Mary Brown's Centre (formerly Mile One Centre) is an indoor arena and entertainment venue located in
downtown St. John's
Downtown St. John's is the historic core, and central business district of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located north of St. John's harbour, it is the business, entertainment, and tourism centre with office buildings, hotels, r ...
,
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, Canada. The arena opened in May 2001, replacing
Memorial Stadium. At full capacity the arena can seat 7,000 people.
The arena is the home of the
Newfoundland Growlers of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
, and the Newfoundland Rogues of the
TBL.
Naming rights
During construction, the City of St. John's sold the
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 ...
to
brewing company Molson under a 10-year deal valued at $1.5 million. The agreement would have also included rights to be the venue's exclusive beer supplier. Molson then resold the naming rights to
Danny Williams, then-owner of
Cable Atlantic, for $600,000. Before the arena opened, however, Williams sold Cable Atlantic to
Rogers Communications in order to pursue politics, but retained the naming rights personally. Ultimately Williams chose to name the arena Mile One Centre, based on St. John's being the easternmost city in Canada.
On October 14, 2021, it was announced that the naming rights to the arena had been bought by the Newfoundland-originated
fried chicken
Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...
restaurant chain
Mary Brown's
Mary Brown's Chicken, also known as Mary Brown's, is a Canadian fast food restaurant with approximately 200 locations coast-to-coast across Canada. The chain specializes in fried chicken and fried plant-based chicken substitute dinners, inclu ...
; it was rebranded as Mary Brown's Centre on November 5, 2021.
Sports
Hockey
![AHL (12491532913)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/AHL_%2812491532913%29.jpg)
The building was originally home to the
St. John's Maple Leafs
The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was a ...
of the
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 ...
. The Leafs played out of the centre from 2001 to 2005 before relocating to
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
to become the
Toronto Marlies.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) stated that the relocation was necessary to better monitor prospects for the co-owned
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
.
The Dobbin family were granted an expansion
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
(QMJHL) franchise in 2004 to be later named the
St. John's Fog Devils
The St. John's Fog Devils were a junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Division of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 2005 to 2008. They were based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and played at Mile One Centre. ...
. The Fog Devils began playing at Mile One Centre in 2005. However, the Fog Devils would relocate to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, after three seasons in St. John's to become the
Montreal Junior Hockey Club
The Montreal Junior Hockey Club ('' French: Le Club de Hockey Junior de Montréal'') was a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team was based out of the Verdun Auditorium, in Verdun, Quebec, Canada. The S ...
. Many reasons were attributed to the Fog Devils' demise including lack of fan support, a poor lease agreement and high travel costs. The Fog Devils' departure left Mile One Centre without a major tenant for the first time since the building opened.
Professional hockey returned to St. John's in 2011 when
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
-based
True North Sports and Entertainment announced a lease agreement with former Newfoundland and Labrador premier
Danny Williams that saw their AHL franchise (formerly known as 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 ...
) relocated to the Mile One Centre. The
St. John's IceCaps
The St. John's IceCaps were a professional ice hockey team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They were members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was originally aff ...
played their inaugural season in 2011–12 and as the minor league affiliate of True North's
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 ...
team, the
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 ...
. In honour of this development, the
Kraft Hockeyville pre-season game between the Jets and the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
(which was originally to be held in
Conception Bay
Conception Bay (CB) is a bay on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The population (in 2011) of people living in municipalities (or unincorporated census subdivisions) located along the coast of Conception Bay was 90,490 making it on ...
when announced as it was prior to the relocation 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 ...
to become the Jets, causing the Moose to become the IceCaps) was moved to the Mile One Centre.
In March 2015, it was announced that the Jets would move their AHL team from St. John's back to Winnipeg as the Moose in 2015–16. The IceCaps' organization was then able to get the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
' AHL team, the
Hamilton Bulldogs, to relocate to St. John's for the start of the 2015–16 season, retaining the IceCaps name. However, this was only a temporary move while the Canadiens built a rink for their AHL team in
Laval, Quebec. In 2017, the Canadiens-owned franchise left and became the
Laval Rocket
The Laval Rocket (french: Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) as an affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens. Based in Laval, Quebec, Canada, the Rocket play th ...
.
In 2018, after a year without a hockey tenant at Mile One, St. John's was granted an
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
expansion team with the
Newfoundland Growlers. The Growlers won the
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...
championship in their inaugural season. On October 27, 2021, the Growlers were evicted from the arena citing workplace misconduct by the ownership of the team, Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE), and the Growlers had to play their first six home games of the 2021–22 season in nearby
Conception Bay South
Conception Bay South is a town located on the southern shore of Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is commonly called C.B.S. Concepti ...
