The Paramount Fine Foods Centre, formerly the Hershey Centre, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Its current name was adopted on July 1, 2018, following a new naming rights agreement with Mississauga-based restaurant chain Paramount Fine Foods.[6]
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  Paramount Fine Foods Centre Location in Ontario  Paramount Fine Foods Centre Location in Canada | |
| Former names | Hershey Centre (1998–2018) |
|---|---|
| Address | 5500/5600 Rose Cherry Place |
| Location | Mississauga, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 43°37′56″N 79°39′13″W / 43.6323°N 79.6535°W |
| Owner | City of Mississauga |
| Operator | City of Mississauga |
| Capacity | Basketball 5,400 Hockey: 5,612 (5,420 seated) Concerts: 7,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 1998 |
| Opened | October 12, 1998[3] |
| Construction cost | C$22 million ($37.9 million in 2023 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Parkin/ZAS Architects Inc., architects in joint venture[2] |
| Services engineer | The Mitchell Partnership |
| General contractor | PCL Constructors Canada Inc.[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Canada World Kabaddi Cup (1998–2012) Mississauga IceDogs (OHL) (1998–2007) Toronto ThunderHawks (NPSL) (2000–2001) Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL) (2007–2012) Toronto Croatia (CSL) (2007–2010) Mississauga Eagles FC (CSL) (2011–2013) Toronto Triumph (LFL Canada) (2012) Mississauga Steelheads (OHL) (2012–2024) Mississauga Power (NBL Canada) (2013–2015) 2015 Pan American Games 2015 Parapan American Games Raptors 905 (NBAGL) (2015–present) Mississauga MetroStars (MASL) (2018–2019)[4] Toronto Rock (NLL) (2024–2025; temp)[5] Canadian Soccer League (2023–present; temp) | |
| Website | |
| paramountfinefoodscentre | |
History
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First opened in 1998 as the Hershey Centre, the complex is located on Rose Cherry Place, which was named after the late wife of Don Cherry, founder and former owner of the Mississauga IceDogs hockey team. The closest major intersection is Kennedy Road and Matheson Boulevard East. In 2007, a new multi-sport facility called SportZone opened just to the north of the main bowl. It houses a full-size indoor soccer field, a full size FIBA basketball court, a gymnastics facility, and two outdoor soccer fields.
The centre is currently the home arena for the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League (basketball). It previously housed the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (ice hockey), the Mississauga IceDogs (ice hockey) from 1998 to 2007, the Mississauga Power (basketball) from 2011 to 2015, the Toronto ThunderHawks of the National Professional Soccer League from 2000 to 2001, and the Mississauga MetroStars of the Major Arena Soccer League (indoor soccer) from 2018 to 2019. It has also been the venue for numerous musical acts, including The Tragically Hip, Green Day, The White Stripes, Hatebreed, and Chinese superstar Joker Xue.
Major events
editHockey
editAlong with being the home of Mississauga's OHL teams since its opening, it has hosted several hockey events. In the year 2000 the Hershey Centre hosted the OHL All-Star Classic as well as the IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship. The OHL Championship Series for the J. Ross Robertson Cup has been held at the facility in 2004, 2011 and 2017. In May 2011 the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors hosted the 2011 Memorial Cup. The Saint John Sea Dogs defeated Mississauga in the Final 3–1.
Basketball
editThe National Basketball League of Canada announced that the Oshawa Power would relocate to Mississauga and play as the Mississauga Power at the Hershey Centre starting in the 2013–14 season.[7]
The Toronto Raptors announced that beginning in the 2015–16 season, they would have a team in the NBA Development League in Mississauga and play as the Raptors 905 at the Hershey Centre.[8] The Toronto Raptors organization acquired the Power. The team departed from the NBLC to join the NBA D-League as the Raptors 905. In 2017 and 2018 the Raptors 905 hosted both the NBA G League Showcase as well as the G League Finals at the arena.
Figure skating
editThe arena has hosted the Skate Canada International figure skating competition, part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series in 2000, 2003, 2011 and in 2016. The venue is also host to this competition in October 2022.
It hosted the Canadian Figure Skating Championships for the first time in 2013 and again in 2020.
2015 Pan and Parapan American Games
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During the 2015 Pan American Games, it hosted the four combative sports of judo, karate, taekwondo and wrestling. During that time the centre was temporarily renamed the Mississauga Sports Centre due to naming rights.[9] The venue also hosted the parapan sports of goalball, powerlifting and it also featured the debut of wheelchair rugby.[10]
Other events
editIt was the venue for the inaugural 2002 Heritage Cup, an international indoor lacrosse tournament.[citation needed] The North American Roller Hockey Championships finals were held at Hershey Centre in July 2006, 2009 and 2013.[citation needed] The centre hosted the 2009 World Cup of Curling.[citation needed] A funeral for Peel Regional Police officer James Ochakovsky took place at the arena on March 9, 2010.[11] It has also hosted the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international high school robotics competition.[12] On September 22, 2000, it was the site of the only ECW show in Canada before the promotion's demise in 2001.[citation needed] On February 14, 2023, the venue hosted the state funeral for former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion.[13]
COVID-19 mass vaccination site
editIn 2021 the venue was being used as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site.[14]
Mississauga and Iceland Fields
editThe grounds of the Paramount Fine Foods Centre are also home to two outdoor field facilities, known as the Mississauga Fields and Iceland Fields.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ a b http://canada.pcl.com/projects/Archived/0900265/index.aspx [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Toronto Today". Toronto Star. October 12, 1998. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ^ "MASL Announces International Expansion". April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "Toronto Rock will play upcoming season in Hamilton from start to finish!". Toronto Rock web site. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Raza, Ali (June 30, 2018). "Mississauga's Hershey Centre to be known as Paramount Fine Foods Centre from July 1". The Mississauga News. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Power Basketball Relocates To Mississauga". NBL Canada. April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
- ^ "Raptors to announce D League team will play in Mississauga this season". thestar.com. June 24, 2015.
- ^ Clay, Chris (March 22, 2012). "City gets Pan-Am karate and wrestling". Mississauga.com.
- ^ "Mississauga Breaking News - Mississauga's Online Newspaper". Mississauga.com.
- ^ Thousands attend funeral for Peel officer CTV.ca, published on March 9, 2010
- ^ "FIRST Robotics Canada – Inspiring kids in science, technology, engineering, and robotics through robotics competitions". Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ "Funeral details announced for former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion". February 2, 2023.
- ^ "COVID-19 vaccine". City of Mississauga. January 8, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ "About". Paramount Fine Foods Centre. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
The outdoor artificial turf fields boasts four full-sized, lit artificial turf soccer fields-two on the north end of the campus (Mississauga Fields) and two on the south end (Iceland Fields).
External links
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Media related to Paramount Fine Foods Centre at Wikimedia Commons