Arena History
The doors to the Hartford Civic Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Exhibition Center opened on January 9, 1975, with Glen Campbell kicking off the start of an event-filled weekend. The following evening, Johnny Mathis and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra took to the stage. Professional hockey in Hartford began as the New England Whalers played their first game at the Hartford Civic Center, hosting the San Diego Mariners. Since then, the Civic Center has remained Connecticut’s home for premier sports and entertainment.
Unfortunately, after three years of providing top family fun and entertainment, the Civic Center had to be closed. On the evening of January 18, 1978, just hours after the University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball team defeated the University of Massachusetts; the weight of snow from the day’s heavy snowstorm was too much for the Civic Center roof to withstand and forced it to collapse.
Fortunately, there were no injuries. Nearly two years later, on February 6, 1980, the new Hartford Whalers, now of the NHL, reopened the doors with a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Once again, it was the start of something great in Hartford.
Through the years, the Beach Boys, Diana Ross, the Grateful Dead, Luciano Pavarotti, James Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, and countless other top-tier artists, filled the Civic Center with guests of all ages.
Although 1997 brought an end to the Whalers in Hartford, it was also a new beginning – the new American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Rangers was about to make Hartford its new home. In August of 1997, the Rangers purchased their Binghamton development team and moved the squad to Connecticut. The Hartford Wolf Pack kicked off a new era of Hockey in Hartford.