. The city and DSE came to an agreement for the team to return in November 2021.
Basketball
After long negotiations, the arena became the home to the
St. John's Edge of the
National Basketball League of Canada beginning with the 2017–18 season bringing professional basketball to St. John's. On July 15, 2021, the St. John's Edge were removed from Mile One when the city did not renew the lease with the team to play in the arena, opting to grant a lease to a different ownership group with an
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
franchise.
Other sporting events
The arena hosts the annual
Herder Memorial Trophy tournament, the largest hockey tournament in the province. It hosted the
2002 AHL All-Star Game and the
2014 AHL All-Star Game in which the AHL All-Stars faced
Färjestad BK of the
Swedish Hockey League
The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...
.
On September 22, 2014, Mile One Centre held two split squad preseason games for the Ottawa Senators vs. the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
. New York won both games 3–2, the latter game on a shootout. The Senators faced the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
at Mile One for another preseason game on September 27, 2015.
A
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
exhibition game between the
Toronto Raptors and the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
in 2003, was cancelled on game night due to an excess of condensation built up on the playing surface due to the inside temperature.
LeBron James was on hand as it was a scheduled preseason game of his rookie season.
Other hosted sporting events include:
*
2004 World U-17 Hockey Challenge
The 2004 World U-17 Hockey Challenge was an international ice hockey tournament held in Newfoundland, Canada between . The two main venues were the Mile One Stadium in St. John's and the Glacier Arena in Mount Pearl, while the S. W. Moores Are ...
*
2005 Skate Canada International
The 2005 Skate Canada International was the second event of six in the 2005–06 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Mile One Stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland and La ...
*
2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts
The 2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's curling championship, was held at Mile One Stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador from February 19 to 27, 2005. The tournament included 12 teams, one from each of Canada's provi ...
* 2008 5th World Junior Street & Ball Hockey Championship
* During the 2010-2011 hockey season,
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...
used the arena as host venue for the
Four Nations Cup and the
Telus Cup
The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada.
The current champions are the Monct ...
.
The arena hosted the
2017 Tim Hortons Brier
The 2017 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 4–12, 2017 at the Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
This marked the second time the Brier was hosted by St. John's, the first ...
, the Canadian men's
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...
championship.
Other events
The
2002 Juno Awards
The Juno Awards of 2002 were presented in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada during the weekend of 13–14 April 2002.
Nominations were announced 11 February 2002 at a news conference hosted by Mike Bullard. Awards for the secondary ...
were presented at Mary Brown's Centre on April 14, 2002, marking the first time the presentation had been hosted outside of Ontario or British Columbia. The arena subsequently hosted the
2010 Juno Awards
The Juno Awards of 2010 honoured music industry achievements in Canada for the latter part of 2008 and for most of 2009. These ceremonies were in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada during the weekend ending 18 April 2010. Primary cerem ...
.
Mary Brown's Centre was the main venue for the third annual
Avalon Expo
Avalon Expo Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, Comic, Pop-Culture Convention, commonly known as AvEx, was founded in 2015. It began as an annual weekend event held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in Atlantic ...
sci-fi/comics/pop-culture convention on August 25–27, 2017.
The first musical act to play at Mile One Centre was
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
*Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of albums ...
in 2001. Over the years the venue has hosted many concerts, including:
Nickelback,
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
,
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...
,
BB King,
Our Lady Peace,
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...
,
Bryan Adams,
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...
,
Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, a ...
,
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...
,
Billy Talent
Billy Talent is a Canadian Rock music, rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. There have been no lineup change ...
,
Simple Plan
Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 1999. The band's lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm guita ...
,
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
,
Feist,
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
,
Ludacris,
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
,
Bachman & Turner
Bachman & Turner was a musical project formed by Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, which followed the dissolution of Bachman–Turner Overdrive.
Band history
The collaboration started out as a Randy Bachman solo project, but Bachman decided to try t ...
,
Celtic Thunder
Celtic Thunder is an Irish singing group and stage show known for its eclectic, theatrical style show. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic set pieces (of ...
,
Leonard Cohen,
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
,
Tegan and Sara,
Sarah McLachlan,
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
,
Hedley,
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
, and
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
.
References
External links
Mile One Centre official site
{{Authority control
2001 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador
Ice hockey venues in Newfoundland and Labrador
Basketball venues in Canada
Indoor arenas in Newfoundland and Labrador
Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada
National Basketball League of Canada arenas
Newfoundland Growlers
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League arenas
Sports venues in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's IceCaps
St. John's Maple Leafs
St. John's Edge
Sports venues completed in 2001