Buccaneer Arena

Buccaneer Arena is a 3,461-seat, with standing room for an additional 700, multi-purpose arena in Urbandale, Iowa, that is home to the Des Moines Buccaneers ice hockey team in the United States Hockey League. Before the Bucs began playing in 1980, the International Hockey League's Des Moines Oak Leafs and Des Moines Capitols franchise played here.

Buccaneer Arena
The Madhouse on Hickman
Former namesDes Moines Ice Arena (1961–?)
Metro Ice Sports Arena (?–2004)
95-KGGO Arena (2005–2008)
Location7201 Hickman Road
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
OwnerOrchard View Sports & Entertainment, LLC
OperatorOrchard View Sports & Entertainment, LLC
Capacity3,461, standing room 700
SurfaceIce
Construction
Broke ground1960
OpenedNovember 12, 1961
Renovated2008
Tenants
Des Moines Oak Leafs/Capitols (USHL/IHL) (1961–1975)
Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) (1980–present)

Building history

The arena opened on November 12, 1961[1] as the Des Moines Ice Arena. It was later renamed the Metro Ice Sports Arena before becoming Buccaneer Arena in mid-2004. On September 22, 2005, Buccaneer Arena was renamed 95-KGGO Arena after Citadel Broadcasting, owners of radio station KGGO, purchased the naming rights to the arena. It is nicknamed the "Madhouse on Hickman" for its location on Hickman Road.[2] In 2008, the arena changed its name back to Buccaneer Arena. In 2020, the arena's roof was damaged during the August 2020 Midwest derecho.[3]

Tenants

The arena served as home ice for the Des Moines Buccaneers' ten championship seasons in the 1990s: Anderson Cup regular season champions in 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99; Clark Cup playoff champions in 1992, 1995, 1999, 2006; and Gold Cup Junior A champions in 1992, 1995, 1998. Following the damage to the roof in 2020, the team was forced to start the 2020–21 season at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.[3] In November 2020, the team announced it would be replacing the old arena as part of a project to turn a vacant department store on Merle Hay Road into a new 3,500-seat arena.[4] Buccaneer Arena completed repairs in January 2021, and the team moved back until the new arena is complete

In 2007, the arena hosted the College Hockey America championship tournament.[5] The arena has also hosted mixed martial arts.[6]

References
  1. "Leafs Hand Metros 10-1 Loss in Debut". Milwaukee Sentinel. November 13, 1963. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  2. http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/buccaneer-arena-s1498/
  3. "Des Moines Buccaneers to open season at Wells Fargo Arena". KCCI. October 13, 2020.
  4. "Des Moines Buccaneers hockey team moving to new 3,500-seat arena at Merle Hay Mall". The Des Moines Register. November 19, 2020.
  5. http://www.uscho.com/2006/07/03/cha-heads-to-iowa-for-2007-tournament/
  6. http://mmajunkie.com/2016/01/victory-fc-48-heads-to-iowa-on-feb-19-with-jackson-vs-moreno-title-fight


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