About PeoplesBank Arena
PeoplesBank Arena is recorded as an NHL arena in Hartford, Connecticut. It opened in 1975. It was designed by KlingStubbins. Its recorded capacity is 16,606. Former tenants include New England Whalers (NHL, 1976–1979) and Hartford Whalers (NHL, 1982–1997). On our ranked lists it ranks 59th for most name changes among 121 venues with 3 or more names. It has also been known as Hartford Civic Center (1975–2006) and XL Center (2007–2025).
Appears in
Venue Information
Year Opened
Address
Elevation
14 m above sea level
Architect
Operator
Address derived from the venue's coordinates using data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Elevation of the venue's coordinates from USGS and NASA SRTM elevation data, via Open Topo Data.
Architect and operator credits from Wikidata.
Capacity by layout
| Layout | Seats | Source |
|---|---|---|
| General | 16,606 | Wikidata |
| Concert | 20,500 | Wikipedia |
| Basketball | 15,495 | Wikipedia |
| Hockey | 14,750 | Wikipedia |
Seating capacity depends on how the building is laid out for each event. Figures are the best sourced claim per layout.
Teams
| Team | League | Years |
|---|---|---|
|
Hartford Whalers While based here: 20 seasons · 635-779-167 regular season · 11 postseason trips
WHA, NHL · 1976–1979, 1982–1997
New England Whalers (1976–1979)
Hartford Whalers (1982–1997)
All 7 home venues of the Hartford Whalers
|
WHA, NHL | 1976–1979, 1982–1997 |
Records are each team's full-season results while it was based here, home and away games alike, from final scores. They are not records of games played at this venue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the capacity of PeoplesBank Arena?
The capacity of PeoplesBank Arena is 16,606.
When was PeoplesBank Arena built?
PeoplesBank Arena opened in 1975.
Who designed PeoplesBank Arena?
PeoplesBank Arena was designed by KlingStubbins.
Who operates PeoplesBank Arena?
PeoplesBank Arena is operated by Comcast Spectacor.
Where did the Hartford Whalers play before PeoplesBank Arena?
Before moving to PeoplesBank Arena in 1976, the Hartford Whalers played at Big E Coliseum from 1974 to 1975.
Where did the Hartford Whalers play after PeoplesBank Arena?
After leaving PeoplesBank Arena in 1997, the Hartford Whalers moved to Greensboro Coliseum in 1998. They played there until 1999.
Where did the New England Whalers play before PeoplesBank Arena?
Before moving to PeoplesBank Arena in 1976, the New England Whalers played at Big E Coliseum from 1974 to 1975.
Where did the New England Whalers play after PeoplesBank Arena?
After leaving PeoplesBank Arena in 1997, the New England Whalers moved to Greensboro Coliseum in 1998. They played there until 1999.
Sources
Where the facts on this page were read from. How VenueStats compiles them.
- Open Topo Data (Public domain): Elevation.
- OpenStreetMap Nominatim (ODbL): Address.
- VenueStats compilation: Opening and closing years, name history and teams (compiled by VenueStats from Sports Reference and Wikipedia).
- Wikidata (CC0): Capacity, Coordinates (Wikidata places the building within 5 m of this point), Architect and operator.
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA): Capacity, concert layout, Capacity, basketball layout, Capacity, hockey layout.
Historical Names
Location
Nearby Venues
| Venue | Years | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| East Hartford Velodrome | 1926–1929 | 0.8 mi |
| Hartford Ball Club Grounds | 1874–1876 | 0.8 mi |
| Rentschler Field | 1933–1999 | 2.7 mi |
| Pratt & Whitney Stadium | 2003– | 3.1 mi |
| Arute Field | 1969– | 6.7 mi |
| Mansfield Club Grounds | 1872–1872 | 15 mi |
Straight-line distance between the venues' coordinates.
References
Teams on Wikipedia
Every source for the facts on this page is listed under Sources.