Hockey, then basketball, then the Tragically Hip

Scotiabank Arena

Built on the site of a 1938 postal building, the arena that opened as Air Canada Centre in February 1999 hosted a hockey game, a basketball game, and a Tragically Hip concert on three consecutive nights.

Scotiabank Arena in Toronto
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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The arena now known as Scotiabank Arena was built on the site of a Postal Delivery Building commissioned by the federal government in 1938. Groundbreaking for the new arena took place in February 1997, and construction was substantially complete by December 1998, designed by Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects and HOK Sport.

Three openings, three nights

The arena opened as Air Canada Centre on February 20, 1999, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens — the first hockey game in the building. The following night, February 21, the Raptors hosted the Vancouver Grizzlies for the first basketball game, and on February 22 the Tragically Hip played the building's opening concert. The arena was renamed Scotiabank Arena in July 2018, and remains home to both the Maple Leafs and the Raptors.

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