HSBC Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| HSBC Arena | |
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| Location | One Seymour Knox III Plaza Buffalo, New York, 14203-3096 |
| Opened | September 21, 1996 |
| Owner | Hockey Western New York, LLC |
| Construction cost | $127.5 million |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket |
| Former names | Crossroads Arena (Planning-1996) 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) |
| Capacity | Hockey: 18,690 Concerts: 18,500 Basketball: 19,200 |
HSBC Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in downtown Buffalo, New York, USA. It is home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. The arena was the home of the Buffalo Destroyers of the Arena Football League, the Buffalo Blizzard of the National Professional Soccer League II, and the Buffalo Wings of Roller Hockey International during each team's brief existence.
The arena also hosts concerts and is used regularly for college basketball games. It has been home to the NCAA (2000, 2004, 2007) and MAAC (1997, 1999, 2001, 2005) men's basketball tournaments. In 2003 the Arena hosted the Frozen Four NCAA Ice Hockey tournament. In addition, HSBC Arena has been used for wrestling, hosting WWF Fully Loaded 1999, WCW Fall Brawl 2000, the 2005 WWE Great American Bash and the 2008 WWE Armageddon.
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] History
HSBC Arena opened September 21, 1996, replacing the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. It was known during construction as Crossroads Arena. However, naming rights were sold to Marine Midland Bank, part of the HSBC banking group, and the building was renamed Marine Midland Arena before the first game had been played. In 1999, as part of HSBC's worldwide corporate rebranding, the arena's name was changed to HSBC Arena. 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 and Fort Knox (a reference to the Sabres original owners Seymour and Northrup Knox). The press box in the arena is named after former Sabres broadcaster and Hockey Hall of Fame member Ted Darling.
In time for the Buffalo Sabres' 2007–2008 season, a new scoreboard manufactured by Daktronics was installed. In addition the four main speaker racks were removed and replaced and two additional speaker racks were added. The new scoreboard features four large high-definition video screens, surrounded by two 360-degree LED ribbon boards. The bottom of the board features large Buffalo Sabres logos with giant sabres crossed behind them. The handles of the sabres are lit with blue LED lights. The Sabres logos shoot smoke out of the Buffalo's nostrils every time a goal is scored. The last major update for the 2007–2008 season was the addition of two lighted Sabres logos in the upper level of the pavilion on the wall either side of the Sports Headlines bar.
[edit] Jumbotron accident
On November 16, 1996, the arena's first Jumbotron, an eight-sided scoreboard made by Daktronics, fell to the ice while it was being remotely moved minutes after a few players ended practice and hours before a game between the Sabres and Boston Bruins. Nobody was injured, but the game was postponed. The scoreboard was replaced later that season.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
Home of the Buffalo Sabres 1996 – present |
Succeeded by current |
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