Capital One arena - Wikipedia Capital One arena Capital One Arena Former names MCI Center ( 1997 -- 2006 ) Verizon Center ( 2006 -- 2017 ) Address 601 F Street NW Location Washington, D.C. Coordinates 38 ° 53 ′ 53 '' N 77 ° 1 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.89806 ° N 77.02083 ° W ﻿ / 38.89806 ; - 77.02083 Coordinates : 38 ° 53 ′ 53 '' N 77 ° 1 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.89806 ° N 77.02083 ° W ﻿ / 38.89806 ; - 77.02083 Public transit Washington Metro at Gallery Place Owner Monumental Sports & Entertainment Operator Monumental Sports & Entertainment Capacity Basketball : 20,674 ( 1997 -- 2002 ) 20,173 ( 2002 -- 2010 ) 20,278 ( 2010 -- 2011 ) 20,282 ( 2011 -- 2012 ) 20,308 ( 2012 -- 2013 ) 20,356 ( 2013 -- present ) Ice hockey : 19,740 ( 1997 -- 1999 ) 18,672 ( 1999 -- 2002 ) 18,277 ( 2002 -- 2010 ) 18,398 ( 2010 -- 2011 ) 18,506 ( 2011 -- present ) Field size 1,020,000 square feet ( 95,000 m ) Construction Broke ground October 18, 1995 Opened December 2, 1997 Construction cost US $260 million ( $396 million in 2017 dollars ) Architect Ellerbe Becket Devrouax & Purnell KCF - SHG Architects Project manager Seagull Bay Sports, LLC. Structural engineer Delon Hampton & Associates Services engineer John J. Christie Associates General contractor Clark / Smoot Tenants Washington Capitals ( NHL ) ( 1997 -- present ) Washington Wizards ( NBA ) ( 1997 -- present ) Georgetown Hoyas ( NCAA ) ( 1997 -- present ) Washington Mystics ( WNBA ) ( 1998 -- 2018 ) Washington Power ( NLL ) ( 2001 -- 2002 ) Washington Valor ( AFL ) ( 2017 -- present ) The Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, it is the home arena of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League, the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association, the Georgetown University men 's basketball team, the Washington Mystics of the WNBA, and the Washington Valor of the Arena Football League. Located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the Capital One Arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. The arena has been largely considered to be a commercial success and is regarded as one of the driving catalysts of the revitalization of Washington, D.C. 's Chinatown neighborhood. Contents 1 History 2 Criticism 2.1 Gentrification 2.2 Ice quality issues 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History The arena was built in the mid-1990s solely with private financing by Abe Pollin, and is situated on top of land leased from the District of Columbia. It opened on December 2, 1997, as the MCI Center. Nearly a decade later, in January 2006, Verizon Communications purchased MCI and the arena 's name was changed accordingly to Verizon Center. The following year, in 2007, the `` first true indoor high - definition LED scoreboard '' was installed at the Verizon Center. On June 10, 2010, following Pollin 's death in November 2009, the Pollin family sold the arena, along with the Washington Wizards and the Washington - Baltimore area Ticketmaster franchise, to Ted Leonsis, who already owned the arena 's other tenant, the Washington Capitals. Leonsis subsequently formed a new management company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment. A report emerged in May 2015 that Verizon would not renew its naming rights to the Verizon Center when its agreement with Monumental ended in 2018. In the same week, it was announced that Etihad Airways signed a deal to become the official airline of the arena, sparking speculation that Etihad might be the leading contender to assume naming rights in 2017. However, on August 9, 2017, it was announced Verizon Center had instead been renamed Capital One Arena, when Capital One signed an agreement worth $100 million over 10 years. The Washington Valor began play at the arena for their inaugural season in the Arena Football