Misplaced Pages

#680319

68-575: The Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was a public works project designed by Green & James to replace the aging Broadway Auditorium and Fort Erie 's recently collapsed Peace Bridge Arena . In June 1938, city officials sent a loan and grant application to the Public Works Administration for funds to build the structure. The approval of the $ 1.2 million grant was announced in Washington, D.C., on October 7, 1938. Construction at

136-607: A $ 1.5 million overhaul of the landmark theater's heating and cooling system. Asbestos removal and other environmental remediation took place in late 2008 and the expected $ 10 million demolition of the Aud began in January 2009. On February 9, 2009, the "Buffalo Memorial Auditorium" entablature above the main entrance fell and much of the front façade met the same fate soon afterward. The "Farewell Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Ceremony" took place on June 30, 2009, at 1:30 pm when officials opened

204-669: A 3–0 loss. The arena hosted games three, four, and six of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals , where the Sabres faced the Philadelphia Flyers . Eventually, the Flyers would win their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship in game six at the arena. This was the only Stanley Cup Finals appearance made at the Auditorium. On January 4, 1976, the Sabres played Krylya Sovetov as part of the " Super Series " of exhibitions between

272-486: A boulevard in the old canal bend, waterfront parks and relocation, if not removal, of the New York Central tracks. Visible proof of these good intentions is construction of the new hall, which is being watched daily by hundreds of citizens. Built for $ 2.7 million, Memorial Auditorium's grand opening celebration took place on October 14, 1940. The dedication event was a luncheon attended by 3,000 people, including

340-495: A lot of places today. The people felt like they were a part of the team and we felt like they were a part of our success. That was the special thing about Memorial Auditorium. I don't think anything like that can ever be replaced. — Lindy Ruff Memorial Auditorium hosted the NHL All-Star Game on January 24, 1978. Two members of the Sabres' " French Connection " line— Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin —played for

408-451: A memorial to the Aud. The salvaged items include art deco flag holders, limestone eagles, a time capsule as well as a number of blue and orange level seats, which were sold at auction. The city also salvaged ten cylindrical stainless steel "ice tanks" that helped maintain chilly conditions at ice level during hockey season and cooled spectators during warmer weather. In 2007, the city moved them to Shea's Performing Arts Center as part of

476-623: A memorial to the Auditorium. A statue of the chain's founder and namesake , who played at the arena during his time with the Buffalo Sabres, occupies the corner of the site facing the restaurant. Before the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League came to Buffalo, college basketball was Memorial Auditorium's most popular sporting event. On December 11, 1940, the Auditorium hosted its first college basketball game when Canisius College played

544-519: A parking garage. Construction began in early 2013, while the restaurants and rinks opened in late October 2014. The elevated walkway connecting the KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter buildings was completed and opened in early 2015, while the Marriott hotel opened in the summer of 2015. Also, after the 2011-12 Buffalo Sabres season , the Sabres added 380 seats, mainly as an additional row in

612-725: A presence at the venue by staging an annual series of preseason exhibitions called the NBA Classic : The basketball events of the World University Games were held at the venue in July 1993. The United States defeated Canada in the gold medal game 95–90 before a crowd of 11,000. The American Hockey League 's Buffalo Bisons played 30 seasons at the Memorial Auditorium, beginning with the 1940–41 season . The Bisons won five Calder Cup championships, with

680-621: Is a 10' high bronze statue of The French Connection . These renovations were completed in October 2012. The sixth update included multiple changes, including modifying the entrance pavilion due to the LECOM Harborcenter construction. That building is attached to the arena by an elevated walkway. LECOM Harborcenter is a mid-rise building with 2 hockey rinks, a Marriott hotel, retail space, IMPACT Training facility, restaurants including 716 Food and Sport and flagship Tim Hortons and

748-621: The 1998 NHL Entry Draft and the 2016 NHL Entry Draft . The arena hosted games three, four, and six of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals . In 2003, the arena hosted the Frozen Four NCAA Ice Hockey tournament. From December 2010 to January 2011, the arena hosted the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament. During the 2012 NHL lockout , the arena hosted several Rochester Americans games and continues to host occasional Americans games at

SECTION 10

#1732772602681

816-634: The Atlanta Hawks . Professional basketball returned to the Aud in 1970 with the National Basketball Association 's Buffalo Braves . The Braves were a modest success but often found the competing interests of the Sabres and the Little Three college teams made it difficult to schedule home games. The Braves moved to San Diego in 1978 and then to Los Angeles in 1984, where they are now the Los Angeles Clippers . The NBA retained

