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.
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  Avenir Centre Location within New Brunswick  Avenir Centre Location within Canada | |
| Address | 150 Canada Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Coordinates | 46°05′08″N 64°47′06″W / 46.0855005°N 64.7849229°W |
| Capacity | 8,800 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2016 |
| Opened | 8 September 2018 |
| General contractor | ASM Global |
| Tenants | |
| Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) (2018–present) Moncton Magic (NBL Canada) (2018–2021) Moncton Motion (ECBL) (2023–present) | |
History
editProposed 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
editAvenir 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]
References
edit- ^ a b Magee, Shane. "Have you heard? Moncton arena named after N.B. hearing company". CBC.ca. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ Campbell, Morganne. "A look inside Moncton's $113-million event centre". Global News New Brunswick. Global News. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ "Wildcats win home opener in front of sold out crowd!". Moncton Wildcats. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
- ^ "UFC announces New Brunswick debut for Oct. 27". mmajunkie.com. 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
- ^ "Raphael Lavoie scores OT winner as QMJHL beats Russia – Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Halifax, Moncton named hosts for 2023 world junior hockey championships". Global News. 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "Atlantic Slam | Moncton Events and Festivals". www.experiencemoncton.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Tidcombe, Matt (2023-03-24). "Moncton Wildcats to host 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Moncton | Events and Festivals". www.experiencemoncton.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-28.