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30-861: The Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium is a 3,860-seat multi-purpose arena in Utica, New York , with a capacity of 5,700 for concerts. Nicknamed the Aud , it is the home arena of the Utica Comets , the AHL affiliate of the NHL 's New Jersey Devils , and Utica City FC of the Major Arena Soccer League . In 2011, the Utica Memorial Auditorium was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by

60-569: A five-year commitment, if the county government would make specific changes to its arena. New Jersey Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello , in a letter to the members of the Lowell Devils Booster Club, stated that changes presented in the lease with Lowell made it "financially impossible" to stay. On May 10, 2010, the county legislature voted 35–2 to spend $ 1.6 million to replace the scoreboard, add ribbon board advertising, and improve exterior lighting. On June 10, 2010,

90-528: A multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as the Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as a synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such a facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with

120-608: A professional indoor soccer team — called Utica City Football Club , or UCFC for short — that will play home games at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium beginning with the 2018–19 season. The team had previously been known as the Syracuse Silver Knights. The Nexus Canter, a new sports facility attached to the Adirondack Bank Center, was completed in 2022. In 2023, Utica University purchased its naming rights, rebranding it

150-421: Is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate

180-497: The American Society of Civil Engineers in recognition of its innovative cable suspended roof. The Utica Memorial Auditorium was conceived by then-Utica mayor John T. McKennan , who believed that the city needed a place for entertainment and sporting events. McKennan and the administration that he hired to plan out the process, led by Frank M. Romano, then hired Gilbert Seltzer, a well-known architect, to draw up plans for

210-797: The Binghamton Senators . On April 4, 2016, the Times Union Center and its managing group SMG announced they had reached an agreement with the New Jersey Devils to extend the lease of its AHL affiliate through the 2018–19 season. However, on January 25, 2017, it was reported that the Albany Devils would move to replace the departing Binghamton Senators in Binghamton, New York , in the 2017–18 season. The Binghamton Devils were announced on January 31. At

240-400: The Aud. The "72" is in honor of the 72 cables that have held up the roof of the Adirondack Bank Center for more than 50 years. On June 1, 2018, the Adirondack Bank Center hosted UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes . On June 13, 2018, Mohawk Valley Garden CEO Rob Esche and Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) commissioner Joshua Schaub, along with other officials, announced that Utica will field

270-944: The Comets played at "The Aud", losing 4–1 to the Albany Devils in front of a sold out crowd. Frank Corrado scored the first Comet goal on home ice. In addition to the Comets, the auditorium plays host to the Utica University Pioneers men's and women's ice hockey teams that play in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference of the NCAA Division III , the Skating Club of Utica, the Jr. Comets youth hockey program and several high school varsity ice hockey teams . It

300-719: The Devils used the Albany River Rats as their top minor league team. Ahead of the 2017–18 AHL season , the Devils moved to Binghamton, New York , and became the Binghamton Devils . On February 10, 2010, Albany River Rats owner Walter L. Robb sold his team to MAK Hockey LLC, led by Charlotte beer distributor Michael Kahn , owner of the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL . It was then announced that

330-629: The Greater Utica Industrial Exposition its first event, running three evenings from March 16–19. 96 exhibitors took part in the presentation which drew an attendance of some 45,000. In 1962, it hosted the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship (AKA the "Frozen Four"). In 2017, the arena hosted the Division III "Frozen Four" . Scenes from the 1977 film Slap Shot starring Paul Newman were shot at

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360-630: The New Jersey Devils announced that they were moving the Lowell Devils to the Times Union Center in Albany beginning with the 2010–11 AHL season to play as the Albany Devils. All but four of their 40 home games would be played in Albany, with the others played in Atlantic City, New Jersey , at Boardwalk Hall . Soon after that, the New Jersey Devils announced they had promoted John MacLean to fill their head coaching vacancy. MacLean had been

390-548: The River Rats would play the 2010–11 season as the Charlotte Checkers , and the ECHL franchise was relinquished to the league. Meanwhile, Robb, as well as members of the River Rats and Times Union Center's front office, had already begun looking for an American Hockey League team to replace the River Rats. On April 26, 2010, the New Jersey Devils sent Albany County a letter of intent to move their AHL affiliate to Albany, with

420-560: The Utica Memorial Auditorium are on permanent display at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The museum's collection honors the auditorium as an architectural landmark. On September 27, 2017, the Upper Mohawk Valley Memorial Auditorium Authority announced a 10-year naming rights deal with locally based Adirondack Bank , amending the official name of "The Aud" to Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. In November 2017, work

450-632: The Utica Memorial Auditorium hosted the New York State Ice Hockey semi-finals and finals every year from its inception to the 2015 Championships. In August 2015, NYSPHSAA announced it would be moving the state tournament to Buffalo's HarborCenter . On March 9–10, 1973, Utica Memorial Auditorium hosted the 11th NYSPHSAA state wrestling tournament. The annual tournament has not returned to Utica since. 43°06′18″N 75°14′01″W  /  43.104982°N 75.233492°W  / 43.104982; -75.233492 Arena An arena

