Sullivan Arena

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Sullivan Arena
The Sully
Sullivan Arena Exterior.jpg
Sullivan Arena (2020)
Sullivan Arena is located in Anchorage
Sullivan Arena
Sullivan Arena
Location within Anchorage
Full nameGeorge M. Sullivan Arena
Address1600 Gambell Street
LocationAnchorage, Alaska
OwnerMunicipality of Anchorage
OperatorSMG
CapacityIce Hockey: 6,290 (seated), 6,490 (with standing room)
Basketball: 7,987
Concert: up to 8,751
Boxing/Wrestling: 8,935
Surface200' x 100' (ice hockey)
Construction
Broke groundAugust 1981
OpenedFebruary 8, 1983[4]
Renovated2015
Construction cost$25 million[1]
($65 million in 2020 dollars[2])
$9.1 million (2015 renovations)
ArchitectThe Luckman Partnership Inc.[3]
Harold Wirum & Associates[1]
Project managerHanscomb Heery, Inc.[1]
Services engineerSkogland, Inc.[1]
General contractorKissee Contractors[1]
Tenants
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (NCAA) (1983–2019)
Anchorage/Alaska Aces (WCHL/ECHL) (1995–2017)
Alaska Wild (Intense/IFL) (2007–2010)

The George M. Sullivan Arena (commonly shortened to the "Sullivan Arena" and often referred to colloquially as "The Sully") is a 6,290 seat arena in Anchorage, Alaska, United States.[5] The arena is named after former Anchorage mayor George M. Sullivan. It is owned by the Municipality of Anchorage and operated by SMG, a nationwide property management company. The Sullivan Arena sits in the southwest region of Fairview, a neighborhood in Anchorage. The arena opened in 1983 and sits just east of Mulcahy Stadium as part of the Chester Creek Sports Complex.[6] Sullivan Arena hosted the 1989 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships along with the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River.

In ice hockey, it was the home of the professional Alaska Aces of the ECHL from 1995 to 2017 and the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's NCAA Division I team from 1983 to 2019. It hosted the Great Alaska Shootout basketball tournament, which relocated to the Alaska Airlines Center in 2014.[7] From 2007 to 2010, it was home to the Alaska Wild of the Indoor Football League. In 2021, the junior of the North American Hockey League plans to use Sullivan Arena for home games starting in the 2021–22 season, assuming the arena reopens following its use as a homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

For hockey, the Sullivan Arena offers 6,251 seats with a standing room capacity of 6,451. If areas designated for wheel chairs are included, the arena can seat 6,290, plus standing room, during hockey games. The arena is noted for having an international-dimension (Olympic-sized) ice rink (61 m × 30 m / 200 ft × 98.5 ft) instead of the NHL dimensions (200 ft × 85 ft / 61 m × 25.9 m) common among North American venues. The main arena floor contains 32,000 square feet of space.

In 2014, a new center-hung scoreboard, with four 8-by-8-foot video screens and a wraparound LED display system was installed to replace the 80s style scoreboard which had a black-and-white dot matrix display. The new scoreboard was previously installed at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, where it was used by the ECHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, the San Francisco Bulls. The Bulls purchased the scoreboard for their first season in 2012 but the team folded less than two years later. The scoreboard is made by Colosseo, a European company specializing in stadium and arena LED and entertainment technology.[9]

There were plans, projected for 2015, for the neighboring Mulcahy Stadium to be demolished and rebuilt to its west in order to create 400 new parking spaces for the arena.[10] In addition, all seats and telescopic risers inside Sullivan Arena were replaced, the arena floor was rebuilt, and its ice-making equipment was upgraded for the 2015–16 hockey season. Another renovation in 2017 expanded the arena's storage space by 5,000 square feet, replaced the arena's portable stage, floor seating and artificial turf, and improved the arena's acoustics.

Musicians that have played the Sullivan Arena are The Beach Boys in '83, Johnny Cash in '83, Eric Clapton (from the UK) in '85, Jimmy Buffett (from Key West) in '87, Bon Jovi in '89, Scorpions in '91, Ozzy Osbourne in 1992, Steve Miller Band (from San Francisco) in '93, Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg in '94, Coolio in '96, Filter in '96, Metallica in '89, '92, '99 Aerosmith (from Boston) in '98, Green Day in '98, Stone Temple Pilots in '00, No Doubt in '00, Blink-182 in '01, James Brown in '01, Elton John in '08, Red Hot Chili Peppers in '13, Alaska's 36 Crazyfists in '15 for the Vans Warped Tour, Ontario's Sum 41 in '16, and Luke Bryan in '17.

Coordinates: 61°12′20″N 149°52′21″W / 61.20556°N 149.87250°W / 61.20556; -149.87250

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Lindback, John (June 30, 1981). "Interest in Bids for Sports Arena May Grow". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Luckman Firm Named for Anchorage Project". Los Angeles Times. January 11, 1981. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  4. ^ Stabler, David (February 8, 1983). "70 More Tickets Available for Show". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  5. ^ https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2766508.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=13400&
  6. ^ http://anchorageparkfoundation.org/
  7. ^ http://www.goseawolves.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=6647
  8. ^ "Anchorage Wolverines junior hockey team hires a coach and plans to move into Sullivan Arena". Anchorage Daily News. April 14, 2021.
  9. ^ http://www.adn.com/article/20140308/new-scoreboard-will-bring-sullivan-arena-video-age
  10. ^ http://www.adn.com/article/20131225/city-boosters-eye-moving-mulcahy-ballpark-new-sullivan-arena-parking

External links[]

Media related to Sullivan Arena at Wikimedia Commons

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