Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (originally Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center, formerly First Union Arena and Wachovia Arena) is an 8,050-seat multi-purpose arena located in Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, just northeast of the city of Wilkes-Barre, managed by SMG.

This article is about the arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. For the arena inside the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, see Mohegan Sun Arena.
Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Former namesNortheastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center (1998–2000)
First Union Arena (2000–2003)
Wachovia Arena (2003–2010)
Location255 Highland Park Boulvevard
Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania 18703
Coordinates41.240471°N 75.848504°W / 41.240471; -75.848504
OwnerLuzerne County Convention Center Authority
OperatorSMG
Capacity8,300 (Hockey)[1]
10,000 (Concerts)
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 15, 1997[2]
OpenedNovember 13, 1999[3]
Construction cost$44 million
($70.1 million in 2019 dollars[4])
ArchitectHeinlein Schrock[5]
Project managerHammes Company[2]
Structural engineerQuad3 Group, Inc.[6]
Services engineerSmith Seckman Reid, Inc.[7]
General contractorOscar J. Boldt Construction Company[8]
Tenants
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) (1999–present)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (af2) (2002–2009)

History

Built in 1998 due to the instrumental work of Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey, Sr. and his successor, Tom Ridge, due to the dedication and support of State Representative Kevin Blaum, and built on land given by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber, the arena was originally named the Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center. In 2000, the naming rights were sold to First Union Bank, becoming First Union Arena, until the summer of 2003, when First Union Bank merged into Wachovia, at which point it became Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. On January 20, 2010, the arena became Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, as part of a 10-year naming rights contract with the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs racetrack and casino.[9]

It has been home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, of the AHL since 1999, and the former home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, of the AF2 League. In January 2012 it was planned to be the home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Shamrocks of the North American Lacrosse League, but the league had folded.

Recognition and events

The Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza has been recognized by many entertainment magazines as one of the best in the country for arenas under 10,000 in capacity, especially for its attendance and ease of show setup and teardown. The Penguins hold the American Hockey League record for most sellouts in a season, selling out all 40 home games in 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, and ran a streak of 90 consecutive sellouts between March 2002 and October 2004, and 54 from December 2000 to February 2002.[10]

Panoramic View

Other than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey games, other events that occur at the arena include circus performances, an annual Christmas-time Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance, professional ice-skating shows, Harlem Globetrotters, and the annual graduation ceremonies for nearby Crestwood High School, Penn Foster High School, King's College, University of Scranton, Luzerne County Community College, and Marywood University.

The arena has regularly hosted professional wrestling since 2000. The first event was WCW Monday Nitro on January 31, 2000. The first WWE live event was on July 16, 2000 and headlined by The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle. The arena also hosted the 2007 WWE Draft on June 11, 2007 which was the final WWE Monday Night Raw appearance for the late Chris Benoit. On November 15, 2016, the arena hosted the 900th episode of WWE Smackdown which saw the return of The Undertaker.

Some notable concerts include Bob Dylan, The Dead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Elton John, Cher, and The Eagles.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed its last elephant show in its "Red" tour on May 1st, 2016, a year before the circus itself closed.

On October 9, 2003, the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets played a preseason game at the arena.[11]

Political events

George W. Bush held a rally for re-election to the office of the president at the arena in 2004.[12]

The arena has hosted multiple Donald Trump events, with the first being a rally on April 25, 2016 during his run in the 2016 election.[13][14] He held another rally on October 10, 2016.[13] Trump later returned as president on August 2, 2018 to assist in Lou Barletta's campaign for Senate.[15][16]

  • Side Angle View
  • Center Ice View
  • The Arena during a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey game.

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

References
  1. "AHL Set to Kick Off 75th Anniversary Season". American Hockey League. October 8, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  2. "Arena Panel to Firm: Dig This Weather Permitting, Excavation for the $44 Million Facility Will Begin Monday". Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre. September 12, 1997. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  3. "About the Arena". Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  4. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  5. "The Players in the Arena Project". Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre. March 11, 1997. p. 6A. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  6. "Firm Profile In House" (PDF). Quad3 Group, Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  7. "First Union Arena". Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. Archived from the original on March 8, 2004. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  8. Ralis, David J. (January 30, 1998). "Wisconsin Firm Gets Ok to Build Arena". Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  9. Jones, Coulter (December 28, 2009). "Mohegan Sun Receives Naming Rights to the Arena at Casey Plaza". The Times-Tribune (Scranton). Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  10. "Icecaps Reach Attendance Milestone". American Hockey League. January 11, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  11. "NBA Preseason 2003 Tips Off Oct. 5". National Basketball Association. September 30, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  12. Mark, Eric. "Mohegan Sun retains naming rights to arena". www.citizensvoice.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  13. Post, Dallas (2016-04-26). "Trump wows supporters during rally at Mohegan Sun Arena". Dallas Post. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  14. "The sights and sounds of Trump's Pa. rally". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  15. "PICTURES: Trump Rally at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre". mcall.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  16. Leader, Times (2018-07-25). "Trump to campaign for Barletta on Aug. 2 at Mohegan Sun Arena". Times Leader. Retrieved 2020-06-09.



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