The Montreal Forum
- David Hegler
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Having hosted 31 Stanley Cup Finals and countless memories in the sport, it's no wonder that the Montreal Forum is regarded as one of the Cathedrals of Hockey. Over the years, it saw the sport at its best and at its worst as its tenants became one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports. This is the story of the Montreal Forum.
The Conception
Despite its immediate popularity, few could have imagined the possibilities when a humble little roller rink opened on the corner of St. Catherine Street and Atwater Avenue in 1908. Still, all 3,000 pairs of roller skates flew off the racks to customers eager to feel the crisp Quebec air blow through their hair.
Two years later, the Montreal Canadiens were born. Playing in the Montreal Arena -just down the road on the corner of St Catherine Street and Wood Avenue- they won their first Stanley Cup just six years later. In many ways, the facility was perfect for that period in the NHL's young history. It could only seat less than half of its 10,000 capacity and brought a communal feel to the team each night.
But alas, the Montreal Arena burned down on the second day of 1918, with the blaze taking with it everything in sight, including jerseys and gear. It was a total loss. to make matters worse, the Canadiens had shared the Montreal Arena with the Wanderers who had won four championships between 1906 and 1910. Although no one died, when the boilers exploded in the Montreal Arena, it took the Wanderers with it. So the Canadiens regrouped and moved into the 3,200 seat Jubilee Arena which subsequently burned down in April 1919, sending the Canadiens scrambling for a place to stay once again.
Shortly thereafter, they moved into the recently opened Mount Royal Arena. It looked promising with 6,000 seats and the 10,000 capacity per usual. Still, it lacked ice making machines and featured the worst surface in hockey. Despite the fact that hockey's roots are in outdoor rinks dotting Canada's icy climate, the fact of the matter is that natural ice just isn't good enough.
In 1924, the president of Canadian Pacific Railway, Sir Edward Beatty talked the Canadian Arena Company to build a hockey arena on an old roller rink. By then, the corner of St. Catherine Street and Atwater Avenue had transformed into one of Quebec's most popular outdoor rinks, often attracting the likes of future Hall of Famers Frank and Lester Patrick, Art Ross and Russell Bowie.
While the new arena was supposed to be a gigantic 12,500 seat monstrosity, budget cuts snipped it down to 9,300, still a robust figure for anything that the Canadiens had seem up until then. Backed by $1.5 million Canadian that was mostly funded. by H.L. Timmons, the Montreal Forum was built in a staggering 159 days and opened for business on November 29, 1924 with a 7-1 Maroons victory over the Toronto St. Pats. The best was yet to come.
The Glory Years
In those early years, the Montreal Forum had a unique schedule. Not only did it host the Maroons on Thursdays and Fridays, but it also hosted the Quebec Senior Hockey League on Wednesdays and Sundays, the Quebec Junior Hockey League on Mondays and, lastly, the Montreal Canadiens on Saturdays. The Canadiens didn't fully move into the Forum until two years later after splitting the first two years between the Forum and the Mount Royal Arena. Only the Maroons used the Forum full-time.
On December 29, 1924, the two Montreal teams met at the Forum, drawing an NHL record 11,000 as the two teams fought to a 1-1 stalemate. On October 8, 1925, famed international opera singer Maria Jeritiza was the first of many vocalists to test the Forums acoustics. In the years to come, bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Black Sabbath and David Bowie all expressed their unique musical talents in the Montreal Forum.
But while the Montreal Forum boasted an impressive musical lineup, it was hockey that truly made it a global phenomenon. The Maroons won the first Stanley Cup at the Forum in 1926 and again in 1935 before folding like a shooting star in the night's sky just three years later. From then on, the Montreal Forum was the Canadiens'.
Tragedy struck the Canadiens on January 28, 1937 when their greatest star, Howie Morenz, caught a skate in a rut along the boards in the Forum and broke his leg. It's been suspected that he died from a broken heart several weeks later when the doctor told him that his playing career was over. Thousands flocked the Forum for his open casket viewing and thousands more lined the streets of Montreal for his funeral procession.
Morenz's death symbolized all that was going on with the Canadiens at the time. While the team was successful, the Great Depression took its toll on the franchise and its arena was very nearly turned into a street car barn. but just when things were most dire, fate intervened when Frank Selke became general manager in 1946. He immediately began putting the pieces together for one of sport's greatest dynasties. Soon, great players such as Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jacques Plante and Guy Lafleur roamed the halls of the Montreal Forum
In total, the Canadiens claimed 22 of their 24 Stanley Cups while at the Forum, clinching titles in 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1965, 1968, 1979 and 1993. Along the way, they won five straight from 1956 through 1960, repeated twice in the 1960's and finished off the 1970s with another four-pete, cementing the Forum's status as one of the "Cathedrals of Hockey" along with Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
On October 11, 1952, the Montreal Forum was the backdrop for the first ever live televised hockey game as the Habs beat the Black Hawks 4-2 in front of the CBC cameras.
The Forum's operators tried their best to keep up with public demand. In 1949, the Forum was expanded with more than 3,000 seats being added to its structure to increase capacity past 12,000. In 1968, it underwent a $10 million renovation, increasing its capacity one final time to 17,959 and improving the arena's air conditioning. A new score clock was installed above centre ice in the 1980s, with a color matrix board resting on each side.
Of course, no great dynasty comes without some sort of drama. On March 17, 1955, Rocket Richard slugged Boston's Hal Laycoe and was suspended for the rest of the season and the playoffs. The next time the Habs hosted a game, the furious crowd rained down their objections of the suspension upon NHL commissioner Clarence Campbell, who dared to attend the Forum so soon after the suspension. All throughout the game, cries of "We want Richard. Down with Campbell!" could be heard throughout the Forum.
Fans even began pelting Campbell with debris and one even assaulted him before a tear gas canister exploded, forcing all into the streets where the chaos continued. There, the crowd continued to take out their frustrations on the injustice by smashing store windows and looting St. Catherine Street.
In 1972, the Forum hosted Game 1 of the Summit Series, which the USSR won, stunning Team Canadien 7-3. In 1980, the Forum became the first arena to host the NHL Entry Draft as future Hall of Famers Denis Savard, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri were all selected.
In 1984, the Forum bore witness to one of hockey's greatest games. Dubbed the Good Friday Massacre, the Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques combined for 11 ejections and 252 penalty minutes before the Habs won the game 5-3 to close out the playoff series. By August of 1989, the Canadiens had reached their whit's end about the Forum, recognizing the fact that their aging arena just couldn't keep up with the times.
The End of an Era
The end of the Montreal Forum's great run began in 1993 when it hosted its 11th and final All-Star Game. Later that year, the Canadiens won their last Stanley Cup, clinching it at home by beating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings 4-1 in Game 5. In 31 Stanley Cup Finals, only two visitors, the New York Rangers in 1928 and the Calgary Flames in 1989, won it all at the Forum.
The Canadiens played their last game at their longtime home on March 11, 1996. After they beat the Dallas Stars 4-1, numerous alumni took part in the postgame festivities with the great Rocket Richard breaking down in tears. Emil Bouchard carried a torch onto the ice, symbolizing a popular quote in the Habs' locker room that read "To you with failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high!". The torch was passed around between Habs captains of past and present before being carried out to the Canadiens's new home at the Molson Centre the following day.
Today, the Montreal Forum still stands, only now it serves as a mall with many artifacts from the team's greatest eras adorning its halls as a constant reminder of the building's historical significance.
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