Once known as the beating heart of hockey in Canada, the Montreal Forum has lived many lives. From 1924 to 1996, it was the home ice of the Canadiens—witness to 24 Stanley Cup victories, emotional farewells, and some of the loudest ovations in sports history. But it wasn’t just a rink. It hosted the Beatles, Bowie, and even Nadia Comaneci’s perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics. A cultural arena in every sense.
Since the team’s move to the Bell Centre, the Forum has been reborn as a multi-use complex: part cinema (Cineplex Cinemas Forum), part college (Dawson’s satellite campus), and part retail experiment. While most of its hockey legacy has been quietly stripped away in recent years, echoes remain on the upper floors for those who look. It’s also home to Montreal Bowling, the long-running stand-up stage of The Comedy Nest, and Willie’s Clubhouse—a stylish throwback of a dart and billiards lounge that gives grown-up game night a second wind. It may no longer be sacred ground, but its mythos still lingers beneath the popcorn and escalators.
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