seating, weather, and where to find the official seating plan.

Last verified May 20, 2026

• en.wikipedia.org
• pc.gc.ca