Halifax Metro Centre
Encyclopedia
The Halifax Metro Centre was built in 1978, in downtown
Halifax
, Nova Scotia
, Canada
. The building is next to the World Trade and Convention Centre
, at the foot of Citadel Hill. It is the largest arena in Halifax. It originally featured a full ring of bright orange seats around the playing surface, which is known as the "lower bowl". It also has an incomplete "upper bowl" on each side of the arena facing rink-side (court-side) with seats of the same colour. In the mid to late 1990s, there were numerous renovations to the arena, including the addition of forty-three SkyBoxes
and eleven "Executive Suites". The addition of the SkyBoxes has since partially obscured views for people sitting high up in the upper bowl. These boxes do not cut off views of the events, but more cut off views of the rest of the seating area. Before the 2002–03 ice hockey season, in preparation for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, a new scoreboard and "SilverVision" LED
screens were added. The arena concourses feature photographs of the various events that have taken place at the Metro Centre, with one side featuring entertainment events and the other featuring sporting events (including professional wrestling). It currently has a seating capacity
of 10,595 for ice hockey
. The building is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link
system.
The arena is built into the ground to compensate for the steep elevation of the land it occupies. One can see cars at street level, outside, while watching an event. It is sometimes referred to as the "MC".
In recent years there has been some talk of a possible new, larger arena to be built sometime in the next few years. It would likely have a seating capacity of over 15,000 for hockey games. In December 2007, an Ozzy Osbourne
concert sold out in nine minutes, setting a box office ticket record for the Metro Centre. In July 2008, the Metro Centre also set a record sell-out (25,000 tickets sold in forty minutes), for two back-to-back Elton John
concerts held in late September 2008.
Downtown Halifax
Downtown Halifax is the city centre of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern-central portion of the Halifax Peninsula, on Halifax Harbour, it serves as the business, entertainment, and tourism hub of the region.- Municipal:...
Halifax
Metropolitan Halifax
Metropolitan Halifax , often referred to as Metro Halifax, or Halifax, is the urban part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, a regional municipality that covers a large area of Nova Scotia, including rural areas...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The building is next to the World Trade and Convention Centre
World Trade and Convention Centre
The World Trade and Convention Centre is a convention centre/office complex in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is adjacent to the Halifax Metro Centre....
, at the foot of Citadel Hill. It is the largest arena in Halifax. It originally featured a full ring of bright orange seats around the playing surface, which is known as the "lower bowl". It also has an incomplete "upper bowl" on each side of the arena facing rink-side (court-side) with seats of the same colour. In the mid to late 1990s, there were numerous renovations to the arena, including the addition of forty-three SkyBoxes
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
and eleven "Executive Suites". The addition of the SkyBoxes has since partially obscured views for people sitting high up in the upper bowl. These boxes do not cut off views of the events, but more cut off views of the rest of the seating area. Before the 2002–03 ice hockey season, in preparation for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, a new scoreboard and "SilverVision" LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
screens were added. The arena concourses feature photographs of the various events that have taken place at the Metro Centre, with one side featuring entertainment events and the other featuring sporting events (including professional wrestling). It currently has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 10,595 for ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
. The building is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link
Downtown Halifax Link
The Downtown Halifax Link system is similar to Toronto's PATH or Montreal's RÉSO system, but on a much smaller scale. It consists of a network of climate-controlled pedways connecting various office buildings, hotels, parkades, and entertainment venues around downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada...
system.
The arena is built into the ground to compensate for the steep elevation of the land it occupies. One can see cars at street level, outside, while watching an event. It is sometimes referred to as the "MC".
In recent years there has been some talk of a possible new, larger arena to be built sometime in the next few years. It would likely have a seating capacity of over 15,000 for hockey games. In December 2007, an Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
concert sold out in nine minutes, setting a box office ticket record for the Metro Centre. In July 2008, the Metro Centre also set a record sell-out (25,000 tickets sold in forty minutes), for two back-to-back Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
concerts held in late September 2008.
Notable events
- 1978 – Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
, first opening concert. - 1979 – Billy Graham CrusadeBilly GrahamWilliam Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
. - 1979 – The first ever Royal Nova Scotia International TattooRoyal Nova Scotia International Tattoo-Background:The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is a show inspired by Military Tattoos given by military bands and display teams. It has taken place annually in Nova Scotia's capital, Halifax since 1979. It is the largest annual indoor show in the world. It is currently held in the Halifax...
. - 1984 – Twisted SisterTwisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
/Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six... - 1988 – Guns N' RosesGuns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
/ Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six... - 1989 – Motorhead/ Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
- 1981, 1995, 20032003 Nokia BrierThe 2003 Nokia Brier was held at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia from March 1-9. The defending champion, Randy Ferbey and his team from Alberta were the winners, winning their third Brier in a row. At the Worlds they went on to represent Canada and win the gold medal.Final...
BriersTim Hortons BrierThe Tim Hortons Brier, or simply the Brier, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association . The current event name refers to its main sponsor, the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut shop chain.The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during...
