St. Pete Times Forum

Opened in 1996

About St. Pete Times Forum

St. Pete Times Forum is a former name of Benchmark International Arena, used 2002–2011. Benchmark International Arena is an NHL arena in Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1996. It was designed by Ellerbe Becket. It seats 19,204. Its current tenant is Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), since 1997. It was formerly home to Toronto Raptors (NBA, 2021). By capacity it ranks 12th of 32 current NHL venues, counting only venues with a known capacity. On our ranked lists it ranks 232nd oldest of 368 stadiums and arenas still in use and 5th for most name changes among 125 venues with 3 or more names. It has also been known as Ice Palace (1996–2001), Tampa Bay Times Forum (2012–2013) and Amalie Arena (2014–2025).

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Venue Information

Capacity

19,204

Source: Wikidata

#12 in NHL of 32

Year Opened

1996

#11 oldest in NHL of 32

Address

401 Channelside Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602

Elevation

15 ft

5 m above sea level

#2 lowest in NHL of 32

Architect

Ellerbe Becket

Operator

Tampa Bay Lightning

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.

Teams

Home seasons at St. Pete Times Forum by team, 1996–2027. Bars use each team's colors at the time; the table below lists every season.

Team	League	Years
Tampa Bay Lightning While based here: 30 seasons · 1123-1115-79 regular season · 17 postseason trips · 2026-27 in progress NHL · 1997–present Territory map on ImperialismMap Expo Hall 1993 Tropicana Field 1994–1996 Benchmark International Arena 1997–present	NHL	1997–present
Toronto Raptors While based here: 1 season · 27-45 regular season · no postseason trips NBA · 2021 Territory map on ImperialismMap SkyDome 1996–1998 Scotiabank Arena 1999–2020 Amalie Arena 2021 Scotiabank Arena 2022–present	NBA	2021

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.

NHL records count overtime and shootout losses as losses.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the capacity of St. Pete Times Forum?

The capacity of St. Pete Times Forum is 19,204.

When was St. Pete Times Forum built?

St. Pete Times Forum opened in 1996.

Who designed St. Pete Times Forum?

St. Pete Times Forum was designed by Ellerbe Becket.

Who operates St. Pete Times Forum?

St. Pete Times Forum is operated by Tampa Bay Lightning.

Who plays at St. Pete Times Forum?

St. Pete Times Forum is the home venue of Tampa Bay Lightning.

Where did the Toronto Raptors play before St. Pete Times Forum?

Before moving to St. Pete Times Forum in 2021, the Toronto Raptors played at Scotiabank Arena from 1999 to 2020.

Where did the Toronto Raptors play after St. Pete Times Forum?

After leaving St. Pete Times Forum in 2021, the Toronto Raptors moved to Scotiabank Arena in 2022.

Where did the Tampa Bay Lightning play before St. Pete Times Forum?

Before moving to St. Pete Times Forum in 1997, the Tampa Bay Lightning played at Tropicana Field from 1994 to 1996.

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 13 m of this point), Architect and operator.
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA): Photograph.