Stockton Arena

Stockton Arena
The Arena
Location 248 West Fremont Street
Stockton, CA 95203
Owner City of Stockton
Operator SMG
Capacity Concert (center stage): 11,800
Concert (end stage): 10,414 Basketball: 11,193
Ice Hockey/Indoor Soccer: 9,737
Arena Football: 9,763
Surface Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground April 17, 2004[1]
Opened December 2, 2005
Construction cost $68 million
($82.1 million in 2015 dollars[2])
Architect 360 Architecture
Structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates[3]
Services engineer Flack + Kurtz Inc.[3]
General contractor Swinerton Builders[4]
Tenants
Stockton Heat (AHL) (2015–future)
Stockton Thunder (ECHL) (2005–2015)
California Eagles (AIF) (2012)
Stockton Lightning (AF2) (2006–2009)
Stockton Wolves (Independent) (2011)
California Cougars (MISL/PASL-Pro) (2005–2011)

Stockton Arena is an indoor arena in Stockton, California. It opened in December 2005 and seats a maximum of 12,000 fans.

It is the home venue of the Stockton Thunder ECHL professional hockey team. Former tenants include the Stockton Lightning arenafootball2 team, the Stockton Cougars Professional Arena Soccer League team, the Stockton Wolves independent indoor football team, and the California Eagles American Indoor Football professional indoor football team.

Between January 29-30, 2015, it was announced the arena will be home to the Stockton Heat for the 2015-16 season of the American Hockey League who are the relocated Adirondack Flames from Glens Falls, New York [5] Affiliated with the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, the Heat will replace the Thunder, who are moving to Glens Falls, New York to become the Adirondack Thunder for the 2015-16 season of the ECHL.[6]

The Stockton Arena is part of a downtown, waterfront entertainment center which includes Stockton Ballpark, the home of the Stockton Ports minor league baseball team and the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel.

History

The Arena is part of a master-planned waterfront design on the western edge of the downtown Central Business District. The 360 Architecture designed venue is situated next to the Stockton Ballpark. A multi-purpose sporting and event center, the arena was envisioned as part of the region's quality of life improvements. Construction delays and inclement weather caused the Stockton Thunder and California Cougars to play on extended road trips during the beginning of their 2005/2006 season. Stockton Arena opened its doors to the public on December 2, 2005 with a Neil Diamond concert.  The first sporting event was a Stockton Thunder hockey game on December 10, 2005 in front of a sold out crowd of 10,117, a game where the Thunder beat the Phoenix RoadRunners, 4-0. [7]

Events

The Stockton Arena hosted the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game, World Wrestling Entertainment house shows for both SmackDown/ECW and Raw, and the July 26, 2008 EliteXC: Unfinished Business MMA event.

On March 15, 2009, The California Cougars won their first ever league championship in the Stockton Arena, as the 2008-2009 PASL-Pro North American Champions.[8]

On December 9, 2009, The Arena hosted the "Stockton Showcase" which featured a matchup between the Nationally Ranked California Golden Bears and the Pacific Tigers men's Basketball teams in front 8,704 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a Pacific Tigers basketball game in Stockton.[9]

On June 19, 2014, the San Jose Sharks announced that the arena would host a split-squad exhibition game featuring the Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks on September 23, 2014. Sharks won 5-3.

References

  1. Cooper, Audrey (April 17, 2004). "Groundbreaking a Tribute to Brownfields Cleanup". Stockton Record. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  2. Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Architectural Record - Stockton Arena
  4. California Arena Shipshape For Debut
  5. "AHL Board of Governors Announces Major Moves". AHL. January 29, 2015.
  6. "ECHL Board of Governors Announces Major Moves". ECHL. January 30, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  7. Stockton Arena - Stockton Thunder
  8. Dhillon, Jagdip (April 7, 2009). "Cougars Sale Official". Stockton Record. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  9. Highfill, Bob (December 10, 2009). "More Than Shots, Fouls: Pacific Takes Another Step Beyond Campus Borders in 'Showcase'". Stockton Record. Retrieved May 28, 2012.

External links

Coordinates: 37°57′22″N 121°17′46″W / 37.956077°N 121.296116°W