Mellon Arena Mellon Arena ( formerly the Civic Auditorium and Civic Arena , nicknamed The Igloo ) is an arena in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins , the city ' s National Hockey League ( NHL ) franchise . Constructed in 1961 , for the use of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera ( CLO ) Mellon Arena has hosted multiple concerts , as well as hockey , basketball , tennis , boxing , wrestling , and soccer matches . The Arena was the world ' s first major indoor sports stadium with a retractable roof . It is named for Mellon Financial , which purchased the naming rights in 1999 . Construction and design . The $ 22 million arena was built for the CLO in 1961 . Funding was provided by a combination of public and private money , including grants from Allegheny County , City of Pittsburgh , and Edgar J . Kaufmann owner of Kaufmann ' s department store . The arena ' s design incorporated 2 , 950 tons of stainless steel from Pittsburgh . The Arena was designed for the CLO , which previously held productions at Pitt Stadium . The roof , which is supported by a 260 foot arch , is free of internal support leaving no obstruction for the seats within . The roof , which has a diameter of 415 feet , is divided into eight sections . Six of the sections could fold underneath two — in two and one - half minutes — making the Mellon Arena the world ' s first major indoor sports stadium with a retractable roof . The stadium ' s capacity fluctuates depending on the event being hosted , but has increased due to additions between 1972 and 1991 . The arena originally consisted only of lower bowl seating , but over time , upper decks were installed in the arena ' s " end zones " to increase capacity . In December 1999 , Mellon Financial purchased the Arena ' s naming rights in a 10 year , $ 18 million agreement , which renamed the arena Mellon Arena . Hockey . The Pittsburgh Hornets , members of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) played home games at the Duquesne Gardens , located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh . The team played 20 seasons in the Gardens prior to its demolition , which made room for an apartment building . The Arena opened on September 17 , 1961 . With the Arena available , the Hornets resumed play in the 1961 – 62 season and went on to win the Calder Cup in the 1966 – 67 season . As part of the 1967 NHL Expansion , the city of Pittsburgh was selected to host one of six new franchises . With a hockey seating capacity of 12 , 508 , Pittsburgh ' s Mellon Arena was eight seats over the NHL ' s minimum seating benchmark . Due to its outward appearance , the Arena was nicknamed " The Igloo " which led to the naming of the Penguins . The Penguins debuted at the Civic Arena on October 11 , 1967 in a 2 – 1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens . Andy Bathgate scored the Penguins ' s first goal in the arena . The Penguins won their first game at the Arena on October 21 , when they became the first expansion team to beat an original NHL franchise — besting the Chicago Blackhawks 4 – 2 . On January 21 , 1990 , the Civic Arena hosted the 41st National Hockey League All - Star Game . Pittsburgh ' s Mario Lemieux scored three goals on his first three shots — the first coming 21 seconds into the game . He later scored a fourth goal and was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . The arena also hosted the 1997 NHL Entry Draft . Games of the 1991 , 1992 and 2009 Stanley Cup Finals , which the Penguins won , were hosted at the arena , as were three games of the 2008 Finals . The 2008 Finals marked the only occasion that the Stanley Cup was presented on Mellon Arena ice , after the Penguins were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings in six games . Replacement and demolition . As of 2009 , Mellon Arena is the oldest and lowest capacity arena in the NHL by official capacity . In later years , the arena ' s staff was forced to use space for mutiple purposes never intended in the building ' s original design . The Penguins franchise agreed to a deal with city and state officials to fund a new home arena for the franchise in March 2007 . The Consol Energy Center will be located across the street from the site of Mellon Arena and will have a higher seating capacity . It is expected to open for the 2010 – 11 NHL season , at which point the Mellon Arena is scheduled for demolition .