8. October 2026
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Salon Desjardins at Centre Bell with the Montreal Canadians

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Salon Desjardins at Centre Bell (Montreal Canadians)

Salon Desjardins at Centre Bell (Montreal Canadians)
4.6

Rating

 4.6/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Legendary stadium with good views
  • Very nice top up on top level
  • Fantastic food selection

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Minor service issues

Right after I visited the PWHL (women ice hockey) team Montreal Victoire at their Place Bell in March 2027, I headed to one of the most legendary places in ice hockey. The Montreal Canadians hosted the Anaheim Ducks at their Centre Bell (also Bell Center in English). For my first NHL match in Montreal, I had a very special ticket: I had one of their hospitality options, being guest of the Salon Desjardins before and during the match. Here is my review of the experience.

 

Centre Bell – Location & Transport

Centre Bell is indeed located very centrally in the heart of Montreal. The Central station as well as several sights are in close distance. The area also features some bars and hotels, even though. I stayed at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Montreal, which was a some ten to fifteen minutes walk away.

The public traffic connection is quite ideal. First, there is the Central Station, which features regional and national connections. Another close rail station option is Lucien-L’Allier, which serves multiple regional train line. That station also is connected by Montreal Metro. However, the more straight-forward option is Bonaventure. Both stations are served by the orange line C. I took the latter option, the walk to the arena is quite interesting as you pass an impressing former station building. Apart from that, there are bus connection. There are also some public parking options around the arena.

 

Centre Bell – The Venue & Ticket Situation

Centre Bell is the largest arena of the NHL, coming with a capacity of 21,105 seats. No other arena exceeds 20,000 people. For concerts, it can hold up to 15,000. When it opened in 1996, it has been regarded being one of the most modern arenas. The area features a three tier layout. Club seating and Salon Desjardins service are located on the second tier.

Canadian people love their hockey team – and the Canadians are one of their favorites. Thus, the ticketing situation is difficult, you should buy the tickets as early as possible. I was lucky that the Anaheim Ducks are not the most attractive opponent from a Montreal perspective, so that I got the ticket comparably short notice. The Salon Desjardins ticket is in fact an upgrade, which is available to some of the club seats. In total, my ticket was 413.22 CAD, roughly 260 EUR.

 

Centre Bell – Salon Desjardins

There is a designated entrance for club seats at the North of the arena. From there you take stairs or the elevator up to club level. You walk along some of the club seats and the boxes before you reach the designated Salon Desjardins area. It is a lengthy area on the isle with some room-alike sections. The main area is the restaurant like seating at tables. There are also some more comfortable options. I have been assigned to the seat. The area also featured the main buffet.

There are also some additional sections available. At the rear end of Salon Desjardins, there are also designated restrooms. The service on the restroom during the match was very limited, which had been unfortunate.

 

 

Food and Service

The buffet at Salon Desjadins at Centre Bell was definitely much better than I expected. There was a wide range of options, from typical stadium food to finer dining options. The presentation of the items was really nice and the restocking, up to the second intermission, went very smoothly. The staff was really nice as well. Non alcoholic beverages and beers were saved at the table other items (presumably for sale) were provided at a bar.

 

Centre Bell – Club Level and Seating

From the salon to your seat, you walk through club level. Club level at Centre Bell include free food and drinks as well. Obviously, the selection is more limited (but really fine). A nice feature is that even as a Salon visitor, you can use all these facilities. I really liked that as there were a few options which were not available in the more posh hospitality option. For example, i grabbed an ice cream during one of the intermission.

The seat I got was in fact a very central one at club level. You are quite high above the rink, but the view is really excellent. The seats are also coming with nice padding. I absolutely enjoyed my experience.

 

Montreal Canadians at Centre Bell – Atmosphere

Definitely, ice hockey is a very special thing in Canada. The fans are significantly more enthusiastic than in multiple other, typical US, stadiums. However, in this match the crowd was not that loud. Things change in the regional battles or during the play-offs drastically, though. The pre-game show has been a really nice experience as well.

 

Centre Bell Club Level – Services

Before entering Centre Bell, there was a bit of chaos and discussion which entrance is the right one for your ticket and in which order people enter there. However, apart from this minor thing, I really loved the very welcoming people at the Montreal legendary ice hockey place.

 

Montreal Canadians’ Salon Desjardins – My View

I was really happy with going for this hospitality option by the Montreal Canadians. The added value is really nice, you have good food, nice chats with neighbors and overall have a very exclusive and nice atmosphere. The services are great. I absolutely enjoyed it.

 

Ice Hockey Arena Reviews

Here are all my Stadium & Arena review postings related to ice hockey:

 

Canada Travel Postings

Here are all my travel postings related to Canada:

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