Canada Life Centre (formerly MTS Centre and Bell MTS Place) is an
indoor arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
in
downtown Winnipeg
Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the seat of Manitoba's provincial government, a ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
. The arena is the home of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
and their
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
affiliate, the
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets o ...
.
The arena stands on the former
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...
site and is owned and operated by
True North Sports & Entertainment
True North Sports and Entertainment Limited (TNSE or TNS&E) is a Canadian company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that owns and operates Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. The company also ow ...
. The 440,000 square feet
(41,000 m
2) building was constructed at a cost of $133.5 million
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
. It opened on November 16, 2004, replacing the since-demolished
Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located in the Polo Park district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The arena was the city's premier ice hockey venue from 1955 to 2004 and is best remembered as the home of the first Winnipeg Jets franchise, whic ...
. It has a capacity of 15,321 for
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
and 16,345 for concerts.
History
With the bankruptcy of the iconic
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...
retailer, the famed store that was originally constructed in Winnipeg was emptied in late 2001.
Various alternative uses for the building (including residential condominiums) were suggested, but ultimately the arena was deemed to be the most viable and beneficial to the city's struggling downtown by Winnipeg Mayor
Glen Murray and True North.
After a small, but emotional resistance to losing the Western Canadian landmark Eaton's building by some locals and the Save the Eaton's Coalition, which inspired a "group hug" of the "Big Store" by a reported 180 people in 2001, the store was demolished in 2002 to make way for the new entertainment complex.
The arena officially opened on November 16, 2004, replacing the aging
Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located in the Polo Park district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The arena was the city's premier ice hockey venue from 1955 to 2004 and is best remembered as the home of the first Winnipeg Jets franchise, whic ...
, which had been in operation since 1955. In recognizing Eaton's history, red bricks were incorporated into the design of the arena façade, evoking the memory of their store that had once graced Portage Avenue. An original store window and Tyndall stone surround is mounted in the arena concourse to house a collection of Eaton's memorabilia. In addition, two war memorials were incorporated into the building.
The
Timothy Eaton statue
There are two castings of the well-known statue of Timothy Eaton, the famous Canadian retailer: one in Toronto, Ontario (), the other in Winnipeg, Manitoba ().
History
In 1919, employees of the Eaton's department store presented the Eaton fam ...
that was once a main feature of the store is also housed on the concourse of the arena, one floor directly above where it stood on the ground floor of the original Eaton's building.
Originally known as the "True North Centre" during its planning and construction stages, it was named MTS Centre as part of a
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
agreement with
Manitoba Telecom Services
Bell MTS Inc. (formerly Manitoba Telecom Services) is a subsidiary of BCE Inc. that operates telecommunications services in Manitoba.
Originally established as Manitoba Government Telephones after the Government of Manitoba purchased the Manito ...
(MTS). It was renamed Bell MTS Place on May 30, 2017 following
Bell Canada
Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in t ...
's acquisition of MTS.
On June 15, 2021, True North announced that the naming rights had been sold to
Canada Life
The Canada Life Assurance Company, commonly known as Canada Life, is an insurance and financial services company with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The current company is the result of the 2020 amalgamation of The Great-West Life Assura ...
under a 10-year agreement.
Events
Ice hockey
American Hockey League
![Manitobamoosegame](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Manitobamoosegame.jpg)
The AHL's
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets o ...
were the arena's first tenant, from its opening in 2004 to 2011.
The team relocated to
St. John's prior to the
2011–12 AHL season
The 2011–12 AHL season was the 76th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 7, 2011, and concluded on April 15, 2012. The 2012 Calder Cup playoffs follows the conclusion of the regular season.
Regular season
...
to make way for the arrival of the Winnipeg Jets. The Moose returned to the MTS Centre for the
2015–16 season, making the arena the first (together with the
SAP Center at San Jose
The SAP Center at San Jose (originally known as San Jose Arena and the HP Pavilion at San Jose) is an indoor arena located in San Jose, California. Its primary tenant is the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, for which the arena has ...
) to be home to both an NHL team and its AHL affiliate.
Only the lower bowl, which has a capacity of 8,812, is used for the majority of Moose home games.
The arena hosted the
AHL All-Star Classic
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...
on February 1, 2006, in which Team Canada defeated Team PlanetUSA, 9-4.
National Hockey League
From 1972 to 1996, the original
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
played home games out of the now-demolished Winnipeg Arena. Facing mounting financial troubles, the franchise relocated to
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
after the
1995–96 NHL season and became the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
(now Arizona Coyotes).
![Winnipeg Jets first home victory celebration](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Winnipeg_Jets_first_home_victory_celebration.jpg)
The idea of Winnipeg one day returning to the NHL gained momentum after the MTS Centre opened.
David Thomson and
Mark Chipman
Mark Chipman, (born 1960) is a Canadian hockey executive, businessman, and lawyer. Chipman is best known as the chairman of True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and Canada Life Centre in W ...
were floated as potential owners of an NHL team, although many questions were raised about the MTS Centre's potential suitability as an NHL venue. The arena's capacity was well below that of the next-smallest NHL arena at that time, the
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, east of New York City. The Long Island venue is approximately east of the eastern limits of the New York City Borough of ...