League. The Mystics will move after the 2018 WNBA season to a new, smaller arena currently under construction in the Congress Heights area of southeast Washington. Criticism Gentrification When the arena opened, there was concern that it would lead to the displacement of Chinese businesses and culture in the area that is the city 's Chinatown. The surrounding area has indeed been dramatically gentrified, and most of the Chinese residents and businesses who lived and operated in the neighborhood when the arena first opened have been displaced because of the spike in real estate prices. Recent estimates hold that the number of Chinese in the neighborhood is down to around 400 to 500. The Chinese - owned restaurants and businesses in the Chinatown area are largely gone and there has not been a full - service Chinese grocery in the neighborhood since 2005. Ice quality issues In December 2007, then - Capitals captain Chris Clark gained a bit of press by stating that he believed the arena had the worst ice in the NHL. `` There 's a lot of ruts in the ice. It 's soft. It 's wet half the time. I could see a lot of injuries coming from the ice there. It could cost ( players ) their jobs... Even guys on other teams say the same thing. When we 're facing off, they say, ' How do you guys play on this ? ' '' Capitals owner Ted Leonsis addressed this criticism directly. The ice quality issue has been persistent both since the opening of the facility and with the Capitals franchise in general. Since Leonsis ' acquisition of the facility, the quality of the ice has gotten better and number of complaints has noticeably decreased. During playoff games, the arena installs a system to help remove hot air and humidity to maintain the ice conditions during warmer times of the year. See also List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas References Jump up ^ Carrera, Katie ( December 6, 2012 ). `` Hershey Bears Play AHL Showcase at Verizon Center, Keeping Capitals Fans Entertained for One Night During NHL Lockout ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Heath, Thomas ( November 25, 2004 ). `` On Hockey Nights, A Center of Inactivity ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2011. Jump up ^ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. `` Consumer Price Index ( estimate ) 1800 -- ''. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Verizon Center ''. AECOM. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Jump up ^ Bailey, W. Scott ( December 6, 2002 ). `` New S.A. Sports Firm Set to Play Pivotal Pole in Big NBA Projects ''. San Antonio Business Journal. Retrieved February 5, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Verizon Center ''. Delon Hampton & Associates. Retrieved February 5, 2013. Jump up ^ `` MCI Center ''. Emporis.com. Retrieved September 29, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Name Change : MCI Center to be Verizon Center ''. ESPN. Associated Press. January 7, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Verizon Center Shows off `` First True Indoor HD LED Scoreboard '' ``. Engadget. September 28, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2011. Jump up ^ Nakamura, David ( December 2, 2007 ). `` Verizon Center Marks 10th Anniversary ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2014. Jump up ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/10/AR2010061002827.html Jump up ^ Hobson, Will. `` Verizon still mulling whether to renew naming rights to Verizon Center ''. Washington Post. Jump up ^ `` Report : Verizon will not renew arena naming rights ''. WUSA9. Jump up ^ Clabaugh, Jeff. `` Monumental Sports & Entertainment teams with international airline in sponsorship deal ''. Washington Business Journal. Jump up ^ `` MSE and Capital One Announce New Arena Naming Rights Partnership '' ( Press release ). Washington Wizards. August 9, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` MSE and Capital One Announce New Arena Naming Rights Partnership '' ( Press release ). Washington Capitals. August 9, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Jump up ^ Steinberg, Dan ( August 9, 2017 ). `` Verizon Center to become Capital One Arena, starting now ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Jump up ^ https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2017/08/09/capital-one-to-spend-100-million-over-10-years-in-sports-naming-rights-deal/ Jump up ^ Ted Leonsis to announce D.C. is getting an Arena Football League team, Scott Allen, The Washington Post, March 10, 2016 Jump up ^ O'Connell, Jonathan ( September 22, 2016 ). `` A sneak peek at the new Wizards practice center, designed for sports and community alike ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2017. Jump up ^ Lowman, Stephen ( January 28, 2009 ). `` The Shrinking of Chinatown ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2009. ^ Jump up to : Nakamura, David ( July 1, 2011 ). `` Wah Luck House Maintains Culture of Dying D.C. Chinatown ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2011. Jump up ^ Leonsis, Ted ( December 6, 2007 ). `` Toughness ''. Ted 's Take. Retrieved December 6, 2007. Jump up ^ Steinberg, Dan ( February 10, 2009 ). `` The Caps and Bad Ice : A History ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2009. External links District of Columbia portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Capital One Arena. Official website Events and tenants Preceded by first arena Home of the Washington Valor 2017 -- present Succeeded by current Preceded by first arena Home of the Washington Mystics 1998 -- present Succeeded by current Preceded by Capital Centre Home of the Washington Capitals 1997 -- present Succeeded by current Preceded by Capital Centre Home of the Washington Wizards 1997 -- present Succeeded by current Preceded by Pepsi Center Denver, Colorado Host of the Frozen Four 2009 Succeeded by Ford Field Detroit, Michigan Preceded by TD Banknorth Garden Host of the Survivor Series 2009 Succeeded by American Airlines Arena Preceded by U.S. Bank Arena Host of WWE Cyber Sunday 2007 Succeeded by US Airways Center Georgetown Hoyas men 's basketball Venues Washington Light Infantry Armory ( 1906 -- 1907 ) Convention Hall ( 1907 -- 1908 ) Odd Fellows Hall ( 1908 -- 1911 ) Arcade Rink ( 1911 -- 1914, 1927 -- 1928 ) Ryan Gymnasium ( 1914 -- 1927 ) Clendenen Gymnasium ( 1928 -- 1929 ) Tech Gymnasium ( 1929 -- 1940, 1942 -- 1943 ) Riverside Stadium ( 1940 -- 1942 ) Brookland Gymnasium ( 1945 -- 1946 ) Uline Arena ( 1946 -- 1947, 1949 -- 1951 ) D.C. Armory ( 1947 -- 1949 ) McDonough Gymnasium ( 1951 -- 2009 ) Capital Centre ( 1981 -- 1997 ) Capital One Arena ( 1997 -- present ) Rivalries Connecticut Culture & lore History Hoya Saxa Jack the Bulldog There Goes Old Georgetown People Head coaches NBA draftees Seasons 1906 -- 07 1907 -- 08 1908 -- 09 1909 -- 10 1910 -- 11 1911 -- 12 1912 -- 13 1913 -- 14 1914 -- 15 1915 -- 16 1916 -- 17 1917 -- 18 1918 -- 19 1919 -- 20 1920 -- 21 1921 -- 22 1922 -- 23 1923 -- 24 1924 -- 25 1925 -- 26 1926 -- 27 1927 -- 28 1928 -- 29 1929 -- 30 1930 -- 31 1931 -- 32 1932 -- 33 1933 -- 34 1934 -- 35 1935 -- 36 1936 -- 37 1937 -- 38 1938 -- 39 1939 -- 40 1940 -- 41 1941 -- 42 1942 -- 43 1943 -- 44 1944 -- 45 1945 -- 46 1946 -- 47 1947 -- 48 1948 -- 49 1949 -- 50 1950 -- 51 1951 -- 52 1952 -- 53 1953 -- 54 1954 -- 55 1955 -- 56 1956 -- 57 1957 -- 58 1958 -- 59 1959 -- 60 1960 -- 61 1961 -- 62 1962 -- 63 1963 -- 64 1964 -- 65 1965 -- 66 1966 -- 67 1967 -- 68 1968 -- 69 1969 -- 70 1970 -- 71 1971 -- 72 1972 -- 73 1973 -- 74 1974 -- 75 1975 -- 76 1976 -- 77 1977 -- 78 1978 -- 79 1979 -- 80 1980 -- 81 1981 -- 82 1982 -- 83 1983 -- 84 1984 -- 85 1985 -- 86 1986 -- 87 1987 -- 88 1988 -- 89 1989 -- 90 1990 -- 91 1991 -- 92 1992 -- 93 1993 -- 94 1994 -- 95 1995 -- 96 1996 -- 97 1997 -- 98 1998 -- 99 1999 -- 00 2000 -- 01 2001 -- 02 2002 -- 03 2003 -- 04 2004 -- 05 2005 -- 06 2006 -- 07 2007 -- 08 2008 -- 09 2009 -- 10 2010 -- 11 2011 -- 12 2012 -- 13 2013 -- 14 2014 -- 15 2015 -- 16 2016 -- 17 2017 -- 18 NCAA national championships in bold ; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics Washington Capitals Founded in 1974 Based in Washington, D.C. Franchise Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks ( Expansion draft ) Seasons Current season History Records Award winners Retired numbers Personnel Owners Monumental Sports & Entertainment ( Ted Leonsis, chairman ) General manager Brian MacLellan Head coach Barry Trotz Team captain Alexander Ovechkin Current roster Arenas Capital Centre Capital One Arena Rivalries New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Affiliates AHL Hershey Bears ECHL South Carolina Stingrays Media TV NBCS Mid-Atlantic Radio WFED WJFK Caps Radio 24 / 7 ( Tunein app ) Culture and lore Easter Epic 2011 NHL Winter Classic 2015 NHL Winter Classic 2018 NHL Stadium Series Washington Mystics Founded in 1998 Based in Washington, D.C. Franchise Franchise Most recent season Arenas Capital One Arena ( 1998 -- 2018 ) St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena ( 2019 -- future ) Head coaches Jim Lewis Cathy Parson Nancy Darsch Darrell Walker Tom Maher Marianne Stanley Michael Adams Richie Adubato Tree Rollins Jessie Kenlaw Julie Plank Trudi Lacey Mike Thibault Administration Owners : Washington Sports and Entertainment Monumental Sports and Entertainment Sponsor : Inova Health System General Manager : Melissa McFerrin Judy Holland - Burton Linda Hargrove Angela Taylor Trudi Lacey Mike Thibault All - Stars Alana Beard Monique Currie Stacey Dales Elena Delle Donne Stefanie Dolson Lindsey Harding Chamique Holdsclaw Crystal Langhorne Ivory Latta Nikki McCray Emma Meesseman DeLisha Milton - Jones Seasons 1998 2017 Playoff appearances 2000 2002 2006 2009 2013 2014 2017 Conference Championships None WNBA Championships None Rivals Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Detroit Shock Indiana Fever Media TV : NBC Sports Washington Radio : WSPZ ( Money 1260 ) Announcers : Frank Hanrahan, Christy Winters Scott Washington Wizards Founded in 1961 Formerly the Chicago Packers ( 1961 -- 1962 ), the Chicago Zephyrs ( 1962 -- 1963 ), the Baltimore Bullets ( 1963 -- 1973 ), the Capital Bullets ( 1973 -- 1974 ), and the Washington Bullets ( 1974 -- 1997 ) Based in Washington, D.C. Franchise Franchise Expansion Draft All - time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season Arenas International Amphitheatre Chicago Coliseum Baltimore Civic Center Cole Field House Capital Centre / US Airways Arena Capital One Arena General Managers Ferry Nash Unseld Grunfeld G - League affiliate Capital City Go - Go in 2018 Administration Ted Leonsis ( Owner ) Ernie Grunfeld ( President & GM of Basketball Ops. ) Scott Brooks ( Head Coach ) Retired numbers 10 11 25 41 45 ( To be retired March 23, 2018 ) NBA Championships ( 1 ) 1978 Eastern Conference Championships ( 4 ) 1971 1978 1979 Culture and lore Wes Unseld 1975 championship upset It ai n't over till the fat lady sings The Big E Abe Pollin Earl the Pearl Agent Zero Robin Ficker Media TV WDCW NBC Sports Washington Comcast Network Radio WJFK - FM Announcers Steve Buckhantz Phil Chenier Dave Johnson Glenn Consor Washington Valor Founded in 2016 Based in Washington, D.C. Franchise Franchise Arenas Capital One Arena Head coaches Cokinos Current league affiliations League : Arena Football League Seasons ( 1 ) 2010s 2017 Current arenas in the Women 's National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Bankers Life Fieldhouse Capital One Arena Madison Square Garden McCamish Pavilion Mohegan Sun Arena Wintrust Arena Western Conference