The arena was opened on February 17, 1978, as the Halifax Metro Centre, and was built into the ground to compensate for the steep elevation of the land it occupies.

In December 2007, an Ozzy Osbourne concert sold out in nine minutes, setting a box office ticket record for the Halifax Metro Centre.

In July 2008, the Halifax Metro Centre also set a record sell-out (25,000 tickets sold in 40 minutes), for two back-to-back Elton John concerts held in late September 2008.

On May 9, 2013, QMJHL Presidents Cup final Game 5 sold-out in record time 11 minutes, setting another attendance mark for the Scotiabank Centre.

When the rebranded Scotiabank Centre was unveiled in September 2014, plans to use funding received from the naming rights partnership for capital reinvestment in the facility were also announced.