HSBC ARENA

'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, and the 2005 WWE Great American Bash.
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.

Contents

History

Jumbotron accident

External links

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'' (a portmanteau of Marine Midland Arena), ''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. Currently, the Sabres broadcasters are Rick Jeanneret and Jim Lorentz.

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 a game between the Sabres and Boston Bruins. Nobody was injured, but the game was postponed.

External links

★ Official Website of The HSBC Arena