Step Inside: Canadian Tire Centre – Home of the Ottawa Senators

Home of the Ottawa Senators

Canadian Tire Centre is home to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. Located at 1000 Palladium Drive, the arena was built in Kanata, Ontario, a suburb of the capital city of Ottawa.

Over its history, the venue has also served as the home for the Ottawa Wheels of Roller Hockey International, the National Lacrosse League’s Ottawa Rebel, the Ottawa SkyHawks of the National Basketball League of Canada and the NLL’s Ottawa Black Bears.

Below, take a step into Canadian Tire Centre, including the stadium’s history, parking and admission, and capacity and seating options, as well as food and beverage options inside the arena.

Canadian Tire Centre History

Canadian Tire Centre opened as The Palladium on January 15, 1996 with a concert by Bryan Adams. Two days later, the Ottawa Senators played their first NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens. In February 1996, the venue’s name changed for the first time to the Corel Centre after Ottawa-based software company Corel Corporation inked a ten-year deal for the naming rights of the brand new arena.

The complex became an official part of Canada’s capital city when Kanata was merged with the City of Ottawa in 2001. Five years later, the arena was renamed Scotiabank Place when Scotiabank signed a 15-year contract for the naming rights.

During the 2007 NHL season, the arena hosted games three and four of the Stanley Cup Final, with the Senators ultimately losing the series, 4-1, to the Anaheim Ducks. The following year, the 2008 NHL Entry Draft took place there. From 2005 to 2011, the arena was also home to the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame on the second concourse.

From 2012 to 2014, the arena served as the temporary home to the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League and also hosted the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. During that time, in 2013, the arena was rechristened Canadian Tire Centre after Canadian Tire Corporation took over the naming rights.

Other major sporting events that have taken place at Canadian Tire Centre over its history include the 2009 and 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, the 2013 Women’s World Hockey Championships, five iterations of the Canadian University Basketball Championships and multiple episodes of WWE Raw and WWE Smackdown. It was also the site of evangelist Billy Graham’s final Canadian Crusade in 1998 and the arena where hockey great Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game in his native Canada in 1999.

Numerous stars have brought their tours to Ottawa by playing Canadian Tire Centre including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Eagles, One Direction, Cher, Shawn Mendes, Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Prince, Ed Sheeran, Britney Spears, Madonna, Tina Turner, Bon Jovi, Alanis Morissette, Katy Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Fleetwood Mac and more.

Parking and Admission at Canadian Tire Centre

Canadian Tire Centre offers nine different parking lots around the arena for guests to park ahead of games and other events. Lots #1-4 are reserved for passholders, with premium parking included in Lot #4. Slap Shot Lots #5 and #9 offer expedited parking that can be paid for via phone after parking. For a complete list of locations and parking policies, visit Canadian Tire Centre’s official parking page.

Accessible parking can be found in Lot #3 with a valid government-issued Accessible Parking Permit. The venue can also be reached via public transportation on OC Transpo Routes 404 and 405.

Prohibited items inside Canadian Tire Centre include signers, posters or messages on any garment with explicit language, profanity, or derogatory characterization directed towards any person; food or beverages purchased outside the venue; bottles and cans; coolers; sticks/flagpoles; aerosol cans; fireworks; skateboards, inline skates and roller skates; illegal drugs of any kind or noxious substances; cameras, sound and/or video recording devices as per event restrictions; helium balloons; stolen tickets; items prohibited based on promoter request; horns, noisemakers or any mechanically enhanced noise making device such as sirens, air horns or whistles; frisbees and beach balls; laser pointers;spiked or studded jewelry or belts; weapons and dangerous devices of any type such as firearms, explosives, stun guns, handcuffs, clubs, batons, martial arts instruments, knives, etc.

Canadian Tire Centre Capacity & Seating Options

Canadian Tire Centre has a seating capacity of 18,655 for hockey games, split between four levels of tiered seating. Suites are also available on three of the levels, and can accommodate groups of 12 to 150 guests. For concerts and other music events, floor seating is added, bringing the venue’s total capacity to 20,500.

Accessible seating is available throughout the arena and can be purchased via Ticketmaster or in person at the Canadian Tire Centre box office during events. For most events, a maximum of four accessible seats can be purchased to accommodate a patron, a companion and up to two additional guests. For a complete outline of accessibility policies at Canadian Tire Centre, click here. A seating chart for the arena can be viewed on Ticketmaster.ca.

Food & Beverage Options at Canadian Tire Centre

Canadian Tire Centre offers a wide array of concessions throughout the arena. Vendors include Burger Shack, ByTown Grill, Chef’s Kitchen, Drink Mkt, Freshstone Brands, Gabriel Pizza, Golden Palace, Lone Star Cantina, Ottawa Street Eats, Sens Express, Smoke’s Poutinerie, Sparty’s Faves, Tender’s Love and Chicken, Tim Hortons, TSN Zone, Twisted Tea, Vizzy, Wayne Gretzky Distillery Cocktail Lounge, The XL Dog and the Hard Rock Club.

Additionally, the venue is home to numerous on-site restaurants, including Bert’s, LEGACY, Club CIBC, Molson Fan Deck, The Royal Oak, The Ledge and Brookstreet Lounge. Reservations can be made for any of the restaurants on Canadian Tire Centre’s official website.