, which sat 16,170 but lacked modern design elements. Chipman stated that the arena's current size was sufficient for an NHL team due to the unique economics of the local market.
Prior to receiving an NHL team, the MTS Centre hosted several NHL preseason games. The first was held on September 17, 2006 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Phoenix Coyotes (the former Winnipeg Jets) in front of a sold-out crowd, which the Oilers won 5–0. The NHL exhibition game became an annual event for the MTS Centre, concluding in September 2010 when the defending Stanley Cup champions, the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
, led by captain and Winnipeg-born
Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Bryan Toews ( ; born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Captain Serious", Toews was selected by the Blackhawks with the t ...
, played the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in front of a crowd of 14,092.'
On May 19, 2011, ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' reported that Mark Chipman and True North were finalizing the purchase of the
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...
, with the intent of moving the team to Winnipeg. Chipman and True North had also floated a proposal to return the Coyotes to Winnipeg though this was declined in favor to keeping it in Phoenix.
Twelve days later, True North chairman
Mark Chipman
Mark Chipman, (born 1960) is a Canadian hockey executive, businessman, and lawyer. Chipman is best known as the chairman of True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and Canada Life Centre in W ...
,
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is an American sports executive who serves as the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice president and general cou ...
, and
Premier of Manitoba
The premier of Manitoba (french: premier ministre du Manitoba) is the first minister (i.e., head of government or chief executive) for the Canadian province of Manitoba—as well as the ''de facto'' President of the province's Executive Council ...
Greg Selinger
Gregory Francis Selinger (born February 16, 1951) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 21st premier of Manitoba from 2009 until 2016, leading an NDP government. From 1999 to 2009 he was the Minister of Finance in the government of ...
held a press conference at the MTS Centre to announce the deal, which was formally approved by the NHL Board of Governors three weeks later. As part of the transition to the NHL, the arena went through some minor renovations to bring it in line with the league's standards, including construction of additional press boxes, shuttered lighting, flexible rink glass, and an upgraded ice refrigeration system. Further improvements were made over the next few years, including concourse improvements, installation of a new
HD scoreboard, and the replacement of metal rails with plexiglass to eliminate obstructed views around the arena. A total of 278 premium seats were added to the upper level in 2015, slightly increasing the arena's capacity.
With a capacity of just over 15,300 for NHL games, Canada Life Centre is the second smallest arena in the NHL, holding over 10,000 more fans than the
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
Mullett Arena
Mullett Arena (originally ASU Multi-Purpose Arena) is an indoor multipurpose arena at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
The 5,000-seat arena is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey, men's ice hockey, Arizona State ...
.
International
Canada Life Centre co-hosted the
2007 IIHF Women's World Championship
The 2007 IIHF Women's World Championships were held from April 3 to 10, 2007 in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. There were no championships in 2006 due to the Torino Olympic tournament. Games were played at the MTS Centre and Selkirk Re ...
with
Selkirk, which was won by Canada. Other international matches hosted at the arena included
2005 World Junior Championship pretournament games, the fifth game of the
2007 Super Series
The 2007 Super Series (russian: Суперсерия 2007; french: 2007 Super Série) was an eight-game Under-20 ice hockey challenge between Russia and Canada. The series was won by Canada, who shocked the Russians with seven wins and one tie ...
between
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, and the medal round of the
2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge was an ice hockey tournament held in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada between December 29, 2010 and January 4, 2011. The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is held by Hockey Canada annually to ...
.
Curling
Canada Life Centre hosted the
2008 Tim Hortons Brier
The 2008 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's men's curling championship, was held from March 8 to 16 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Skipped by Kevin Martin, Alberta defeated the defending champion, and reigning World Champion Glenn Howard and ...
. From 2005 through 2010 (barring the
2007–08 edition that was held in Quebec City), the arena hosted the
Grand Slam of Curling
The Grand Slam of Curling (branded as the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling for sponsorship reasons) is a series of curling bonspiels that are a part of the annual World Curling Tour. Grand Slam events offer a purse of at least CAD$100,000, and f ...
's
Canadian Open.
Combat sports
On June 15, 2013, the arena hosted
UFC 161
''UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 15, 2013, at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Background
While the UFC has hosted several events in the past in Canada, the event was the first that the org ...
.
In
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
, it hosted a broadcast of ''
WWE Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television show, television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET on the USA Networ ...
'' on February 24, 2020, which was ultimately the final non-hockey event to be held at the arena before the implementation of
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
restrictions.
''
WWE SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'' will broadcast from Canada Life Centre on September 30, 2022, as part of WWE's first shows in Canada since the beginning of the pandemic.
Entertainment
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum
See also
*
List of indoor arenas in Canada
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Basketball venues in Canada
Curling venues in Canada
Indoor arenas in Manitoba
Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada
Manitoba Moose
National Hockey League venues
Music venues completed in 2004
Music venues in Winnipeg
Sports venues completed in 2004
Sports venues in Winnipeg
True North Sports & Entertainment
Volleyball venues in Canada
Winnipeg Jets
American Hockey League venues