480-642: The Utica University Nexus Center. The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) held a five day evaluation camp at the Nexus Centre in December 2023 ahead of its inaugural season ; all six PWHL teams participated. The 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship was held at the Adirondack Bank Center and Nexus Center from the 4th to 14th of April, with Canada winning the gold. In addition to its regular season high school hockey games,

510-444: The arena has the distinction of being the location of one of the last scheduled Elvis Presley concerts. The concert was scheduled to be on Friday, August 19, 1977, three days after Presley's death on August 16. In 2011, the Utica Memorial Auditorium was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in recognition of its innovative cable suspended roof. On June 14, 2013, it

540-485: The auditorium. The original center-hung scoreboard, as seen in the movie, was unusual in that the game time was kept by a digital clock, while the penalty time was kept by analog clocks. This was eventually replaced by a center-hung scoreboard designed by Eversan, which includes a one-line messageboard. "The Aud" also held a Santana concert on February 22, 1973 during their Caravanserai Tour , their only concert in Utica, and

570-636: The building. A site was found along the old Erie Canal , and groundbreaking took place April 15, 1957. The arena was constructed using the world's first pre-stressed dual cable roof system, designed by Lev Zetlin (who would later partner with architect Philip Johnson to construct both the New York State Pavilion "Tent of Tomorrow" seen at the 1964 World's Fair and the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, also located in Utica, NY) with "struts" between

600-412: The cables. John A. Roebling's Sons Company developed the tensioning method for the project. Zetlin's design became the predecessor to the many modern dome designs seen today, and has since influenced many other tensile structures including Madison Square Garden. Seltzer would take the most pride in constructing "The Aud", saying, "This was the first successful use of cables for a roof structure." "The Aud"

630-567: The expansion Lowell Lock Monsters and played their home games in Lowell, Massachusetts . In 2006, the Devils purchased the Lock Monsters and rebranded the franchise as the Lowell Devils for the 2006–07 AHL season . Citing low attendance, the franchise was moved to Albany in 2010 and began play as the Albany Devils. This would mark the second time the New Jersey Devils have been affiliated with an AHL team in Albany; from 1993 to 2006,

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660-464: The facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for

690-522: The head coach of the Lowell Devils during the 2009–10 season. In August, Rick Kowalsky was named head coach of the Albany team, with former New Jersey Devils defenseman Tommy Albelin being named the assistant coach. On January 13, 2016, the Devils won their 11th consecutive home win to set a new franchise record. On April 1, 2016, the Devils broke the franchise's previous wins record, set in 2013-14, with their 41st win: an overtime victory over

720-641: The highest average attendance for a Division III hockey team in the United States, with regular season games frequently selling out. In recent years, "The Aud" has earned high rankings from hockey circles, earning the #8 spot in "The 10 Coolest Hockey Rinks in the World" list by Complex Magazine, the #8 rank for best AHL arena by Stadium Journey, and #4 in the Pure Hockey Blog's list of the top 6 places to skate for hockey. Photos and renderings of

750-538: The type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of the larger arenas hold more spectators than do the stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but

780-572: The usual smaller playing surface of most arenas; variants of other traditionally outdoor sports, including box lacrosse as well as futsal and indoor soccer , also exist. The term "arena" is also used loosely to refer to any event or type of event which either literally or metaphorically takes place in such a location, often with the specific intent of comparing an idea to a sporting event. Such examples of these would be terms such as "the arena of war", "the arena of love" or "the political arena". Albany Devils The franchise started in 1998 as

810-415: Was also one of the first stadiums to have telescopic seats. Telescopic bleachers (the bleachers pulled out from below higher levels) were common in stadiums, but Zetlin requested more comfortable seating for the arena. Work continued through 1958 and into 1959. When the auditorium was finally completed, it became one of just three arenas built without obstructed views. The arena opened on March 13, 1960, with

840-759: Was announced that the Peoria Rivermen , the AHL farm team of the National Hockey League 's Vancouver Canucks would be relocating to the Utica Memorial Auditorium for the 2013–14 season as the Utica Comets . As the AHL has a strong presence in Western and Central New York State, the league agreed to the move, citing the move would further boost the league's strength in the Northeast while further cutting down on travel expenses. On October 23, 2013,

870-461: Was completed on the 26,000-square-foot expansion that added a new entrance, a half-dozen executive suites, a new women's bathroom, a building-wide sprinkler system and other amenities to the facility. The $ 10.55 million project was fully funded by the state. A restaurant named "72 Tavern & Grill" was constructed on existing foundation on the West side of the facility that supported underground areas of

900-1140: Was the former home for the Mohawk Valley Comets of the North American Hockey League , the Mohawk Valley Stars /Comets of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League , the Utica Devils of the American Hockey League , the Utica Blizzard , Utica Bulldogs , and Mohawk Valley Prowlers of the United Hockey League , and the Mohawk Valley IceCats of the North Eastern Hockey League . Both Pioneer hockey teams boast

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