The Paul Sauvé Arena was an

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

located at 4000 rue Beaubien Est in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, in its

Rosemont Rosemont may refer to: People Rosemont is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * David A. Rosemont, American television producer * Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009), American poet, artist, historian * Norman Rosemont (1924–2018), ...

district. Built in 1960 and demolished in 1992–93, the arena had a capacity of 4,000 people. It was named after

Paul Sauvé Joseph-Mignault-Paul Sauvé (; March 24, 1907 – January 2, 1960) was a Canadian lawyer, World War II veteran, and politician. He was the 17th premier of Quebec in 1959 and 1960. Life Paul Sauvé was born in Saint-Benoit, Quebec, Canada to j ...

(March 24, 1907 – January 2, 1960), a Quebec Premier with the Union Nationale. The arena hosted some of the most important events in modern Quebec political history. It was the site of the

Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (PQ; , ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishi ...

election victory celebrations on November 15, 1976, and on April 13, 1981. Additionally, it was the site of two of the most important moments of the 1980 referendum. On May 14, 1980

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

delivered his "first among equals" speech that was his major contribution to the campaign battle, and

René Lévesque René Lévesque ( ; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to seek, ...

delivered his passionate concession speech on May 20, 1980. The Paul Sauvé Arena was, most popularly, the home to Quebec professional wrestling. In the mid-1960s, Johnny Rougeau and partner Bob Langevin created "Les As de la Lutte" (Wrestling Aces, known in English as All-Star Wrestling) and made the arena its main venue for wrestling shows, which ran from 1965 to 1975; its successor,

Lutte Internationale Lutte Internationale (; "International Wrestling") was a professional wrestling promotion based in Montreal from 1980 until 1987. The promotion was founded by Frank Valois, André the Giant and Gino Brito as Promotions Varoussac (VAlois, ROUSSim ...

, also used the arena as its home base for regular cards from 1980 until it folded in 1987 due to competition from the WWF. The arena was also home to a founding franchise in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

. The

Rosemont National Rosemont may refer to: People Rosemont is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * David A. Rosemont, American television producer * Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009), American poet, artist, historian * Norman Rosemont (1924–2018) ...

played two seasons (from 1969 to 1971, finishing 8th and 9th) before moving to Laval. In the late 1960s the Montreal Canadiens lacrosse team played in the arena, and rock concerts including those performed by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

, and

Eric Burdon and The Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel), are an English rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1962. The A ...

. Finally, boxing was always a big draw, and the arena saw many memorable fights. It also hosted preliminary

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

matches at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

. Before decay, costs and low attendances doomed the arena, it was used for curling hall, and later a bingo hall, a gymnasium, a bowling alley, and trade shows.

References

1976 Summer Olympics official report.
pp. 134–7. Defunct ice hockey venues in Canada Defunct indoor arenas in Canada Venues of the 1976 Summer Olympics Volleyball venues in Canada Sports venues in Montreal History of Montreal Demolished buildings and structures in Montreal Olympic volleyball venues Buildings and structures in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie Boxing venues in Quebec Defunct sports venues in Canada Sports venues completed in 1960 Sports venues demolished in 1993 1960 establishments in Quebec 1996 disestablishments in Quebec Lacrosse venues Demolished sports venues 1960s in Montreal {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub