Agganis Arena

Agganis Arena

"The Greek"[1]
Location	925 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Coordinates	42°21′08.03″N 71°07′04.05″W
Public transit	Green Line  at Babcock Street
Owner	Boston University
Operator	Boston University
Capacity	Center Stage Concert: 8,000 End Stage Concert: Up to 7,500 Basketball: 6,411 Ice Hockey: 6,150 Theatre Configuration: 1,500-3,500[2]
Field size	Arena total size = 286,134 gross square feet Ice sheet: 90 ft[3] × 200 ft Basketball floor (portable): 112' × 60' Portable insulating deck: 90' × 200'
Construction
Broke ground	2003
Opened	January 3, 2005
Construction cost	$97 million
Architect	CannonDesign
Structural engineer	LeMessurier Consultants Inc.[4]
General contractor	Walsh Brothers/Barton Malow[4]
Tenants
Boston University Terriers (NCAA) (2005–present)
Website
www.agganisarena.com

Agganis Arena is a 7,200-seat^[5] multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, on the campus of Boston University, built on the location of the former Commonwealth Armory. It is home to the five-time national champion Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey team. It is named after Harry Agganis, a football and baseball player for BU.^[6] The ice hockey rink is named Jack Parker Rink, after the legendary BU hockey player and coach.^[7] The arena is part of Boston University's John Hancock Student Village, which also includes dormitories and the university's five-story Fitness and Recreation Center.

Agganis was dedicated in 2004 and hosted its first event in 2005.^[8] It replaced Walter Brown Arena, located at the Case Athletic Center, as the home of BU Men's Ice Hockey, though Walter Brown Arena is still in use as the home of BU Women's Ice Hockey. The BU basketball team played games at the arena until 2015, before moving back to Case Gym.

The exterior of the Agganis Arena

Agganis serves as a regional auditorium for large events, including concerts, ceremonies of other schools such as Berklee College of Music,^[9] musicals, awareness events, and appearances by speakers such as Barack Obama and Dave Chappelle.

Since 2008, Agganis has hosted the annual CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championship.^[10]

History

Development

BU's men's ice hockey team had previously played at Walter Brown Arena for 33 years. The arena only has a capacity of 3,806, and so a larger, newer arena was desired by university leaders. Walter Brown was known for being extremely loud during high attendance games due to its low ceiling, creating a home advantage. Coach Jack Parker consulted with architects when designing the rink to ensure that the volume level would remain high.^[11] The ice rink in the arena would eventually be dedicated to him.^[7]

The arena was constructed as part of BU's $325 million John Hancock Student Village, a 10-acre site hosting sports, fitness, and residential facilities for students. The location borders Commonwealth Avenue, on the site of the old Commonwealth Armory, which was purchased by BU in the 1980s and demolished in 2002.^[12][13] In 2004, the Fitness and Recreation Center was completed next door as part of the village project.^[12] The arena was completed in 2004 at a cost of $97 million and held its first ice hockey game in 2005.^[11]

Naming

The arena is named after Harry Agganis, a two-sport football and baseball athlete for BU and a player for the Boston Red Sox. Agganis died at 26 from a massive pulmonary embolism. A life-size bronze statue of Agganis sculpted by Armand LaMontagne stands outside the arena at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Harry Agganis Way.^[6] The hockey rink is named Jack Parker Rink, after the legendary BU hockey player and coach.^[7]

Ice Hockey

The arena's main tenant since it was opened is the BU men's ice hockey team. The student section for the team sits in Section 118 and is called the "Dog Pound". The upper level of section 118 is reserved for the BU Pep Band. The Dog Pound is known for chants directed at opposing goaltenders.^[14]

View from the student section between periods at a hockey game

The women's team continues to play in Walter Brown Arena, but select tournaments and games have been played at the arena. The arena hosted the 2009 Women's Frozen Four. The venue was also scheduled to host the 2020 Women's Frozen Four^[15] before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16]

