MTS Centre

Development

With the bankruptcy of the iconic Eaton's retailer, the famed store that was originally constructed in Winnipeg was emptied in late 2001. Various alternative uses for the building (including residential condominiums) were suggested, but ultimately the arena was deemed to be the most viable and beneficial to the city's struggling downtown by Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray and True North. After a small, but emotional resistance to losing the Western Canadian landmark Eaton's building by some locals and the Save the Eaton's Coalition, which inspired a "group hug" of the "Big Store" by a reported 180 people in 2001, the store was demolished in 2002 to make way for the new entertainment complex.

The MTS Centre officially opened on November 16, 2004, replacing the aging Winnipeg Arena, which had been in operation since 1955. In an effort to recognize the store's history, red bricks were incorporated into the design of the arena façade, evoking the memory of the Eaton’s store that had once graced Portage Avenue. An original store window and Tyndall stone surround is mounted in the arena concourse to house a collection of Eaton's memorabilia. In addition, two war memorials were incorporated into the building. The Timothy Eaton statue that was once a main feature of the store is also housed in the MTS Centre, near the spot where it stood in the Eaton's building.

American Hockey League

The AHL's Manitoba Moose were the arena's first tenant, from its opening in 2004 to 2011. The team relocated to St. John's prior to the 2011–12 AHL season to make way for the arrival of the Winnipeg Jets. The Moose returned to the MTS Centre for the 2015–16 season, making the arena the first (together with the SAP Center at San Jose) to be home to both an NHL team and its AHL affiliate. Only the lower bowl, which has a capacity of 8,812, is used for the majority of Moose home games.

The arena hosted the AHL All-Star Classic on February 1, 2006, in which Team Canada defeated Team PlanetUSA, 9-4.

National Hockey League

From 1972 to 1996, the original Winnipeg Jets played home games out of the now-demolished Winnipeg Arena. Facing mounting financial troubles, the franchise relocated to Arizona after the 1995–96 NHL season and became the Phoenix Coyotes.

The idea of Winnipeg one day returning to the NHL gained momentum after the MTS Centre opened. David Thomson and Mark Chipman were floated as potential owners of an NHL team, although many questions were raised about the MTS Centre's potential suitability as an NHL venue. The arena's capacity was well below that of the next-smallest NHL arena at that time, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which sat 16,170 but lacked modern design elements. Chipman stated that the arena's current size was sufficient for an NHL team due to the unique economics of the local market.

On May 19, 2011, The Globe and Mail reported that Mark Chipman and True North were finalizing the purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers, with the intent of moving the team to Winnipeg. Twelve days later, True North chairman Mark Chipman, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and Premier of Manitoba Greg Selinger held a press conference at the MTS Centre to announce the deal, which was formally approved by the NHL Board of Governors three weeks later. As part of the transition to the NHL, the arena went through some minor renovations to bring it in line with the league's standards, including construction of additional press boxes, shuttered lighting, flexible rink glass, and upgraded ice refrigeration system. Further improvements were made over the next few years, including concourse expansion and the installation of a new high-definition scoreboard. A total of 278 premium seats were added to the upper level in 2015, slightly increasing the arena's capacity.

Prior to the return of the Jets, the MTS Centre hosted a number of NHL preseason games. The first was held on September 17, 2006 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Phoenix Coyotes, in front of a sold-out crowd, which the Oilers won 5–0. The NHL exhibition game became an annual event for the MTS Centre, concluding in September 2010 when the defending Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks played the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of a crowd of 14,092.

International

In international hockey, the MTS Centre hosted the 2007 IIHF Women's World Championship, which was won by the host country. Other international matches hosted at the arena included 2005 World Junior Championship pretournament games, the fifth game of the 2007 Super Series between Canada and Russia, and the medal round of the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.

Events and milestones

In October 2006, the MTS Centre improved its washroom facilities to eliminate long lines and it installed 340 "demountable" seats in the lower bowl to replace 352 narrower "retractable" chairs, in a renovation priced at more than $120,000, which lowered capacity from 15,015 to 15,004. A "peanut-restricted" zone for allergic spectators was also added.

Bon Jovi played the MTS Centre December 9, 2007 and was the largest event the centre has seen since its 2004 debut. 16,000+ fans enjoyed the New Jersey rock band and Jon Bon Jovi stated "We'll be back" during his performance. However, the Metallica concert on October 12, 2009 broke this record with Metallica selling more because of general admission on the floor.

On October 29, 2005, Mike Scott was the 1,000,000th customer through the door and received a pair of tickets to every event in 2006.

In 2008, the MTS Centre sold 385,427 tickets. These ticket sales included only non-sporting events and did not include hockey games. With the tickets sales the MTS Centre placed as the 19th busiest arena in the world. The arena sat as 11th busiest among facilities in North America, its highest ranking ever, and it remained in the 3rd spot in Canada, after the Bell Centre in Montreal (sixth worldwide) and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto (fifth worldwide). For the year of 2009 it ranked as the 39th busiest arena in the world, and 26th busiest in North America.

Canadian superstar Celine Dion performed two sold-out shows at the centre as part of her Taking Chances Tour on October 27 and 28, 2008.

The American band Pearl Jam played at the arena on September 17, 2011, as part of the bands 20th anniversary celebrations.

The American popstar Britney Spears performed at the arena for the first time on July 4, 2011 during her Femme Fatale Tour.

Legendary American rock band Fleetwood Mac performed at the arena on May 12, 2013, as just one stop on their 2013 world tour, Fleetwood Mac Live.

On June 15, 2013 the MTS Centre hosted UFC 161, making Winnipeg only the fifth Canadian city ever to host an event behind Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Pink performed at MTS Centre on January 14, 2014 as part of her The Truth About Love Tour.

Justin Bieber brought his My World Tour to the arena on September 14, 2010, and later brought his Believe Tour to the arena on October 18, 2012. Both of the concerts were performed to sell-out crowds.

Pop superstar Lady Gaga performed a sold out concert at the arena on May 22, 2014 as part of her world tour, ArtRave: The Artpop Ball.

Classic rock band Queen with Adam Lambert performed a concert at the arena on June 21, 2014 as part of their worldwide tour, the only time the band has ever played Winnipeg.

On January 20, 2015, legendary artist Bryan Adams performed at the arena as a part of his Reckless 30th anniversary tour.

The American popstar Janet Jackson performed at the arena on September 8, 2015 during her Unbreakable World Tour.

The weekend of June 17, 2016, Garth Brooks performed 4 concerts to the largest group of people at a concert event in the building's history, with over 60,000 tickets sold as part of The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood.

On October 12, 2016, American hip hop artist Kanye West brought his Saint Pablo Tour to the arena.

Notable events hosted