884-677: The CBC Television Hockey Night in Canada broadcast of the 2008 NHL Winter Classic showed the arena's seating bowl and floor were virtually untouched. Notably, the advertisements on the boards from the final Sabres game in 1996 against the Hartford Whalers and the scoreboard above center ice remained. The door to the Sabres' penalty box was gone, as it had been presented as a memento to notable Sabres enforcer Rob Ray . The city abandoned its plans to repurpose

952-530: The University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College , other teams such as Cornell University took part. Over time, the rivalry among the " Little Three " colleges—Niagara, Canisius, and St. Bonaventure—came to dominate the Auditorium's college basketball schedule. Throughout the 1950s, the three schools were all national powers, and their games at Memorial Auditorium drew strong local and national interest. The National Basketball League 's Buffalo Bisons were

1020-515: The University at Buffalo Bulls met the Central Collegiate Hockey Association 's Ohio State University . Ohio State won the game 5–2. Roller Hockey International 's Buffalo Stampede called the Aud home from 1994 to 1995, winning the league championship in their first season. The Buffalo Bandits of Major Indoor Lacrosse League played in the Aud from the 1992 season until the arena's closure. Winners of

1088-420: The University of Oregon . Interest in college basketball grew after World War II, and the first college basketball sellout crowd occurred in the 1946–1947 season when 11,029 spectators saw Canisius lose to Notre Dame . Ten days later, a record 11,891 watched Canisius defeat Niagara 52–44. While the teams were typically from Western New York, including Canisius, Niagara University , St. Bonaventure University ,

1156-581: The WWF Intercontinental Championship during a WWF Superstars of Wrestling taping at the venue on June 2, 1987. The inaugural Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show was held at the venue on June 7, 1996, and was headlined by The Giant defeating Sting to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . DiPaolo had died the previous year after being struck by a car. It was the final sporting event at

1224-572: The Wales Conference . Both had a significant impact: Martin scored a goal with 1:39 remaining in regulation to tie the game at 2–2 and force overtime, and Perreault scored the game-winning goal 3:55 into overtime to defeat the Campbell Conference 3–2. The Edmonton Oilers ' Wayne Gretzky made NHL history at the Aud on February 24, 1982, when he scored a natural hat trick during the game's final seven minutes to help defeat

1292-494: The 200 level, to raise the arena's capacity to 19,070. This number is symbolic of the team's founding in 1970. In 2013, the Buffalo Sabres announced that all 80 luxury suites would be renovated over a 3-year period. All suites will now feature the Sabres Blue and Gold color scheme, 50" TVs, new carpeting, new furniture and gathering islands. Construction began on this project in July 2013. The seventh update took place during

1360-547: The Aud as a Bass Pro Shops store on March 29, 2007, when Bass Pro announced it would construct a new building on the site after the auditorium's demolition. In December 2007, the city sold the Aud to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation for $ 1 in hopes it would lead to asbestos removal and demolition. All salvageable items were to be removed and sold or stored. The sales of these artifacts, especially of seats, would help pay for

1428-428: The Aud's original design included: The Aud's seats were mostly made of white ash, but the gold seats were converted to padded cushion seats. From top to bottom (floor level), the seating colors went orange, blue (originally grey), red and gold. In 1974, the city added five seats, increasing capacity for hockey in the 1974–1975 season to 15,863. After the hockey season, the city removed the walls and aisle that separated

SECTION 20

#1732772602681

1496-548: The Auditorium through the 1995–96 season , when they moved to nearby Marine Midland Arena, now known as KeyBank Center . Michael Peca scored the last in-game goal at the Aud while Pat LaFontaine put in a ceremonial goal after the 4–1 win over the Hartford Whalers . It was the last arena where the ice sheet fell short of the league-mandated 200 feet (61 m) by 85 feet (26 m) size (though Maple Leaf Gardens had irregularly shaped corners). College hockey made its modern debut at Memorial Auditorium on January 23, 1972, when

1564-616: The Auditorium's first year attendance was 1.3 million. An $ 8.7 million renovation took place after the 1970–71 inauguration of the Sabres and Braves franchises, making it a more suitable home for the NHL and NBA . The arena's roof was raised 24 feet (7.3 m) to make room for an upper level that increased the arena's capacity from 10,449 for hockey to over 17,000 for basketball and 15,360 for hockey in 1971–72, to 15,668 for hockey in 1972–73, and to 15,858 for hockey in 1973–74. Other changes to

