# XL Center

The XL Center (originally known as the Hartford Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the City of Hartford, it is managed by the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) under a lease with the city and operated by Spectra. In December 2007, the center was renamed when the arena's naming rights were sold to XL Group insurance company in a six-year agreement. The arena is ranked the 28th largest among college basketball arenas. It opened in 1975 as the Hartford Civic Center and was originally located adjacent to Civic Center Mall, which was demolished in 2004. It consists of two facilities: the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Exhibition Center.
On March 21, 2007, the CRDA selected the Northland/Anschutz Entertainment Group proposal to operate the arena complex; Northland also developed the Hartford 21 residential tower on the adjacent Civic Center Mall site. The agreement also stated that Northland would assume total responsibility for the building bearing the cost of any and all losses, and would retain any profits. In 2012, the CRDA put the contract out to bid with hopes of combining the operations with Rentschler Field. In February 2013, Global Spectrum of Philadelphia was chosen to take over both the XL Center and Rentschler Field with Ovations Food Services taking over all food and beverage operations.

## Hartford Civic Center

The Civic Center is the full-time home of the Hartford Wolf Pack AHL hockey team and part-time home of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's and women's basketball teams and the UConn Huskies men's ice hockey team. Starting in the late 1990s, UConn men's basketball moved most of their important games—including the bulk of their Big East Conference games—to the Coliseum. During the 2011–2012 season, for instance, they played 11 home games at the Coliseum and only eight at their on-campus facility, Gampel Pavilion. This practice continued when the Huskies joined the American Athletic Conference, successor to the original Big East, in 2013. The UConn men's hockey team uses the XL Center as its primary home as the newest men's member of Hockey East.
It was the home of the New England/Hartford Whalers of the WHA and NHL from 1975 to 1978 and 1980 to 1997, and the Hartford Hellions of the MISL from 1980 to 1981, and the New England Blizzard of the ABL from 1996 to 1998, and hosted occasional Boston Celtics home games from 1975 to 1995. One of the most famous shots Larry Bird ever made, although it did not count, took place at the Hartford Civic Center: the shot from behind the backboard. It was the home of the Connecticut Coyotes and later the New England Sea Wolves of the Arena Football League.
The arena seats 15,635 for ice hockey and 16,294 for basketball, 16,606 for center-stage concerts, 16,282 for end-stage concerts, and 8,239 for 3⁄4-end stage concerts, and contains 46 luxury suites and a 310-seat Coliseum Club, plus 25,000 square feet (2,300 m$^2$) of arena floor space, enabling it to be used for trade shows and conventions in addition to concerts, circuses, ice shows, sporting events and other events. The graduation ceremonies of Central Connecticut State University and other local colleges are also held annually at the XL Center.

### Early history and roof collapse

As originally built in 1975, it seated 10,507 for hockey, and served as the home of the then–New England Whalers for three years. In the early morning of January 18, 1978, the Civic Center's roof collapsed. Engineering analyses during litigation following the collapse indicated that compression members were overloaded through undersizing and underestimation of the probable loadings, and that lateral bracing of individual members was insufficient. "The roof did not fail due to the heavy snow that fell on that January night. According to the official City investigation, the roof began progressive failure as soon as it had been installed. Contributing factors included design errors, an underestimation of the weight of the roof, and differences between the design and the actual built structure."
Investigations attributed the design issues to the unprecedented use of and trust in computer analysis. An absence of peer review for the novel structure and design process, and fragmentation of oversight responsibility during construction were also cited as contributing factors. Evidence showed that the roof had started to fail during construction, with bowed compression members. These distortions, and an unpredicted degree of deflection in the structure, were not investigated before the collapse. There were no injuries due to the collapse. The building was extensively renovated and re-opened on January 17, 1980.
The Arena hosted the Hartford Whalers from 1975 to 1997, when the team relocated to Raleigh to become the Carolina Hurricanes. In 1994, new owner Peter Karmanos pledged to keep the Whalers in Connecticut until 1998, unless they could not sell over 11,000 season tickets. After failed negotiations to build a new downtown arena for the Whalers with then-governor John G. Rowland, on March 25, 1997, Karmanos announced that the team would leave. The New York Rangers franchise, looking to capitalize on Hartford as a potential market, placed its farm team there to become the Hartford Wolf Pack, starting in 1997. After a short stint as the Connecticut Whale, they reverted to the Wolf Pack moniker in 2013.

