Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

This article is about the arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. For the arena inside the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, see Mohegan Sun Arena.

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Mohegan Sun Arena or The Arena
Former names	Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center (1998–2000) First Union Arena (2000–2003) Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza (2003–2010)
Location	255 Highland Park Boulvevard Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18703, United States
Broke ground	September 15, 1997[1]
Opened	November 13, 1999[2]
Owner	Luzerne County
Operator	SMG
Surface	Ice, Turf
Construction cost	$44 million ($58 million in 2011 dollars[3])
Architect	Heinlein Schrock[4]
Project Manager	Hammes Company[1]
General Contractor	Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company[5]
Capacity	8,050 (Hockey)[6] 7,950 (Arena Football) 10,000 (Concerts)
Tenants
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) (1999–present) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (af2) (2002–2009) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Shamrocks (NALL) (2012-present)

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (originally Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center, formerly First Union Arena and Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza) is an 8,300-seat multi-purpose arena located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, managed by SMG.

Built in 1998 due to the instrumental work of Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey, Sr. and his successor, Tom Ridge and due to the dedication and support of State Representative Kevin Blaum, the arena was originally named the Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center. In 2000, the naming rights were sold to First Union Bank, becoming First Union Arena, until the summer of 2003, when First Union Bank merged into Wachovia, at which point it became Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. On January 20, 2010, the arena became Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, as part of a 10-year naming rights contract with the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs racetrack and casino.^[7]

It is home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, of the AHL and the former home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, of the AF2 League. Starting in January 2012 it will be home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Shamrocks of the North American Lacrosse League.

Recognition and events

The Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza has been recognized by many entertainment magazines as one of the best in the country for arenas under 10,000 in capacity, especially for its attendance and ease of show setup and teardown.^{[citation needed]} The Penguins hold the American Hockey League record for most sellouts in a season, selling out all 40 home games in 2002-03 and 2003–04, and ran a streak of 144 consecutive sellouts in the building from 2000-2004.^{[citation needed]} The team is consistently among the AHL's leaders in attendance.^{[citation needed]}

The Arena during a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey game.

Other than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey games, other events that occur at the arena include concerts, circus performances, an annual Christmas-time Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance, professional ice-skating shows, WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown!, professional wrestling live events, concerts, Harlem Globetrotters and the annual graduation ceremonies for nearby King's College, University of Scranton, Luzerne County Community College, and Marywood University. It also was host to the 2007 WWE Draft that was live on Monday Night Raw on June 11, 2007.

President George W. Bush spoke at the arena on October 22, 2004, during his campaign for re-election to the presidency of the United States.

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b} "Arena Panel to Firm: Dig This Weather Permitting, Excavation for the $44 Million Facility Will Begin Monday". Times Leader. September 12, 1997. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WB&s_site=timesleader&p_multi=WB&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB71C76119BBD5A&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. 
2. ^ http://www.wachoviaarena.com/information.aspx
3. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
4. ^ http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4576742-1.html
5. ^ http://www.ajdemor.com/port.shtml
6. ^ http://theahl.com/ahl-set-to-kick-off-75th-anniversary-season-p166418
7. ^ Coulter Jones, Staff Writer, Scranton Times-Tribune. "Mohegan Sun receives naming rights to the arena at Casey Plaza". http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/mohegan-sun-receives-naming-rights-to-the-arena-at-casey-plaza-1.410411. Retrieved 28 Dec 2009. 

External links

• Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

Coordinates: 41°14′26″N 75°50′55″W / 41.240471°N 75.848504°W / 41.240471; -75.848504