Basketball

In the arena's first decade, Boston University basketball played select home games at Agganis, with the remainder being played at Case Gym. The school made the decision before the 2015–2016 season to move all home games back to Case Gym due to poor attendance at Agganis.^[17] The last BU basketball game played at Agganis was a 77-70 loss to rival Holy Cross on Feb. 28, 2015.^[18]

Agganis Arena hosted the first rounds of the 2007 America East men's basketball tournament and the finals in 2011.^[19][20]

Other Events

Agganis is used for various graduation ceremonies at BU and other schools.^[9][21]

The arena hosted TNA Wrestling (Now known as Impact Wrestling)'s anniversary show Slammiversary on June 2, 2013.^[22]

In January 2018, the arena hosted the playoff stage for the ELEAGUE Major tournament for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It was the first time in the game's history that a North American team (Cloud9) won a major-level tournament.

On October 9, 2019, professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held the second episode of its live weekly television show AEW Dynamite at the arena.^[23][24] AEW returned to the Agganis Arena for its October 27, 2021 episode of Dynamite.^[25] That week's episode of AEW Rampage was also taped at the arena following the Dynamite taping.^[26] AEW returned once again on April 6, 2022 for a live episode of Dynamite, as well as tapings of AEW Rampage and AEW Dark: Elevation.

The Rocket League Championship Series 2023 Spring Major was held at the arena from July 6 to 9, 2023, with a live audience present on July 8 and 9.^[27] The event was won by Team Vitality, who beat fellow European side Team BDS in the Final to completely sweep the Spring Split, having previously won the EU Spring Open, Spring Cup and Spring Invitational.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

References

1. "1314mbbRecordBook (PDF)" (PDF). Boston University Athletics.
2. "Capacity & Specifications". agganisarena.com. Agganis Arena. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
3. Shinzawa, Fluto (January 2, 2005). "Open ice - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Boston.com. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
4. "Boston University Fitness & Recreation Center & Agganis Arena, Boston, MA". www.buildings.com.
5. "Agganis Arena". goterriers.com. Boston University Athletics. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
6. "Bronze Statue Honoring Famed BU Sports Legend Harry Agganis to be Unveiled - Public Relations". www.bu.edu.
7. Scott Weighart (October 7, 2005). "BU Dedicates Jack Parker Rink | College Hockey". USCHO.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
8. Agganis Arena | About | Agganis Arena Archived December 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
9. "Berklee College of Music Commencement | Berklee College of Music". college.berklee.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
10. "C.R.A.S.H.-B. History". www.crash-b.org.
11. "B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper". www.bu.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
12. "B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper". www.bu.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
13. "B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper". www.bu.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
14. "The Dog Pound: the fan experience at Boston University – The Daily Free Press". August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
15. "BU to Host 2020 Women's Frozen Four at Agganis". Boston University Athletics.
16. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns". NCAA.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
17. "Men's basketball team moves all conference games to Case, hopes to increase attendance – The Daily Free Press".
18. "Men's Basketball vs Holy Cross on 2/28/2015 - Box Score". Boston University Athletics.
19. "AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD ANNOUNCED". University at Albany Great Danes. February 26, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
20. "Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). America East Conference. 2018. p. 12. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
21. "MET Convocation Ceremony | BU MET". www.bu.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
22. "PWTorch.com - TNA NEWS: Date & Location announced for Slammiversary". www.pwtorch.com.
23. "All Elite Wrestling to Launch on TNT Wednesdays in October". July 24, 2019.
24. "AEW Announces Locations for Second and Third TNT Episodes".
25. Gagnon, Joshua (October 27, 2021). "AEW Dynamite Results: TNT Title Match, Two Tournament Bouts, The Elite Vs. Dark Order". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
26. Gagnon, Joshua (October 27, 2021). "Spoilers For AEW Rampage (10/29): Bryan Danielson Vs. Eddie Kingston". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
27. Jones, Chlo (June 29, 2023). "RLCS Spring Major Primer + On-Site Guide". Rocket League Esports. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Agganis Arena

Preceded by Walter Brown Arena	Home of Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey 2005 – Current	Succeeded by incumbent
Preceded by College Park Center	Host of Slammiversary 2013 (XI)	Succeeded by College Park Center