Air Canada Centre

Air Canada Center is one of Toronto’s primary sports and entertainment centers, covering 665,000 square foot and incorporating a twelve storey office building that is home to the offices of several sports and corporate groups. Air Canada Center is also the official home of the Toronto Maple Leaves (hockey), the Toronto Rapture Basketball Club and the Toronto Rock Lacrosse.

History of Air Canada Center

Built on the original site of the Canada Post Delivery Building, the Air Canada Center was a masterpiece in engineering and a lot of thought was put into constructing a stadium that would best serve the needs of the city without disrupting the flow of traffic and encroaching on the neighborhood. As such, over $13 million were spent in public infrastructure ahead of schedule, before ground was officially broken for the Air Canada Center in 1997.

On February 14 th, 1999, Air Canada Center had its first ‘open house’, with the general public invited to view the finished product. However, the center officially opened with the inaugural hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens on February 20 th, 1999.

Seating Capacity

The number of people that can be seated in Air Canada Center depends on the type of sports event being hosted. Full house concerts and basketball matches can hold up to 19,800 spectators, while hockey matches can seat 18,800. For theater events, there is seating enough for 5,500 people.

Restaurants

Nobody goes hungry at Air Canada Center! The venue boasts a wide range of eating facilities that capture the multicultural spirit of Toronto and offers visitors a particularly wide choice.

Over and above the concession stands and kiosks in the center, there are also three restaurants to choose from: The Platinum Club for a superior dining experience; he Hot Stove Club, a more traditional eatery and the Air Canada Club that offers some of the most fantastic views of the arena.

The center also has a wine program in place and boasts 600 labels to choose from, ranging from kosher to organic wines. This program has earned Air Canada Center with the title of Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the past five years.

Technology

Air Canada Center boasts some excellent technological features that puts it one step ahead of other centers of its kind in the world. Some of these include:

• A Bose acoustic system valued at $1.2 million.
• Outstanding in-arena audiovisual technology.
• More than 700 Sony television screens.
• A Sony LED Jumbotron, featuring four wide screens and a message board.
• It takes just four to six hours to transform the stadium from basketball mode to full a full hockey rink set up.

The Galleria

Located at the north end of the center, the public thoroughfare Galleria is a covered walkway that is also climate controlled and brings 60% of Air Canada Center visitors through its Gate 1. The Galleria is home to a retail store, Centre Sports, and a food court. An interesting display of historical artifacts from the original Canada Post Delivery Building is also housed in the Galleria.

Air Canada Centre Toronto

Air Canada Center is a unique venue that blends historical Toronto with modern day sports and entertainment culture. Its easy accessibility from most locations in the city, its proximity to other tourist attractions, its grandeur and state of the art technological features all go a long way in making Air Canada Center one of the top tourist attractions in the city.

The Air Canada Center is situated in prime location, at 40 Bay Street, Toronto. The center is near to the CN Tower, the city’s theater district, at least fifteen major hotels, top restaurants and public transport systems.

Location: 40 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Phone: (416) 815-5500

Click here to visit Air Canada Centre official website