1632-545: The Blues and Uwe Krupp of the Sabres crashed hard into the goal crease during play. As they collided, Tuttle's skate blade hit the right front side of Malarchuk's neck, severing his carotid artery and partially cutting his jugular vein.[2] The venue hosted the 1991 NHL Entry Draft , notable for Eric Lindros being selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques and refusing to sign with the team. The Sabres occupied

1700-570: The Computing and Communications Center (1912, originally known as Comstock Hall), Fernow Hall (1915), and the original Roberts Hall (1906, demolished 1990). Green's best-known commissions were designed with his partner William Sydney Wicks (1854–1917), as Green & Wicks . The firm's chronology is: The firm's records survive in the library collections of the Buffalo History Museum . A number of their works are listed on

1768-747: The MILL title in 1992, 1993 , and 1996 , the Bandits are now a member of the National Lacrosse League and play at KeyBank Center . Major Soccer League 's Buffalo Stallions attracted 11,028 to their home debut at the Aud against the Philadelphia Fever on December 7, 1979. The team played in the venue until 1984. Soccer legend Eusébio notably finished his career playing for the Stallions in their inaugural season. The Aud

1836-726: The NCAA in 2026. The arena was the centerpiece of a longshot bid to bring the National Basketball Association back to Buffalo by luring the Vancouver Grizzlies ; the Grizzlies instead relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001. KeyBank Center has hosted professional wrestling events from WCW , WWE , and AEW . This included TV tapings of Monday Nitro , Raw is War , SmackDown , ECW , Superstars , Main Event , NXT , Dynamite , and Rampage . WCW produced

1904-471: The Sabres 6–3. Gretzky broke Phil Esposito 's record for goals in a season (76) with the hat trick's first goal, his 77th of the season. In March 2009, Gretzky visited Buffalo as the Phoenix Coyotes ' head coach and recounted his memories of Memorial Auditorium in an interview with Buffalo News hockey reporter Mike Harrington: As much as the 77th goal was exciting for me as a NHL player, I think

1972-410: The Sabres, Bandits and Blizzard moved to Marine Midland Arena . After 1996, the building remained vacant, although members of Studio Arena Theatre used the floor as a surface for painting backgrounds. During the 2001–02 season , Sabres officials and the city moved items from the Aud's main concourse to the new venue, by then renamed HSBC Arena , including a sign for the "Pour Man's Aud Club" which

2040-568: The Soviet Union's two best club teams— CSKA Moscow and Krylia Sovietov (named "Red Army" and "Soviet Wings" respectively, during the series) and eight of the NHL's top teams. The Sabres' 12–6 victory over the 1974 Soviet league and European Cup champions was the worst defeat ever for a professional Soviet hockey club. The thing about that building was that everyone was so close that you could recognize people just by looking up. You don't get that in

2108-540: The U.S. National Register of Historic Places . Notable works of the Green & Wicks architectural firm include: Notable works of the E.B. Green and Sons architectural firm include: Notable works of the Green & James architectural firm include: KeyBank Center KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York , United States. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena ,

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium - Misplaced Pages Continue

2176-565: The annual Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show at the venue between 1997 and 1999. In addition, the venue hosted several pay-per-view events including Fully Loaded (1999) , Fall Brawl (2000) , The Great American Bash (2005) , Armageddon (2008) , Night of Champions (2011) and Battleground (2013) . On April 8, 2017, KeyBank Center hosted UFC 210: Cormier vs. Johnson 2 , which was the first UFC event held in Buffalo for over 20 years. Performances from Barenaked Ladies ' October 9, 1998 concert at

2244-540: The arena bowl. It replaced the red color used on the team logo from 1996 to 2006. The previous Sabres logo (known infamously as the "Buffaslug", and used from 2006 to 2010) was removed from the scoreboard and replaced with the current logo. All of the original TV sets were replaced with new HDTVs . New food choices were added as part of the upgraded concessions. Signage was replaced or upgraded where needed. Restrooms saw cup holders and HDTVs added for fan convenience. Also, new chimes were added, which sound two minutes prior to

2312-525: The arena took place after the conclusion of the 1998-1999 hockey season. 95 seats were added behind the last row of the 300 level, raising the arena's hockey and lacrosse capacity from 18,595 to 18,690. The second update to the arena took place in 2002–2003, when the Sabres replaced matrix board on the face of the second bowl with a LED ribbon. The original seamless glass boards were also removed, and replaced with boards with clear plastic stanchions, which gave when players were hit into them. The third update to

