Avenir Centre

Last updated
Avenir Centre
Avenir Centre logo.svg
Avenir Centre.jpg
Canada New Brunswick location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Avenir Centre
Location within New Brunswick
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Avenir Centre
Location within Canada
Address150 Canada Street
Location Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Coordinates 46°05′08″N64°47′06″W / 46.0855005°N 64.7849229°W / 46.0855005; -64.7849229
Capacity 8,800
Construction
Broke ground2016
Opened8 September 2018
General contractorASM Global
Tenants
Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) (2018–present)
Moncton Magic (NBL Canada) (2018–2021)
Moncton Motion (ECBL) (2023–present)

Avenir Centre (French : Centre Avenir) is an indoor arena in Moncton, New Brunswick. Opened in September 2018, it serves as the home to the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Contents

History

Proposed as a replacement for the Moncton Coliseum, the arena was approved in the spring of 2014 by the Moncton City Council on an 8–3 vote. Groundbreaking took place in the spring of 2016, with a planned opening in the fall of 2017. That date was pushed back a year. SMG would serve as operator of the new arena. [1] Naming rights to the arena were acquired by Avenir Hearing—a New Brunswick-based chain of hearing clinics, naming it Avenir Centre; the company sponsors the distribution of free earplugs at events. [1]

Avenir Centre's first event—a concert by country singer Keith Urban on the Graffiti U World Tour—was held on September 12, 2018. [2] The Moncton Wildcats played their first home game at the arena on September 28, 2018, beating the Saint John Sea Dogs 5–2. [3]

Notable events

Avenir Centre hosted UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith on October 27, 2018, marking the first UFC mixed martial arts event to be held in New Brunswick. [4]

On November 5, 2019, it hosted Game 2 of the 2019 CHL Canada/Russia Series. The QMJHL team defeated Team Russia 4-3 in OT. [5]

It co-hosted the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. [6]

From November 16-19, 2023, Avenir Centre hosted the 2023 Atlantic Slam, a D1 NCAA Basketball Tournament. It was the first NCAA event to ever take place in Atlantic Canada. [7]

On January 24, 2024, it hosted the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, marking the first time the event has been held in New Brunswick. [8]

On June 8, 2024, it will host the 2024 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Draft. Moncton last hosted it in 2009 at the Moncton Coliseum. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Hockey League</span> Governing organization for major junior hockey in Canada

The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). For the 2023–24 season, its three leagues and 60 teams represent nine Canadian provinces as well as four American states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League</span> Junior ice hockey league in Canada

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Officially the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League until 2023, the league includes teams in Quebec and the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Cup</span> Championship trophy of the Canadian Hockey League

The Memorial Cup is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played among the champions of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL), and a host team, which alternates on an annual basis between the three member leagues. The Memorial Cup trophy was established by Captain James T. Sutherland to honour those who died in service during World War I. It was rededicated during the 2010 tournament to honour all soldiers who died fighting for Canada in any conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogers Arena</span> Sports arena in Vancouver, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moncton Coliseum</span> Event venue in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

The Moncton Coliseum is an event venue and former ice hockey arena in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Atlantic Canada's largest trade show facility, the Coliseum has over 125,000 square feet (11,600 m2) of exhibition space and a drawing power of 1.4 million people within a 2½ hour drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moncton Wildcats</span> Junior ice hockey team in Moncton, New Brunswick

The Moncton Wildcats are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Moncton, New Brunswick. The franchise was granted for the 1995–96 season, and were known as the Moncton Alpines for one season prior to rebranding as the Wildcats. The team played at the Moncton Coliseum from 1995 until 2018, and moved into the Avenir Centre prior to the 2018–19 season. After winning the 2005–06 QMJHL championship, the team hosted the 2006 Memorial Cup and reached the final game. The Wildcats also won the league championship in 2009–10, which sent the team to compete at the 2010 Memorial Cup in Brandon, Manitoba where they were eliminated from contention after going winless in the round-robin portion of the tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halifax Mooseheads</span> Junior ice hockey team in Halifax, Nova Scotia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luc Bourdon</span> Canadian ice hockey player (1987–2008)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Memorial Cup</span> Canadian junior mens ice hockey championship

The 2006 Memorial Cup was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, from May 19–28. It was the 88th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The host team Moncton Wildcats were the only team guaranteed a spot in the tournament. The other teams were the champions of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Peterborough Petes; the Western Hockey League (WHL) champions, the Vancouver Giants; and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)'s Quebec Remparts, who were runners-up in the QMJHL final to the champion Wildcats. The Remparts won the Memorial Cup, defeating the Wildcats 6–2 in the first all-QMJHL final in tournament history. It also marked the first, and currently only time in Memorial Cup history that the winning team was neither the host nor a league champion.

The 2005–06 QMJHL season was the 37th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Canadian Hockey League institutes the shootout loss statistic to be recorded in the regular season standings. The league inaugurates the Maurice Filion Trophy for the "General Manager of the Year."

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Memorial Cup</span> Canadian junior mens ice hockey championship

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Memorial Cup</span> Canadian junior mens ice hockey championship

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References

  1. 1 2 Magee, Shane. "Have you heard? Moncton arena named after N.B. hearing company". CBC.ca. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  2. Campbell, Morganne. "A look inside Moncton's $113-million event centre". Global News New Brunswick. Global News. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  3. "Wildcats win home opener in front of sold out crowd!". Moncton Wildcats. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  4. "UFC announces New Brunswick debut for Oct. 27". mmajunkie.com. 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  5. "Raphael Lavoie scores OT winner as QMJHL beats Russia – Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  6. "Halifax, Moncton named hosts for 2023 world junior hockey championships". Global News. 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  7. "Atlantic Slam | Moncton Events and Festivals". www.experiencemoncton.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  8. Tidcombe, Matt (2023-03-24). "Moncton Wildcats to host 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  9. "Moncton | Events and Festivals". www.experiencemoncton.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-28.