[a] Alongside hockey, Bell Centre has hosted major concerts, and occasional mixed martial arts and professional wrestling events.

[11] Construction began on the site on June 22, 1993, almost two weeks after the Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings at the Forum for their 24th and most recent Stanley Cup.

When the arena officially opened in 1996, its name initially reflected Molson, Inc., a brewing company which was owner of the Canadiens at the time.

On October 14, 2015, it was announced that Bell Centre would undergo renovations, including the replacement of all the seats, renovated hallways and concessions, new restaurants, public Wi-Fi, and the planned conversion of Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal (the section of De la Gauchetière Street on which the arena is situated) into a pedestrian-only street.

The sirens were inherited from the arenas' predecessor facilities, coming from the disused Montreal Forum and the Boston Garden respectively.

At the end where the Canadiens shoot towards twice is the Coors Light Zone, featuring section cheerleaders and a band playing in the hallway.

After some early complaints of a generic feel, especially compared to the Forum, the Canadiens started to incrementally decorate the building with celebrations of the team's history, including a ring of players around the top level of seating.

Many artists have performed at the arena, like Olivia Rodrigo, Céline Dion, Les Cowboys Fringants, Gloria Estefan, Stromae, Twenty One Pilots, Tina Turner, Depeche Mode, Prince, Drake, Shakira, Elton John, Billy Joel, Shania Twain, Cher, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Rush, Coldplay, Rihanna, Guns N' Roses, Slipknot, U2, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Roger Waters, Spice Girls, Justin Timberlake, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Metallica, Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Imagine Dragons, Dua Lipa and Kylie Minogue.

[21] All 21,273 seats were sold in 45 minutes on May 12, 2010, for fans to watch the 7th game in the playoff series versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was shown on the big screens.

[23] Bell Centre hosted its first Stanley Cup Finals in 2021, with games three and four against the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning played inside the arena.

[27] On April 20, 2024, the Bell Centre hosted its first home game for the new club named Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), a match against the Toronto Sceptres that was marketed as the "Duel at the Top", reflecting the two teams' position atop the league standings at the time.

In April 2019, Bell Centre hosted both Raw and SmackDown on consecutive nights for the 2019 Superstar Shake-up, the first time in WWE history that the event was held at an arena outside of the United States.

[39] During Survivor Series 1997, Bell Centre was the site of the infamous "Montreal Screwjob"—a match where Calgary-native Bret Hart controversially lost the WWF Championship to his rival Shawn Michaels.

The original plan was for the match to end by disqualification after a brawl between the wrestlers' allies, which would have allowed Hart to lose or vacate the championship at a later date before leaving the promotion.

[43][better source needed] Brock Lesnar made his televised WWE debut at Bell Centre on the March 18, 2002 Raw after WrestleMania X8 in Toronto, interfering in the Hardcore match that was taking place between Maven and Al Snow.

[citation needed] In December 2023, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) made its Montreal debut, with broadcasts of Collision and Dynamite.

[45][46] The Bell Centre was scheduled to host the 2020 World Figure Skating Championships in March of that year, but these were cancelled as a result of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.