The Westmount Arena was home to the
Montreal Canadiens from the 1909-1910 season through January 2, 1918.
The arena was built in 1898, at a cost of $32,000. Located on Atwater Avenue, the arena had seating for 6,500, but usually housed 8,500 spectators for the
Canadiens games. Ever since their inception the Canadiens have (generally) sold out home games to the point of
standing room only.*
On January 2, 1918 the Westmount Arena was destroyed by a fire. The Canadiens continued their schedule at the
Jubilee Arena, until its subsequent destruction (again by fire) during the summer of 1919.
The Westmount Arena also served as the home to the
Montreal Wanderers, who folded after the arena burned down. The Wanderers are a lesser known team, and actually won several Stanley Cups during their tenure in
Ice Hockey.
*The fire hazard caused at the old Montreal Forum by its standing-room-only capacity crowds was the cause of worry. With the history of fateful Canadiens' rinks, the best choice was to build a new arena, the Molson Centre AKA Bell Centre.