2380-610: The arena took place prior to the 2007–2008 season. Two illuminated Sabres logos were added in the upper level of the pavilion on both sides of the Sports Headlines bar. Also, new LED ribbon boards were installed in the arena seating bowl in conjunction with the new HD scoreboard manufactured by Daktronics . In addition, the four main speaker racks were removed and replaced and two additional speaker racks were added. The new scoreboard features four large HD video screens, surrounded by two 360-degree LED ribbon boards. The bottom of

2448-400: The arena's name was changed to HSBC Arena, with the official renaming taking place on March 17, 2000. This name change coincided with the playing of the first college basketball tournament game in the arena's history. In 2011, Buffalo-based First Niagara Financial Group reached an agreement to purchase HSBC Bank's upstate New York and Connecticut branch network, including much of the core of

2516-683: The arena. In October 2014, the arena hosted its first Ontario Hockey League contest, a neutral-site game between the Erie Otters (who counted among its players marquee prospect Connor McDavid ) and the Niagara IceDogs . In 2019, the arena hosted the Frozen Four NCAA Ice Hockey tournament again for the first time in 16 years. The NBA carried over their annual preseason contest from Buffalo Memorial Auditorium with annual Toronto Raptors preseason games at

2584-515: The biggest thrill was watching Gilbert Perreault play. I'd come down to the Aud with my dad or a friend and watch the Sabres play with the French Connection line ... There was a great atmosphere in this building, it was always a hockey atmosphere, and it was always fun to watch the Sabres play. During a game at the Memorial Auditorium between the visiting St. Louis Blues and Clint Malarchuk's Buffalo Sabres on March 22, 1989, Steve Tuttle of

2652-525: The board features large Buffalo Sabres logos with giant sabres crossed behind them. The handles of the sabres are lit with blue LEDs. The Sabres logos shoot smoke out of the Buffalo's nostrils every time a Sabres goal is scored or when the Sabres win at home. Later in 2008, a mural was installed in the lower pavilion near the main entrance, containing pictures from the 2008 NHL Winter Classic held at Ralph Wilson Stadium, now known as Highmark Stadium , in nearby Orchard Park . The fourth update took place during

2720-439: The city to agree to build a new venue ( Marine Midland Arena ) and keep the Aud functional until the new arena was complete. The 1990 renovation added designated handicap-accessible seating areas (lowering the seating capacity to 16,325 for hockey), new air conditioning and elevators. The money the city borrowed for these improvements was not repaid until 2001, five years after the Aud closed. The Aud closed in 1996, at which time

2788-591: The copper box time capsule. The structure's final pieces came down in early July 2009. In February 2010, Bass Pro Shops announced that it was no longer pursuing a store in Buffalo, leaving the site vacant. After the Bass Pro Shops decision, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation began to convert the site (known as the Aud Block) into an extension of Canalside with the junction of the old Erie Canal and Main-Hamburg Canal re-dug (although shallower than

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium - Misplaced Pages Continue

2856-624: The first professional basketball franchise to call Memorial Auditorium home. The team featured center Don Otten and coach Nat Hickey , but on December 27, 1946—only 13 games into their inaugural season—owner Ben Kerner moved them to Moline, Illinois . After the 1949 merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America and stops in Milwaukee and St. Louis , the team became

2924-469: The floor and ceiling. Additional new facilities include a state of the art fitness center, new coaching offices, film rooms where players and coaches can watch previous games, and a players lounge with a kitchen and team chef. Also, the new Sabres locker room features a Wall of Fame featuring team history, the names and numbers of retired team jerseys. Limestones that were salvaged from the former Buffalo Memorial Auditorium are surrounded by glass, which features

2992-521: The junction of the Erie Canal and Main-Hamburg Canal began on November 30, 1939. The Auditorium's construction brought a great deal of activity to downtown Buffalo. On December 31, 1939, Buffalo Evening News reporter Nat Gorham wrote: As if overnight the Terrace once more is coming back to life. The massive new hall will be the mainstay, but city planners also want to improve the section with

3060-770: The last coming in 1970 during the franchise's final game. The team folded in 1970 after the National Hockey League awarded Buffalo an expansion team. On May 15, 1973, the Cincinnati Swords , then the Sabres' AHL affiliate, played the final game of the 1973 Calder Cup Finals at the Auditorium. The Swords won the Calder Cup with a 5–1 win over the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in front of 15,019 fans—the largest playoff crowd in AHL history at

