Honda Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Honda Center | |
|---|---|
| "The Pond" | |
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| Location | 2685 E. Katella Avenue Anaheim, California 92806 |
| Broke ground | June 1991 |
| Opened | June 19, 1993 |
| Owner | City of Anaheim |
| Operator | Anaheim Arena Management, LLC |
| Construction cost | $123 million |
| Architect | HOK Sport |
| Former names | |
| Anaheim Arena (1993) Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (1993-2006) |
|
| Tenants | |
| Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) (occasional games 1994-1999) Anaheim Ducks (NHL) (1993-present) Anaheim Bullfrogs (RHI) (1993-1997) Anaheim Splash (CISL) (1994-1997) Anaheim Piranhas (AFL) (1996-1997) Anaheim Storm (NLL) (2003-2005) |
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| Capacity | |
| Basketball: 17,600 Hockey: 17,174 Concert: 18,325 Theatre: 8,400 |
|
Honda Center, previously known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, is an indoor arena in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and was home of the former NLL's Anaheim Storm, which folded in 2005. Originally named the Anaheim Arena, it was completed in 1993 at a cost of $123 million. Arrowhead Water paid $15 million for the naming rights over 10 years in October 1993. [1] Honda later acquired the naming rights to the arena which changed its name in October 2006.
It opened on June 19, 1993, its first event a Barry Manilow concert. Since then, it has been host to a number of events, such as the Stanley Cup Finals (2003), various WWE events such as WrestleMania XII, WrestleMania 2000 (XVI), and the Royal Rumble in 1999, UFC 59, and UFC 63. It has also hosted concerts, such as Aerosmith, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Coldplay, U2, Shakira, Madonna, Phil Collins, Queen, Britney Spears, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and many more. From 1994 to 1998, it served as a second home for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. Also served as the home arena for the Anaheim Bullfrogs of Roller Hockey International from 1993 to 1999 and for the Anaheim Piranhas of the Arena Football League from 1996 to 1997. It also hosts the annual John R. Wooden Classic (since 1994). The arena has also hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament three times as the West Regional site - 1998, 2001, and 2003. It will host the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional site in 2008. It even hosted the Frozen Four in 1999, underscoring the popularity of hockey in the region. It will host the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament in 2008.
Honda Center lies northeast across California State Route 57 from Angel Stadium (where Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play) and roughly 5 miles from Disneyland.
The arena seats up 17,174 for its primary tenant, the Ducks. There are 84 luxury suites in the building, which has hosted 17.5 million people as of 2003.
Broadcom chairman and billionaire Henry Samueli owns the company that operates the arena, Anaheim Arena Management, LLC, and the arena's primary tenant, the Ducks, giving him great flexibility in scheduling events and recruiting new tenants. Samueli hopes to bring an NBA franchise to the arena.
[edit] Notes
- Honda Center was used as the site of the fictional Junior Goodwill Games in the film D2: The Mighty Ducks.
- Honda Center was the site of the fictional 2006 Democratic National Convention in the TV series The West Wing.
- It takes only five hours to convert Honda Center from a sporting arena to an 8,400-seat amphitheater.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by first arena |
Home of the Anaheim Ducks 1993–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Hartford Civic Center |
Host of WrestleMania XII 1996 |
Succeeded by Rosemont Horizon |
| Preceded by First Union Center |
Host of WrestleMania 2000 (XVI) 2000 |
Succeeded by Reliant Astrodome |
Categories: Amphitheaters | 1993 establishments | Indoor arenas in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | Indoor lacrosse venues in the United States | Anaheim Ducks | Sports venues in Greater Los Angeles | Sports venues in California | National Hockey League venues | Sports in Anaheim | Sports in Los Angeles | NCAA Men's Frozen Four venues
