Connecticut's Biggest Indoor Sports Arena Has A New Name

HARTFORD, CT—Many old-timers probably still call Hartford's major indoor sports arena the "Hartford Civic Center," but since 2007, the HCC has been the XL Center.

Until now.

Monday, sports and entertainment real estate developer Oak View Group, which manages the downtown home of the Hartford Wolfpack and University of Connecticut men's and women's basketball/hockey, announced a new name.

That name? It is now "PeoplesBank Arena."

Oak View and the Capital Region Development Authority announced the new naming rights deal at the arena Monday afternoon.

With Gov. Ned Lamont on hand, they unveiled a new multi-year naming rights partnership with Holyoke, Mass.,-based Peoples Bank to rename Hartford’s 16,000-seat arena effective immediately.

The newly renamed PeoplesBank Arena will still be home of the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack, affiliate of the New York Rangers, along with UConn Men's/Women’s basketball and select UConn men’s ice hockey games.

In addition to its sports tenants, PeoplesBank Arena is home to concerts and other entertainment events, as well as college commencement ceremonies.

Terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed.

The announcement marks a new chapter in the star-crossed history of the arena, the first incarnation of which was built in 1975.

In 1978, however, the roof of the then-Hartford Civic Center collapsed after a UConn men's basketball game (though miraculously, the arena was empty and no one was hurt.)

Still, the image of a relatively new arena turning into a pile of rubble due to a heavy snowpack is an infamous memory for many older Nutmeggers.

The current arena was opened in 1980, and it maintained its Hartford Civic Center name until 2007, when it was renamed the XL Center when the "XL Group," an insurance company, purchased naming rights.

The arena's most famous tenant was the New England Whalers, then the Hartford Whalers, which started out as a World Hockey Association (WHA) team and then it became a National Hockey League (NHL) team in 1979.

The Whalers' last season was 1996-97, when it moved to North Carolina and became the "Carolina Hurricanes."

From Jan. 18, 2024: 'On This Date: What Caused The Hartford Civic Center Roof Collapse?'

To see images of Monday's renaming announcement, click on this link.