Paramount Fine Foods Centre facts for kids
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The arena interior pictured in 2015
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 Paramount Fine Foods Centre
Location in Regional Municipality of Peel
Paramount Fine Foods Centre
Location in Ontario
Paramount Fine Foods Centre
Location in Canada
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| Former names | Hershey Centre (1998–2018) |
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| 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: 5,420 Concerts: 7,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 1998 |
| Opened | October 12, 1998 |
| Construction cost | C$22 million ($34.1 million in 2021 dollars ) |
| Architect | Parkin/ZAS Architects Inc., architects in joint venture |
| Services engineer | The Mitchell Partnership |
| General contractor | PCL Constructors Canada Inc. |
| 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) Toronto Rock (NLL) (2024–2025; temp) Canadian Soccer League (2023) |
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The Paramount Fine Foods Centre is a big sports and entertainment building in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It used to be called the Hershey Centre. The name changed on July 1, 2018. This happened after a restaurant company called Paramount Fine Foods bought the rights to name the building.
Contents
History of the Centre
The centre first opened in 1998 as the Hershey Centre. It is located on Rose Cherry Place. This street was named after the wife of Don Cherry, who started the Mississauga IceDogs hockey team.
In 2007, a new sports area called SportZone opened next to the main arena. SportZone has many cool features:
- A large indoor soccer field.
- A full-size basketball court.
- A gymnastics area.
- Two outdoor soccer fields.
The Paramount Fine Foods Centre is currently the home for the Raptors 905 basketball team. This team plays in the NBA G League. Many other teams have played here too, including:
- The Mississauga Steelheads (ice hockey).
- The Mississauga IceDogs (ice hockey) from 1998 to 2007.
- The Mississauga Power (basketball) from 2011 to 2015.
- The Toronto ThunderHawks (soccer) from 2000 to 2001.
- The Mississauga MetroStars (indoor soccer) from 2018 to 2019.
The centre has also hosted concerts for famous music groups like The Tragically Hip and Green Day.
A new practice facility is being built next to the centre. It is a partnership between the City of Mississauga and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. This new facility is expected to be finished in January 2026.
Exciting Events and Sports
The Paramount Fine Foods Centre has hosted many big sports events and other activities.
Hockey Games and Tournaments
The centre has been home to Mississauga's junior hockey teams since it opened. It has also hosted several important hockey events:
- The OHL All-Star Classic in 2000.
- The IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship in 2000.
- The OHL Championship Series for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2004, 2011, and 2017.
- The 2011 Memorial Cup in May 2011. The Saint John Sea Dogs won against Mississauga in the final game.
Basketball Action
The centre became a major basketball venue when the Oshawa Power team moved to Mississauga. They became the Mississauga Power in 2013.
In 2015, the Toronto Raptors started their own development team, the Raptors 905. This team plays in the NBA Development League (now called the NBA G League) at the centre. The Raptors 905 have hosted big events here, including:
- The NBA G League Showcase in 2017 and 2018.
- The G League Finals in 2017 and 2018.
Figure Skating Competitions
The arena has hosted the Skate Canada International figure skating competition multiple times:
- In 2000, 2003, 2011, and 2016.
- It also hosted the competition in October 2022.
The centre also hosted the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in 2013 and 2020.
2015 Pan and Parapan American Games
During the 2015 Pan American Games, the centre was temporarily called the Mississauga Sports Centre. It hosted four combat sports:
For the 2015 Parapan American Games, it hosted sports for athletes with disabilities:
- Goalball
- Powerlifting
- The first-ever wheelchair rugby competition at these games.
Other Exciting Events
The centre has been used for many different events:
- The first Heritage Cup (an international indoor lacrosse tournament) in 2002.
- The North American Roller Hockey Championships finals in 2006, 2009, and 2013.
- The 2009 World Cup of Curling.
- The FIRST Robotics Competition, where high school students compete with robots.
- A state funeral for former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion on February 14, 2023.
- For the 2025 NLL season, the Toronto Rock lacrosse team is playing their home games here. This is because their usual arena is being renovated.
- In February 2026, the centre will host the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which is Canada's national women's curling championship.
COVID-19 Vaccination Site
In 2021, the centre was used as a large site to give out COVID-19 vaccines to help keep the community healthy.
Outdoor Fields
The area around the Paramount Fine Foods Centre also has two outdoor sports fields. They are known as the Mississauga Fields and Iceland Fields.
See also
- List of indoor arenas in Canada
