Centre 200 Centre 200 is Cape Breton ' s primary sports and entertainment facility , located in Sydney , Nova Scotia . It is home to the QMJHL ' s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the NSMMHL ' s Cape Breton Tradesmen . Besides ice hockey , the arena hosts many other events , such as rock concerts , figure skating , and antique / custom car shows . The facility features an obstruction free sports arena that seats 5 , 000 people , expandable seating to 6 , 500 for concert hall purposes , and exhibit space of 17000 sq . ft . with the possibility of another 3000 sq . ft . upon removal of telescopic seating . History . Notable Events . Centre 200 was conceived as a bicentennial project of the municipality , and was constructed on the former site of the old " Sydney Forum " in the downtown area . The venue opened in 1987 , and hosted a concert by musician Bryan Adams as its first major event . It was the primary sporting venue for the 1987 Canada Winter Games and hosted the opening ceremonies which were attended by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney . From 1988 to 1996 , the arena was home to professional ice hockey , the American Hockey League ' s Cape Breton Oilers , until the parent Edmonton Oilers elected to relocate the team to Hamilton , Ontario . In 1993 , the Oilers won the AHL ' s Calder Cup championship in front of a sellout crowd at Centre 200 . In 1993 and 1994 , the arena was home to the Cape Breton Breakers of the National Basketball League ( Canada ) . The NBL folded on July 9 , 1994 . The arena hosted the MJAHL ' s Cape Breton Islanders for the 1996 - 97 season . Prior to the 1997 – 98 QMJHL season , the Granby Prédateurs , winners of the 1996 Memorial Cup , relocated from Granby , Quebec to Sydney , Nova Scotia and were renamed the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles . The team , which won a division title in 2003 – 04 , remains Centre 200 ' s primary tenant to this day . Future National Hockey League stars such as Sidney Crosby , Marc - André Fleury , and Vincent Lecavalier have skated at Centre 200 as QMJHL players . In March , 2000 , Centre 200 hosted the 2000 Esso Canadian National Championship for women ' s ice hockey , during which Ontario defeated Quebec to win the gold medal . Centre 200 co - hosted the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , along with the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax , Nova Scotia . The arena is very popular for community ice hockey , annually hosting both the " Sydney Academy Blue and White Pepsi Challenge Cup " and the " Royal Canadian Legion Bantam AAA Challenge Cup " . The tournaments and games provide hospitality for teams from all over Nova Scotia and generally draw large crowds . The arena is also home to the Cape Breton Tradesmen of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League . Centre 200 hosted the " 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft " , which was projected to inject over $ 2 million into the local economy . The arena also hosted game one of the 2008 ADT Canada - Russia Challenge in November 2008 . In March , 2009 , it was announced that major renovations would occur to the arena , thanks to financial contributions from the Provincial and federal governments , the municipality and $ 500 , 000 from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles . Renovations include a new video scoreboard , 13 luxury boxes and new club seating . It is anticipated that the renovations will increase the building ' s capacity to over 5 , 000 . Naming . Centre 200 is named in honour of the two - hundredth anniversary of the founding of Sydney , which took place in 1785 . In the original vision , the venue was to have a larger seating capacity and be named " Centre 2000 " but funding issues led to a smaller venue than originally proposed . Location . Centre 200 is located on George Street , which lies in the heart of Sydney . The arena is connected to a Casino Nova Scotia which was added in 1995 , and hosts a Tim Hortons restaurant within its parking lot , generally bringing good business to both venues when Centre 200 hosts an event . However , frequent traffic congestion and shortage of convenient parking spaces has drawn criticism from attendees .