### Current arena and recent renovations

In September 2010, the arena was upgraded with a new center-hung scoreboard with four Sony Jumbotrons and a state-of-the-art sound system. The Connecticut State Legislature set aside $35 million in funding for improvements to the XL Center that began in early spring 2014 and completed in time for the start of the 2014–15 seasons of the Wolf Pack and UConn men's hockey in October. Improvements included upgrades to the mechanical system, locker rooms and concourse, replacing jumbotrons with a new HD video board, as well as aesthetic improvements such as a new bar area inside the arena and luxury seating in the lower bowl. A portion of the $35 million allocation went towards a study on the arena's long-term viability; either more major renovations or replacing it with a new facility.

## Events

The XL Center has held many notable events including:
* The ECAC New England Region tournament, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), took place at the Hartford Civic Center on March 3 and 5, 1977. The tournament champion received an automatic bid to the 1977 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
* The 2015 and 2017 American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament was held from March 12-15 2015 and March 9-12 2017 Incidentally both tournaments were won by Southern Methodist University their only 2 American Athletic Conference Tournament Championships
* The 1982 Big East Conference and 1988–1990 America East Conference men's basketball tournaments were also here
* The XL Center has hosted the NCAA Men's Tournament first and second round 6 times in 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2019
* The XL Center has hosted the NCAA Women's Tournament first and second rounds in 2007 and the East Regional Final in 2004
* The Big East Conference Women's basketball tournament was held from 2004-2013
* The arena hosts occasional games of the UConn Huskies men's basketball team and Women's basketball team
* Rock group the Grateful Dead performed at the arena 18 times. Several concerts were released in entirety on the live albums To Terrapin: Hartford '77, Dick's Picks Volume 6, Spring 1990 (The Other One), and Spring 1990 (album).
* The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) made their first-ever visit to the XL Center for a Built Ford Tough Series (now known as the Unleash the Beast Series) event the weekend of October 7–9, 2011.
* The arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions in 2016.
* The Arena hosted the 2024 Core Hydration Classic Women's Gymnastics Meet in May of 2024 in the lead up to the 2024 Paris Olympics
* The arena has hosted many professional wrestling events; including 1990 Survivor Series (which saw the debut of popular wrestling legend The Undertaker), WrestleMania XI, 2000 No Way Out, 2004 Vengeance, and 2019 Money in the Bank. All Elite Wrestling's AEW Collision July 29, 2023, episode.
Basketball :
| Years | Capacity |
| 1975–1979 | 11,000 |
| 1979–1987 | 15,134 |
| 1987–1989 | 16,016 |
| 1989–2014 | 16,294 |
| 2014–2023 | 15,564 |
| 2023–present | 15,684 |
Hockey :
| Years | Capacity |
| 1975–1979 | 10,507 |
| 1979–1980 | 14,460 |
| 1980–1982 | 14,510 |
| 1983–1985 | 14,817 |
| 1985–1987 | 15,126 |
| 1987–1989 | 15,223 |
| 1989–2014 | 15,635 |
| 2014–present | 14,750 |

### Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics games played at Hartford Civic Center :
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Game Type | Attendance |
| November 11, 1975 | Atlanta Hawks | L | 100–91 | RS | 10,591 |
| December 17, 1975 | Kansas City Kings | W | 104–118 | RS | 11,243 |
| January 13, 1976 | Portland Trail Blazers | W | 94–106 | RS | 11,243 |
| March 9, 1976 | New Orleans Jazz | L | 117–99 | RS | 11,230 |
| April 6, 1976 | Cleveland Cavaliers | L | 101–92 | RS | 11,243 |
| October 28, 1976 | Buffalo Braves | W | 105–112 | RS | 10,608 |
| January 11, 1977 | Houston Rockets | W | 101–105 | RS | 10,011 |
| February 15, 1977 | Detroit Pistons | W | 99–109 | RS | 9,879 |
| March 1, 1977 | Golden State Warriors | L | 101–94 | RS | 11,273 |
| March 30, 1977 | Chicago Bulls | W | 88–90 | RS | 11,089 |
| April 9, 1977 | San Antonio Spurs | W | 105–120 | RS | 10,859 |
| October 25, 1977 | Atlanta Hawks | W | 103–110 | RS | 6,590 |
| December 13, 1977 | New Jersey Nets | W | 108–122 | RS | 5,518 |
| January 5, 1978 | Phoenix Suns | L | 121–111 | RS | 10,019 |
| February 26, 1980 | Atlanta Hawks | W | 97–108 | RS | 15,622 |
| March 18, 1980 | Indiana Pacers | W | 102–114 | RS | 15,622 |
| October 23, 1980 | New York Knicks | L | 109–107 | RS | 12,941 |
| November 9, 1980 | Chicago Bulls | W | 105–111 | RS | 8,627 |
| December 7, 1980 | Washington Bullets | L | 113–103 | RS | 11,430 |
| January 19, 1981 | Detroit Pistons | W | 90–92 | RS | 9,941 |
| March 13, 1981 | Indiana Pacers | L | 101–94 | RS | 15,622 |
| November 13, 1981 | New Jersey Nets | W | 97–11 | RS | 11,753 |
| December 11, 1981 | Atlanta Hawks | W | 86–94 | RS | 13,369 |
| January 10, 1982 | Detroit Pistons | W | 124–134 | RS | 15,429 |
| November 30, 1982 | Detroit Pistons | L | 123–116 | RS | 11,762 |
| January 31, 1983 | Chicago Bulls | W | 104–110 | RS | 12,742 |
| March 7, 1983 | New Jersey Nets | W | 114–121 | RS | 15,165 |
| December 9, 1983 | Denver Nuggets | W | 90–119 | RS | 13,374 |
| January 20, 1984 | Indiana Pacers | W | 125–132 | RS | 13,134 |
| March 2, 1984 | Chicago Bulls | W | 100–104 | RS | 14,529 |
| December 11, 1984 | New Jersey Nets | W | 121–130 | RS | 13,357 |
| January 29, 1985 | Detroit Pistons | W | 130–131 | RS | 15,685 |
| February 22, 1985 | Chicago Bulls | W | 105–115 | RS | 15,685 |
| December 10, 1985 | Atlanta Hawks | W | 110–114 | RS | 14,493 |
| February 23, 1986 | Indiana Pacers | W | 98–113 | RS | 15,124 |
| March 18, 1986 | Cleveland Cavaliers | W | 96–126 | RS | 15,134 |
| December 2, 1986 | Washington Bullets | L | 117–109 | RS | 15,134 |
| February 23, 1987 | New Jersey Nets | W | 103–116 | RS | 15,134 |
| March 24, 1987 | Cleveland Cavaliers | W | 88–111 | RS | 15,134 |
| November 23, 1987 | Chicago Bulls | L | 107–102 | RS | 15,134 |
| February 22, 1988 | New York Knicks | W | 93–95 | RS | 15,134 |
| March 11, 1988 | Indiana Pacers | W | 112–122 | RS | 15,134 |
| November 22, 1988 | Cleveland Cavaliers | L | 114–102 | RS | 15,239 |
| February 24, 1989 | Milwaukee Bucks | W | 112–125 | RS | 15,239 |
| March 13, 1989 | New Jersey Nets | W | 91–114 | RS | 15,239 |
| November 14, 1989 | Philadelphia 76ers | W | 94–96 | RS | 15,239 |
| February 6, 1990 | Milwaukee Bucks | L | 119–106 | RS | 15,239 |
| March 9, 1990 | Washington Bullets | L | 115–108 | RS | 15,239 |
| November 26, 1990 | Miami Heat | W | 101–118 | RS | 15,239 |
| February 22, 1991 | New Jersey Nets | W | 99–111 | RS | 15,239 |
| March 4, 1991 | Indiana Pacers | W | 101–126 | RS | 15,239 |
| November 25, 1991 | Washington Bullets | W | 108–121 | RS | 14,678 |
| February 21, 1992 | Charlotte Hornets | W | 110–113 | RS | 15,239 |
| March 13, 1992 | New Jersey Nets | L | 110–108 | RS | 15,239 |
| November 23, 1992 | Atlanta Hawks | L | 101–97 | RS | 13,299 |
| February 9, 1993 | Milwaukee Bucks | W | 92–104 | RS | 14,137 |
| March 28, 1993 | Washington Bullets | W | 113–114 | RS | 15,239 |
| November 22, 1993 | Indiana Pacers | L | 102–71 | RS | 13,200 |
| February 17, 1994 | New Jersey Nets | L | 117–98 | RS | 12,588 |
| March 27, 1994 | Philadelphia 76ers | W | 122–124 | RS | 13,259 |
| November 22, 1994 | Milwaukee Bucks | L | 116–94 | RS | 12,829 |
| February 23, 1995 | Orlando Magic | W | 117–119 | RS | 15,242 |
| April 15, 1995 | Detroit Pistons | W | 104–129 | RS | 12,979 |
| October 14, 2009 | Toronto Raptors | W | 90–106 | PS | 10,117 |
| October 16, 2010 | New York Knicks | W | 84–97 | PS | 15,138 |
| October 13, 2012 | New York Knicks | L | 98–95 | PS | 14,218 |
| October 8, 2014 | New York Knicks | W | 86–106 | PS | 8,462 |