College Park Center KeyArena Mandalay Bay Events Center Staples Center Talking Stick Resort Arena Target Center Current arenas in the National Hockey League Eastern Conference Atlantic Air Canada Centre Amalie Arena BB&T Center Bell Centre Canadian Tire Centre KeyBank Center Little Caesars Arena TD Garden Metropolitan Barclays Center Capital One Arena Madison Square Garden Nationwide Arena PNC Arena PPG Paints Arena Prudential Center Wells Fargo Center Western Conference Central American Airlines Center Bell MTS Place Bridgestone Arena Pepsi Center Scottrade Center United Center Xcel Energy Center Pacific Gila River Arena Honda Center Rogers Arena Rogers Place SAP Center at San Jose Scotiabank Saddledome Staples Center T - Mobile Arena Current arenas in the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Atlantic Air Canada Centre Barclays Center Madison Square Garden TD Garden Wells Fargo Center Central Bankers Life Fieldhouse BMO Harris Bradley Center Little Caesars Arena Quicken Loans Arena United Center Southeast American Airlines Arena Amway Center Capital One Arena Philips Arena Spectrum Center Western Conference Northwest Chesapeake Energy Arena Moda Center Pepsi Center Target Center Vivint Smart Home Arena Pacific Golden 1 Center Oracle Arena Staples Center Talking Stick Resort Arena Southwest American Airlines Center AT&T Center FedExForum Smoothie King Center Toyota Center Current arenas in the Arena Football League Arenas Capital One Arena Quicken Loans Arena Royal Farms Arena Wells Fargo Center Basketball arenas of the Big East Conference Men only BMO Harris Bradley Center ( Marquette ) Capital One Arena ( Georgetown ) CenturyLink Center Omaha ( Creighton ) Dunkin ' Donuts Center ( Providence ) Madison Square Garden ( St. John 's ) Prudential Center ( Seton Hall ) Women only Alumni Hall ( Providence ) D.J. Sokol Arena ( Creighton ) McDonough Gymnasium ( Georgetown ) Al McGuire Center ( Marquette ) Jake Nevin Field House ( Villanova ; 2017 -- 18 only ) Walsh Gymnasium ( Seton Hall ) Both sexes Carnesecca Arena ( St. John 's ) Cintas Center ( Xavier ) Finneran Pavilion ( Villanova ; reopening in 2018 ) Hinkle Fieldhouse ( Butler ) Wells Fargo Center ( Villanova ) Wintrust Arena ( DePaul ) Music venues of Washington, D.C. Outdoor venues Carter Barron Amphitheatre Fort Reno Park National Sylvan Theater Nationals Park Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Theaters and clubs 9 : 30 Club The Anthem Atlas Performing Arts Center Black Cat BloomBars Blues Alley DAR Constitution Hall Echostage Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre Howard Theatre John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Theatre Lisner Auditorium Madam 's Organ Blues Bar National Theatre Republic Gardens Sixth & I Historic Synagogue U Street Music Hall Warner Theatre Arenas Capital One Arena Charles E. Smith Center Historic venues The Bayou Bohemian Caverns The Cellar Door Washington Coliseum Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Capital_One_Arena&oldid=825683442 '' Categories : 1997 establishments in Washington, D.C. Arena football venues Basketball venues in Washington, D.C. Buildings and structures named after companies Capital One Chinatown ( Washington, D.C. ) College basketball venues in the United States College ice hockey venues in the United States Georgetown Hoyas basketball venues Indoor ice hockey venues in Washington, D.C. Indoor lacrosse venues in the United States National Basketball Association venues National Hockey League venues Sports venues in Washington, D.C. Sports venues completed in 1997 Washington Capitals arenas Washington Wizards venues Washington Mystics venues Wrestling venues in the United States Indoor arenas in Washington, D.C. 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Question: when did verizon center become capital one arena
Answer: August 9, 2017