3128-604: The mayors of more than 60 local communities. The building was dedicated as a war memorial to those who had perished in World War I . The arena originally seated 12,280 for ice hockey , with an additional 2,000-3,000 seats in the floor area for basketball and other events. Memorial Auditorium's first event—a rally for Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie —took place on October 14, 1940. In its first seven months, events such as auto shows, roller skating, circuses and dog shows drew nearly one million spectators. All told,

3196-431: The names of all team players throughout franchise existence. Visiting team locker rooms were also expanded from 3,230 to 3,511 square feet (300.1 to 326.2 m ). Finally, a new post-game interview room was also built. In addition to the new locker rooms and training facilities, the public spaces within the arena were also upgraded. Also as part of the update, the arena took on the Sabres Blue and Gold color scheme inside

3264-517: The new venue. Canisius College played select home games at the arena from 1996 to 1998, moving there after decades at the Aud. However, they moved all games on campus to the Koessler Center after the 1997–98 season. The arena has been home to the NCAA ( 2000 , 2004 , 2007 , 2010 , 2014 , 2017 , 2022 ) and MAAC (1997, 1999, 2001, 2005) men's basketball tournaments. It will also host

3332-529: The number of light fixtures needed and reducing energy consumption. The arena’s main scoreboard and roof are both being replaced in the spring/summer of 2024. Naming rights were sold to Marine Midland Bank , part of the HSBC banking group in 1996, and the building was renamed Marine Midland Arena before the first game had been played. The bank bought the naming rights for 30 years then to expire in 2026. In 1999, as part of HSBC's worldwide corporate rebranding,

3400-409: The old Marine Midland. While naming rights to HSBC Arena were not included in the sale, First Niagara, HSBC, the Buffalo Sabres and other parties reached an agreement to establish a new naming rights deal with First Niagara. The name of the arena became First Niagara Center that summer, with the official renaming taking place that fall. First Niagara bought the naming rights for 15 years, approximately

3468-523: The opening faceoff each period. This lets fans know to head towards the seating areas. Finally, the Sports Headlines bar has now been replaced by the Labatt Blue Zone. The ice rink itself also saw a multimillion-dollar upgrade with adding a new dehumidifier system and cooling tower. All of the Zamboni machines were replaced and upgraded to feature laser beam leveling. These upgrades improve

SECTION 50

#1732772602681

3536-452: The original canals) and new bridges. The canals that opened in 2014 are frozen for skating and other winter activities by an underground refrigerant plant housed in a rebuilt sub-basement that was part of Memorial Auditorium. In addition, a marker on the canal ice denotes center ice's former location. Across Main Street at LECOM Harborcenter is the one-of-a-kind Tim Hortons restaurant with

3604-484: The quality of the ice surface. Outside, a new LED ribbon board was added to the entrance pavilion which can display upcoming events, scores, and team information, though it was subsequently removed to make way for the construction of a new pedestrian bridge to the adjacent LECOM Harborcenter complex in 2014. The fifth update features the creation of the Tops Markets Alumni Plaza. In July 2012,

3672-467: The remainder of the time that was left on HSBC's naming rights deal with the arena. KeyCorp announced its plans to purchase First Niagara—and thus also the naming rights to the arena—on October 30, 2015. Although exterior signage was installed during the week of August 11, 2016, the renamed KeyBank Center became official on September 19, 2016. The venue hosted its first Buffalo Sabres regular season home game on October 12th, 1996. The arena hosted

3740-412: The space located between the arena's entrance pavilion and the parking ramp saw the concrete bridge columns covered with brick. All of the team members that the Buffalo Sabres have had throughout existence are now featured on plaques that are mounted to the bricks. In addition, fans of the Sabres are able to purchase custom plaques that will be featured alongside the team members. Alumni Plaza's centerpiece

3808-438: The summer and early fall of 2011. The major renovation included the demolition and installation of brand new locker rooms, decor and concession updates as well as fan enhancements. This $ 6 million locker room project led by Cannon Design of Grand Island saw an expansion from 8,000 to 15,220 square feet (743 to 1,414 m ) in size. The new Sabres locker room is designed as a circular room, complete with illuminated team logos on

3876-437: The summer of 2016 on the exterior due to the renaming from First Niagara Center to KeyBank Center. The entrance canopies that featured hockey images were replaced. New exterior signage was installed during the week of August 11, 2016 and KeyBank debuted the rebranded arena on September 19, 2016. Also, a new LED lighting system was installed by Ephesus. This allows the arena to provide better lighting while significantly reducing