Canadian Men's Curling Championship. - 1990 – World Figure Skating ChampionshipsWorld Figure Skating ChampionshipsThe World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
. - 1992 – Scott Tournament of Hearts.
- 1992 – WBL World Basketball LeagueWorld Basketball LeagueWorld Basketball League was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1988 season. One of the major differences between it and other leagues was that it...
All-Star game. - 1993 – WWE WrestlingWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Superstars television taping. - 1993 – NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
regular season, neutral site game. New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
vs. New Jersey DevilsNew Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. - 1994 – NHL regular season, neutral site game. New York Rangers vs. Washington CapitalsWashington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
. - 1995 – 21st G7 Summit21st G7 summitThe 21st G7 summit was held from June 15 to June 17, 1995 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The venue for this summit meeting was Summit Place in Halifax...
(media centre). - 1995 – 1995 NBA BasketballNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
Exhibition (first Toronto RaptorsToronto RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
game in Canada vs. Philadelphia 76ersPhiladelphia 76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
). - 1996 – Garth BrooksGarth BrooksTroyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
(three sold out shows) - 1997 – Live WWE Wrestling RawWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(television taping). - 2000 – CHLCanadian Hockey LeagueThe Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior ice hockey leagues for players 16 to 20 years of age. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey...
Memorial CupMemorial CupThe Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
. - 2003 – IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships-Group B:All times local .-Relegation round:Results from any games played during the preliminary round were carried forward to the relegation round.All times local ....
. - 2003 – Live WWE WrestlingWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Raw and Smackdown (television tapings).
- 2004 – Franklin Graham East Coast Festival
- 2004 – IIHF Women's World Ice Hockey Championships2004 Women's World Ice Hockey ChampionshipsThe 2004 IIHF World Women's Championships were held March 30-April 6, 2004 in Halifax and Dartmouth, Canada. The Canadian national women's hockey team won their eighth straight World Championships...
. - 2004 – FIBA Under 21 Tournament of the Americas.
- 2005 – Canadian Olympic Curling TrialsCanadian Olympic Curling TrialsThe Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, also known since 2005 as the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, occur every four years, in the year preceding the Winter Olympic games. They are held to determine the men's and women's representative at the following Olympics. The system of qualification for the...
("Roar of the Rings"). - 2006 – Juno AwardJuno AwardThe Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s - 2006 – Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- 2007 – American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball Association (21st century)The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
All-Star game. - 2007 – World Indoor Lacrosse ChampionshipWorld Indoor Lacrosse ChampionshipThe World Indoor Lacrosse Championship is an international box lacrosse tournament that is held every four years an is sponsored by the Federation of International Lacrosse . First held in 2003, the tournament was sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation until 2008, when the ILF became...
- 2007 – CIS UniversityCanadian Interuniversity SportCanadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
Men's Basketball Championship (last time after a twenty-four year run at Metro Centre). - 2008 – Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
(two sold out shows) - 2008 – IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships2008 Men's World Ice Hockey ChampionshipsThe 2008 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 72nd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 48 countries will participate in four levels of competition. The competition will also serve as qualifications for the 2009 competition...
. - 2008 – Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
(two sold out shows) - 2010 Tim Hortons Brier Canadian Men's Curling Championships.
- 2011 Canada Winter Games2011 Canada Winter GamesThe 2011 Canada Winter Games were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia from Friday 11 February 2011 to Sunday 27 February 2011. -Bids:4 bids were made for the games, eventually Halifax was selected to stage the games.*Halifax*Annapolis Valley*Truro, Wentworth and Brookfield with other...
- annual Royal Nova Scotia International TattooRoyal Nova Scotia International Tattoo-Background:The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is a show inspired by Military Tattoos given by military bands and display teams. It has taken place annually in Nova Scotia's capital, Halifax since 1979. It is the largest annual indoor show in the world. It is currently held in the Halifax...
(since 1979). - numerous AUAA / AUSAtlantic University SportAtlantic University Sport is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public and...
Men's Basketball Tournaments. - numerous AUAA Men's Hockey All-Star Games (mid 1990s).
- numerous boxing cards.
- numerous Canadian Figure Skating ChampionshipsCanadian Figure Skating ChampionshipsThe Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...
. - numerous CIAU / CISCanadian Interuniversity SportCanadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
Men's Basketball Tournaments. - numerous Harlem GlobetrotterHarlem GlobetrottersThe Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
games. - numerous NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
preseason games, including the first Toronto RaptorsToronto RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
preseason game in their history. - numerous NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
old-timers games. - numerous Skate CanadaSkate Canada InternationalThe Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's...
events. - numerous Team Canada basketball and hockey games.
- numerous World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) events, including television programming tapings. - numerous East Coast Music Awards
- some scenes from the Trailer Park BoysTrailer Park BoysTrailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
episode "Closer to the Heart", were shot here. - The Metro Centre has hosted concerts with many world-class performers.