I guess I'm a bit of a homer but apart from the cramped corridors and that the Bell Center is not as imposing as it is hidden amongst office buildings and condos, it is still one of the most attended arenas for activities and events next to New Yorks Madison Square Garden and Toronto's ACC. It is listed under Forbes as one of the top five highest revenue generating venues in North America.
However, this place is more known as the house of its major Tennant.
There is a certain mystique due to the most celebrated and winningest hockey franchise, the Montreal Canadiens.
We watched one of the last games for the 2017-18 NHL games and it is a bummer that two simple hot dogs and two beers cost a little over $30 and on top of that the Habs aren't making the playoffs(very bad team). PARKING $25!!!
Tip eat elsewhere in town before coming in. 4 Tix in the reds, parking, snacks cost over $700 easy :(
The light show in the beginning of the games feels and sounds great but it seems that the games are more theatrical than anything else. More noticeable when the local team ain't that good.
The seats are narrower and the arena has better sight lines since the grandstands are steeper. They now have less rock music so you can have a conversation. There is less organ music typically heard during the glory days at the old Montreal Forum.
There are more specialized restaurants and you do have the former Montreal Expos mascot, Youppi...but not much else.
All the wrong things are amplified more when the team is bad. But damn it I'm a Habs fan...$$$-$$$$