3944-610: The time. The Rochester Americans also played several games at the Aud after they became the Sabres' affiliate, including several during their 1987 Calder Cup championship season. The Buffalo Sabres made their Memorial Auditorium debut on October 15, 1970, in a game attended by NHL President Clarence Campbell that began with a ceremonial faceoff between Sabres captain Floyd Smith and Montreal Canadiens captain Jean Béliveau . The Sabres' Roger Crozier made 53 saves in

4012-488: The upper gold and red seating sections. The 570 gold seats the city installed in the vacant space raised the arena's capacity to 16,433 for hockey and over 18,000 for basketball. In the late 1980s, the Buffalo Common Council and mayor James D. Griffin scaled back plans to renovate the Aud after the Sabres' owners made it clear the franchise's long-term viability depended upon a new arena. A compromise led

4080-441: The venue before selling the promotion in 1947 to Ed Don George, who changed the promotion's name to Upstate Athletic Club. WBEN-TV would regularly broadcast Upstate Athletic Club's cards from the venue in 1948. Don George would later sell the promotion to his matchmaker, Ignacio "Pedro" Martinez, in 1955. Ilio DiPaolo , the son-in-law of Martinez, was the promotion's biggest star. WGR-TV broadcast Upstate Athletic Club's cards from

4148-613: The venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center . Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League since 1996, is the largest indoor arena in Western New York , seating 19,070. It replaced the Sabres' former home, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium , where the team played from 1970 to 1996. The venue is also home to the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League . KeyBank Center

SECTION 60

#1732772602681

4216-534: The venue in 1956 as Wrestling from War Memorial Auditorium . Martinez would continue booking shows at The Aud until 1968, when he ran into financial trouble and was forced to promote outside the area. He returned in 1970 with his National Wrestling Federation , but the promotion folded in 1974. Jim Crockett Promotions debuted at the venue on July 19, 1980, with a show headlined by Ric Flair and Sweet Ebony Diamond defeating Greg Valentine and The Iron Sheik . The Honky Tonk Man defeated Ricky Steamboat to win

4284-430: The venue, and set the venue's all-time record for professional wrestling attendance with 14,852. Green %26 James Green & Wicks was an architectural firm of Buffalo, New York . Edward Brodhead Green was an 1878 graduate of Cornell University 's College of Architecture , and designed a number of buildings which made up Cornell's Agriculture Quadrangle, including Bailey Hall (1912), Caldwell Hall (1913),

4352-442: Was abandoned. On November 16, 1996, the arena's first JumboTron , an eight-sided scoreboard made by Daktronics with Sony video screens, fell to the ice while it was being remotely moved. This happened minutes after a few players ended practice and hours before a game between the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins . Nobody was injured, but the game was postponed. The scoreboard was replaced later that season. The first update to

4420-754: Was home to the Buffalo Blizzard of the National Professional Soccer League from 1992 to 1996. In 1974, the Toronto-Buffalo Royals of World Team Tennis called the Aud home for one season. The Auditorium has hosted numerous notable figure skating events: The first sporting event at the venue was a Great Lakes Athletic Club professional wrestling card on October 18, 1940, that was headlined by Ed Don George defeating Joe Savoldi . Great Lakes Athletic Club owner Jack Herman continued booking shows at

4488-592: Was originally known during construction as Crossroads Arena opened September 21, 1996, replacing the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium . The construction cost was $ 127.5 million, (approximately $ 248 million in 2023 dollars). The venue was named after its central downtown location, which was originally proposed as the site of a domed stadium in the 1960s for the Buffalo Bills and a potential Major League Baseball team before that project

4556-661: Was previously home to the Canisius Golden Griffins ( NCAA ), Buffalo Blizzard ( NPSL ), Buffalo Wings ( RHI ) and Buffalo Destroyers ( AFL ). In addition to concerts and professional wrestling, the venue has hosted major events including the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament , 1999 Stanley Cup Finals , 2003 Frozen Four , 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , 2012 NLL All-Star Game , 2016 NHL Draft , UFC 210 , 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and 2019 Frozen Four . What

4624-501: Was reincarnated at the new venue. In 2003, the Sabres filmed a 30-minute infomercial inside the Aud to promote season ticket sales. While the production showed the arena was intact, it was without utilities and the crew had to supply all light and electrical sources. The Aud continued to deteriorate after the 2003 production visit. Water pipes ruptured, moisture began to take its toll and the city's lax monitoring led to graffiti, vandalism and theft of many artifacts. A segment aired during

#680319