New Canadiens Practice Facility Opens To Rave Reviews

The Canadiens Monday held the first skate at their new $36M Complexe Sportif Bell practice facility, and the players "had nothing but rave reviews" for the complex, according to Bill Beacon of the CP. Canadiens RW Georges Laraque: "You can't even compare any other team's practice facility to this. And I would even go so far as to say you can't compare this to any main rink of any other team." Beacon noted the Canadiens are "one of the last teams in the NHL to have their own practice facility and have spared no expense on the project, which was built" by the team, the city of Brossard, Quebec, and Montreal-based engineering firm Axor. The facility has "two ice rinks and an indoor soccer pitch, but it is the off-ice facilities that had the Canadiens gushing." The gym, trainers' room, players lounge and dressing room are "bigger and better equipped than anything they've had before," and there is "even a room with hot tubs and a swimEX pool for swimming against a current." The ice sheets and soccer field will be "rented out when the team is not using them and the Canadiens will also open a gift shop." The 850 seats at the main practice rink were "mostly full of fans for the first day" on Monday, and while the seats "will be kept clear for most workouts, fans can still watch through glass barriers along the facility's walkways." Some construction is "still to be completed" at the facility, but the main areas have been open to the public since November 15. Beacon noted the Canadiens in the past, when the Bell Centre was taken over by a concert or other event, dressed at the arena and then "took a bus to a neighbourhood rink for practice" (CP, 12/8).

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