Pepsi Center Pepsi Center ( aka The Can ) is a multi - purpose arena in Denver , Colorado , United States . The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association , the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League , and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League . When not in use by one of Denver ' s sports teams , the building frequently serves as a concert venue . The arena is named for its chief corporate sponsor , PepsiCo . Construction . Pepsi Center was constructed as part of a large six - year sporting venue upgrade in Denver along with Coors Field , home of the Colorado Rockies , and Sports Authority Field at Mile High ( formerly Invesco Field at Mile High ) , home of the Denver Broncos . The complex was constructed to be readily accessible . The arena is situated at Speer Boulevard , a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver , and is served by a nearby exit off Interstate 25 . A light rail station is on the western side of the complex . Ground was broken for the arena on November 20 , 1997 , on the site . Its completion in October 1999 was marked by a Celine Dion concert . Also included in the complex are a basketball practice facility used by the Nuggets , and the " Blue Sky Grill " , a restaurant accessible from within and outside the Center itself . The atrium of the building houses a suspended sculpture depicting various hockey and basketball athletes in action poses . Before the construction of Pepsi Center , the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche played in McNichols Sports Arena , a building that has since been torn down to serve as a parking lot for nearby Sports Authority Field at Mile High . Coincidentally , prior to the Avalanche relocating to Denver , the then - Quebec Nordiques played at another arena to which Pepsi owned naming rights : the Colisée Pepsi . Activity . Pepsi Center hosted the 2001 NHL All - Star Game , the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals , and the 2005 NBA All - Star Game . From 2004 – 2006 , the center hosted the Mountain West Conference men ' s basketball tournament . The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Men ' s ice hockey Frozen Four West Regional was hosted on March 24 and March 25 , 2007 . The Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver was held in the parking lot from 2002 to 2006 . In 2004 , Denver , Colorado was selected as one of five cities in the U . S . to host the Dew Action Sports Tour , a new extreme sports franchise that began in 2005 . Titled the Right Guard Open , the inaugural event was held at Pepsi Center from July 6 – 10 . The Dew Action Sports returned to Denver for its second year in 2006 during July 13 – 16 . During the week of July 2 – 8 , 2007 , the arena hosted the International Convention and Contests of the Barbershop Harmony Society , a men ' s singing organization . The NCAA Men ' s ice hockey Frozen Four tournament was held at the arena on April 10 and April 12 , 2008 . Pepsi Center also hosted games of the NCAA Men ' s Basketball Tournament in 2004 , 2008 and 2011 . In 2012 , the NCAA Women ' s basketball Final Four was held here . The arena also hosted the 2008 Democratic National Convention , although the party ' s presidential nominee , then - Senator Barack Obama , made his acceptance speech at the nearby INVESCO Field at Mile High . To prepare for the convention , Pepsi Center underwent large scale projects including electrical power increases and the installation of new transformer s by Xcel Energy ( which is the namesake of the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul , which hosted the 2008 Republican National Convention the following week ) and telecommunications wiring by Qwest . A backup generator was installed that has the capacity to power the entire city of Pueblo , Colorado . Roughly of optical fiber cables were installed for the massive communication needs of the convention . In 2011 and 2012 , it played host to a UFC event . Prior to the 2013 - 14 season , the octagonal scoreboard that was in use since the arena ' s opening was replaced with a new four - sided rectangular scoreboard . The two center faces measure high by long , while the two end faces measure high by wide . Double - booking controversy . On August 15 , 2008 , World Wrestling Entertainment booked an internationally televised event , " WWE Raw " , to take place at Pepsi Center on Monday , May 25 , 2009 . However , Denver Nuggets and Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke arranged a verbal agreement to book Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers on the same date prior to the Nuggets actually earning a slot in the playoffs . Though a contract existed to hold the venue for the WWE event and only a verbal agreement granted the Nuggets the venue , Kroenke stood firm that the Nuggets game would take precedence . WWE chairman Vince McMahon said , " Even though the Denver Nuggets had a strong team this year and were projected to make the playoffs , obviously Nuggets and Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke did not have enough faith in his own team to hold the May 25 date for a potential playoff game . " For the WWE event , Ticketmaster refused to refund their processing fee , thereby only giving fans a partial refund . The fee , however , is strictly charged by Ticketmaster alone and not WWE or KSE . On May 20 , 2009 , it was announced that the WWE event scheduled for Pepsi Center would be moved to Staples Center in Los Angeles , California ( home of the Nuggets ' Western Conference Finals opponent ) , and return to the Denver area for a non - televised event at the Denver Coliseum on August 7 , 2009 , with refunds for the original date made available at points of purchase . The double - booking controversy was parlayed into a main - event match during the May 25 edition of Raw at Staples Center . In the match , the face team wearing Lakers jerseys ( Batista , Montel Vontavious Porter , John Cena , Jerry Lawler & Mr . Kennedy ) defeated the heel team wearing Nuggets jerseys ( The Miz , Ted DiBiase , Cody Rhodes , Randy Orton & The Big Show ) in a 10 - man tag team match . On July 9 , 2012 , after more than three years , Monday Night Raw returned to Pepsi Center .