Blue Cross Arena
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2013) |
The War Memorial | |
Full name | Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial |
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Former names | Rochester Civic Center Arena (planning/construction) Rochester Community War Memorial (1955–1998) |
Address | 1 War Memorial Square |
Location | Rochester, New York |
Coordinates | 43°09′13.3″N 77°36′38.8″W / 43.153694°N 77.610778°W |
Owner | City of Rochester |
Operator | Buffalo Sabres (Rochester Arena LLC) |
Executive suites | 25 |
Capacity | Hockey: 10,662[1] Lacrosse: 10,662[2] End stage 180°: 10,877 End stage 270°: 11,352 End stage 360°: 12,428 In the Round: 12,906 General Admission: 14,000 Floor Size: 85' wide x 200' deep Seating Configuration:
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Website | |
Venue Website |
Blue Cross Arena, also known as the War Memorial, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rochester, New York. For hockey and lacrosse, its seating capacity is 10,662. The arena opened on October 18, 1955, as the Rochester Community War Memorial. It was renovated in the mid-1990s and reopened as The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, on September 18, 1998. It is home to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League.
History
The arena was built on a downtown site as a replacement for
On March 13, 1996, renovations to expand the arena took place, eliminating the permanent stage at the south end of the building. On July 24, 1998,
Blue Cross Arena's portable stage, which measures 80 feet deep by 80 feet wide, is said to be deeper than, and is nearly the same size as, the proscenium stage at Radio City Music Hall across the state in New York City.
Notable events
The first event at the facility was a public trade show held in the exhibition hall and featured such famous Rochester-based companies as
.It hosted the 1956 NBA All-Star Game, the two-month finals of the American Bowling Congress tournament in both 1956 and 1966.
A semifinal game and the final game of the
On July 28, 2007, the CIFL Championship Game was held in the arena. It was the first arena football game played in the venue since the Rochester Brigade folded in 2003.[14]
Local high school basketball games are played here, most notably the New York State Public High School Section V (5) Championships at the end of each season. Additionally, the arena is the home of high school cheerleading championships each year. The arena also hosts college basketball, and Section V hockey and wrestling.
On Saturday and Sunday, March 8–9, 2008, the Blue Cross Arena played host to the 46th NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships, just the second time the annual interscholastic event has been held in the Rochester area.[15]
The arena attendance record of 11,650 was set December 3, 2003 when
In 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.[16]
On May 18, 2019, the arena held their first MMA event UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee.
In addition to sporting events, the arena hosts a wide variety of entertainment events, including live concerts, ice shows and the circus.
On November 1, 1965, The Rolling Stones played here in a concert that lasted only 7 minutes, when several thousand fans rushed the stage causing police to cancel the show.[17] On August 9, 1971, The Who played at the War Memorial just five days before releasing their classic album "Who's Next".[18] Led Zeppelin played to a standing room audience concert on September 11, 1971.[19] The Grateful Dead's performance, on November 5, 1977, was recorded and later released as a live album, entitled Dick's Picks Volume 34. Part of the Grateful Dead's performance on September 2, 1980 is included as bonus tracks on Dick's Picks Volume 21. The band performed at the arena ten times between 1973 and 1985.
Footage from Phish's documentary Bittersweet Motel, was filmed here on December 11, 1997.
Ice hockey
Aside from the Rochester Americans, who play their home games in the arena, the Blue Cross Arena has played host to several notable ice hockey events and games. On November 12, 2003, the Buffalo Sabres and the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils played the first National Hockey League regular season game in the venue. The game was made possible by then Sabres owner Tom Golisano, who hails from Rochester, and featured two Rochester natives: Brian Gionta of the Devils and Rory Fitzpatrick of the Sabres. It ended in a 2–2 tie. A second regular season game was held at the arena on October 26, 2005, with the Sabres falling to the Washington Capitals, 3–2 with 8,552 in attendance.[20]
On March 23, 2006,
The Rochester Institute of Technology men's hockey team has played periodic regular-season games at Blue Cross Arena instead of at their smaller on-campus rink, due to the large capacity.[22] The RIT women's hockey team hosted an exhibition game at the arena on October 16, 2021 after the Gene Polisseni Center was temporarily shut down for an ammonia leak.[23]
Every year, the Blue Cross Arena hosts regular season Section V high school hockey games and the Section V Basketball championship.
See also
References
- ^ "2019-20 American Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book" (PDF). theahl.com. American Hockey League. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "2019-20 Media Guide" (PDF). nll.com. National Lacrosse League. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Box Office Hours". Blue Cross Arena. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- ^ "Pictures From Scrapbook". Oklahoma State University. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-7385-7250-5.
- ^ Mac, Notorious Eddie (October 6, 2016). "This Day In Wrestling History October 6 Gorilla Monsoon Passes Away". Cageside Seats. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ City of Rochester Agreement 021363 June 28, 1995 and AIA Doc. C141 September 15, 1995
- ^ "Owner of Bills and Amerks will start running Blue Cross Arena next month". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ "5 things we know about the Blue Cross Arena improvements". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
- ^ "ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments". Varsity Pride. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "1978 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments". Varsity Pride. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "1977-78 Independent Season Summary". Sports-Reference. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ Weinstein, Matt (July 29, 2007). "Raiders Wear CIFL Crown". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "History/Venues of Wrestling Championships". New York State Public High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ "2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions takes center stage beginning Sept. 15". usagym.org. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ https://www.democratandchronicle.com/get-access/? return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democratandchronicle.com%2Fpicture-gallery%2Fnews%2F2015%2F03%2F31%2Fpolice-halt-rolling-stones-show-in-rochester-in-1965%2F70728614%2F
- ^ "The Concert History of Rochester, New York, United States. | Concert Archives".
- ^ Democrat and Chronicle
- ^ "Kolzig Has Easy Night as Caps Get by Sabres". ESPN. Associated Press. October 26, 2005. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ Oklobzija, Kevin (March 28, 2007). "NCAA Hopeful Hockey Will Heat Up Here". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ Follaco, John (October 19, 2007). "Tigers Hockey Hits Blue Cross Arena". University News. Rochester Institute of Technology. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "Saturday's Women's Hockey exhibition vs. Cornell moved to Blue Cross Arena". Rochester Institute of Technology.
External links
Events and tenants | ||
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Preceded by | Home of the Rochester Royals 1955–1957 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1956 |
Succeeded by |