HSBC Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| HSBC Arena | |
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| Location | One Seymour Knox III Plaza Buffalo, New York 14203 |
| Opened | September 21, 1996 |
| Owner | Niagara Frontier Hockey LP |
| Construction cost | $127.5 million |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket |
| Former names | |
| Marine Midland Arena (1996-1999) | |
| Tenants | |
| Buffalo Sabres (NHL) (1996-present) Buffalo Bandits (NLL) (1996-present) Buffalo Destroyers (AFL) (1999-2003) Buffalo Blizzard (NPSL) (1996-2001) Buffalo Wings (RHI) (1997-1999) |
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| Seats | |
| Hockey: 18,690 | |
The HSBC Arena is a sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Buffalo, New York, USA. It is home to the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team. The arena also hosts concerts and is used regularly for college basketball games, including opening-round games of the NCAA basketball tournament and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments (1997, 1999, 2001, 2005). It recently has been used for wrestling as well, hosting Fully Loaded 1999, WCW Fall Brawl 2000, and the 2005 WWE Great American Bash. It is also the former home of the Buffalo Destroyers, Buffalo Blizzard and Buffalo Wings. It additionally was the host of the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four.
The HSBC Arena opened on September 21, 1996, replacing the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Its original name was the Crossroads Arena; however, this was changed to Marine Midland Arena before the first game had even been played there. The Marine Midland Bank, which was part of the HSBC banking group, had purchased the naming rights. In 1999, as part of HSBC's worldwide corporate rebranding, the arena's name was changed to The HSBC Arena, when the US bank's name became HSBC Bank USA N.A.. This name change coincided with the playing of the first college basketball tournament game in the arena's history. It has been occasionally referred to by Buffalo residents as The Marina (a portmanteau of Marine Midland Arena), Fort Knox (a reference to the Sabres original owners Seymour and Northrup Knox) or "The Bank" (a reference to HSBC Bank). The press box in the arena is named after former Sabres broadcaster and Hockey Hall of Fame member Ted Darling.
For sporting events, the arena can seat 18,690 spectators. In the event that the arena is being used for a concert, basketball game, or similar event, the total number would increase - accounting for seats or standing space on the arena's floor. Both sporting events and concerts at the arena are served by the Special Events station of the Buffalo Metro Rail.
[edit] Jumbotron accident
On November 16, 1996, the arena's Jumbotron, an eight-sided scoreboard, fell to the ice while it was being remotely moved minutes after a few players ended practice and hours before an NHL hockey game. No one was injured, and the game was postponed.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 1970–1996 |
Home of the Buffalo Sabres 1996–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Current arenas in the National Lacrosse League | ||
| Eastern Division | Western Division | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Centre | Blue Cross Arena | HSBC Arena | Madison Square Garden1 | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum2 | Sears Centre | Wachovia Center | Xcel Energy Center | HP Pavilion | Jobing.com Arena | Pengrowth Saddledome | Pepsi Center | Rexall Place | Rose Garden Arena | |
| 1The New York Titans play four of their home games at Madison Square Garden. 2The New York Titans play four of their home games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. |
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Categories: 1996 establishments | Buffalo Sabres | Sports in Buffalo, New York | Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York | Indoor arenas in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | Indoor lacrosse venues in the United States | National Hockey League venues | College basketball venues | Professional wrestling venues | MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament Venues | NCAA Men's Frozen Four venues | HSBC
