Not to be confused with Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. Times Union Center (originally Knickerbocker Arena) is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York. It is configurable and can accommodate from 6,000 to 17,500 people, with a maximum seating capacity of 15,500 for sporting events. The building, designed by Crozier Associates and engineered by Clough Harbour & Associates, was built by Beltrone/MLB at a cost of $69.4 million. The arena also has 25 luxury suites; each has sixteen seats, cable television, a refrigerator, and a private bathroom. They are located at the top of the inner bowl. All suites are rented on three-year terms; all are currently sold out. The arena was opened on January 30, 1990, as the Knickerbocker Arena, with a performance by Frank Sinatra. The naming rights of the arena were sold to Pepsi in 1997 and it was known as Pepsi Arena from 1997 to 2006. In May 2006, the naming rights were sold to the Times Union, a regional newspaper, and the name of the arena became the Times Union Center on January 1, 2007.
The building is managed by SMG. It is within walking distance from the city's Greyhound bus station, as well as being close to hotels, bars and restaurants. Current tenants include Siena College's men's basketball team and the Albany Devils of the AHL. Previous tenants have included the Albany Firebirds (formerly Albany Conquest) of af2, the Albany Firebirds of the AFL, the Albany Patroons of the CBA, the Albany Choppers of the IHL, the Albany River Rats of the AHL, the Albany Attack of the NLL and the New York Kick of the NPSL II. The Times Union Center also regularly hosts exhibition games of major sports leagues. The NBA, WNBA and NHL have all played games at the arena. When the New Jersey Devils' AHL franchise relocated to this arena in the summer of 2010, the arena received a new scoreboard, LED ribbons above the luxury suites and new outside lighting, as well as an upgraded home team locker room. The Times Union Center has been home to the American Hockey League since 1993, when the Albany River Rats became the building's primary tenant.
The River Rats won the Calder Cup championship in 1994-95. On April 24, 2008, the longest game in the history of the American Hockey League took place at the Times Union Center. Ryan Potulny scored the winning goal for the Philadelphia Phantoms at 2:58 of the fifth overtime period after 142 minutes and 58 seconds of hockey, played over 5 hours and 38 minutes. In the process, River Rats goaltender Michael Leighton set a modern-day record by making 98 saves. Following the River Rats' relocation to Charlotte, N.C., in 2010, the Albany Devils began play in the AHL. It was announced on January 31, 2017, that the Devils would relocate to Binghamton following the completion of the 2016–17 season[4] ending 24 years of AHL hockey in the arena. At the time of the relocation, the Devils were drawing the lowest average attendance in the league. The Times Union Center hosted the ECAC Hockey championships each March from 2003 until 2010, when the league announced the tournament would be moved to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey;
and is often home to the annual Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball tournament (1990–96, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008–10, and 2015). The Times Union Center's atrium In 2003, the Times Union Center hosted the NCAA basketball East Regional, which was won by Syracuse University on their way to their first national championship. The arena also hosted the first and second rounds of the 1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as the Knickerbocker Arena. In 2008, the Times Union Center hosted the NCAA ice hockey East Regional tournament. The arena has hosted ice-hockey regionals in even-numbered years since 2004 and hosted again in 2010, which was the eighth time the East Regional has been held at the site. In 2000, the Times Union Center hosted a regional quarterfinal between St. Lawrence University and Boston University, which went into quadruple overtime; becoming the longest game in the history of the tournament and the second longest game in Division I men's college hockey history (it is currently the third longest game).
The Times Union Center also hosted the Frozen Four on two occasions, in 1992 (as Knickerbocker Arena) when Lake Superior State University defeated Wisconsin for the national championship, and again in 2001 as the Pepsi Arena when Boston College defeated North Dakota. The venue is set to host the NCAA women's basketball tournament from March 28–31, 2015 and NCAA hockey East Regional for the ninth time from March 25–27, 2016. Wrestlers gather on the floor of the Times Union Center for the opening ceremony of the 53rd NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships on February 27, 2015. The Times Union Center has been a regular host of the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships since 2005 and has won a bid to host the annual event each year through 2018.[8] According to the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the wrestling state tournament annually contributes more than $1.5 million into the Capital Region economy, and in 2011 it was the second-largest sporting event in Albany County.
The Times Union Center and its parking garage, as viewed from the Empire State Plaza. The 1997–2006 Pepsi Arena signage is visible in this photo. View of the TU Center from Pearl Street Since its opening show, starring Frank Sinatra on January 30, 1990,[10] the Times Union Center has become a popular concert venue, due to its proximity to larger cities like New York City, Boston, and Montreal, where concert tickets tend to sell out faster. The open parking lots near the arena provide an excellent tailgating area for fans before the show. In 1990, the Grateful Dead recorded their 1996 release, Dozin' at the Knick, at the arena. Dave Matthews Band has played at the arena four times, most recently in 2010. Whitesnake played at the arena during their Slip Of The Tongue world tour in 1990. The concert took place February 15, and there were a lot of empty seats due to a blizzard keeping many fans from getting to the arena. Metallica played at the arena on November 12, 2009 during their World Magnetic Tour.