### International basketball games

| Date | Opponent | Result | Home | Game Type | Attendance |
| January 27, 2020 | United States | 79–64 | UConn Huskies | Exhibition | 13,919 |

### International hockey games

| Date | Away | Score | Home | Attendance |
| December 27, 1976 | Soviet Union | 2–5 | New England Whalers | — |
| August 28, 1987 | Finland | 1–4 | United States | 8,508 |
| September 4, 1987 | Soviet Union | 5–1 | United States | 14,838 |
| January 7, 1989 | CSKA Moscow | 6–3 | Hartford Whalers | — |
| December 27, 1989 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | 3–4 (OT) | Hartford Whalers | — |
| January 3, 1991 | Dynamo Moscow | 0–0 | Hartford Whalers | — |
| December 14, 2019 | Canada | 1–4 | United States | 7,126 |

### UConn Huskies

The XL Center serves as the second home for the University of Connecticut's men's and women's basketball programs. At the start of the 2014–15 season the UConn men's ice hockey program moved to the XL Center as a condition of its joining Hockey East. In September 2018, the UConn Board of Trustees approved a plan to build a new 2,500-seat arena in Storrs with the option to expand to 3,500 seats if necessary. Though Hockey East requires arenas to hold at least 4,000, UConn received a waiver for the project since the expectation is for the Huskies' men's hockey program to continue to play some of its games at the XL Center in Hartford.

#### UConn Hockey attendance records

| Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
| February 1, 2025 | #7 Providence | L 6–3 | 11,781 |
| February 9, 2019 | Merrimack | W 5–0 | 8,211 |
| November 15, 2014 | #3 Boston College | W 1–0 | 8,089 |
| November 22, 2014 | #3 Boston University | L 2–5 | 7,712 |
| February 16, 2018 | #20 Boston University | W 5–4$^{OT}$ | 7,372 |

## Exhibition center

The Exhibition Center consists of a 68,855-square-foot (6,397 m$^2$) exhibit hall, a 16,080-square-foot (1,494 m$^2$) assembly hall that can divide into two meeting rooms, plus seven meeting rooms totaling 7,390 square feet (687 m$^2$) and two lobbies totaling 6,100 square feet (570 m$^2$). It is used for trade shows, conventions, banquets, meetings and other events.
The surrounding shopping mall was demolished in 2004 and was replaced by street-level retail shops and a 36-story residential tower named Hartford 21 which opened in 2006 and is the tallest residential tower between New York City and Boston.

## Transportation

The arena is serviced by CT Transit local city routes 60, 62, 64, 66, 72, 74, and 76; CT Fastrak routes 101, 102, and 128; and CT Transit express routes 902, 909, 923, and 928.
It is also a ten minute walk from Hartford Union Station, allowing for train service from New Haven or Springfield.