RBC Center

This article is about the indoor arena in Raleigh, NC. For the office tower in Toronto, Ontario, see RBC Centre. For the arena in Sarnia, Ontario, see RBC Centre (Sarnia).

RBC Center
The RBC
Former names	Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena (1999–2002)
Location	1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
Coordinates	35°48′12″N 78°43′19″W
Broke ground	July 22, 1997
Opened	October 29, 1999
Owner	Centennial Authority
Operator	Gale Force Sports & Entertainment
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction cost	$158 million ($208 million in 2012 dollars)
Architect	Odell Associates
Project Manager	McDevitt Street Bovis, Inc.
Structural engineer	Geiger Engineers
General Contractor	Hensel Phelps Construction Co.
Capacity	Basketball: 19,722 Ice hockey: 18,680 Concerts: 20,150
Tenants
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) (1999–present) NC State Wolfpack (ACC) (Men's Basketball)

One of the main concourses inside the RBC Center.

A basketball game at RBC Center.

The RBC Center (Royal Bank of Canada) (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena) is an indoor arena, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The arena seats 19,722 for basketball or 18,176 for ice hockey, including 66 luxury suites and 2,000 club seats. The building has three concourses and includes a 500-seat restaurant.

The arena neighbors Carter–Finley Stadium, home of Wolfpack Football; the North Carolina State Fairgrounds; and Dorton Arena (on the Fairgrounds).

It is home to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and the North Carolina State University Wolfpack men's basketball team of NCAA Division I.

The arena also hosted the Carolina Cobras of the Arena Football League from 2000 to 2002.

It is the second largest arena in the ACC and the tenth-largest in the NCAA.^{[citation needed]}

On June 19, 2011 it was announced that PNC Bank bought RBC Bank and acquired the naming rights to RBC Center pending approval by the regulatory agencies.

On December 15, 2011 it was announced that the Centennial Authority, the landlord of the RBC Center, approved a name change for the facility to PNC Arena..

History

Glen Wesley Night at the RBC Center, February 17, 2009.

The idea of a new basketball arena first emerged in the 1980s under the vision of Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano. In 1989, the NCSU Trustees approved plans to build a 23,000 seat arena. The Centennial Authority was created by the NC Legislature in 1995 as the governing entity of the arena, then financed by state appropriation, local contributions, and University fundraising. The Centennial Authority refocused the project into a multi-use arena, leading to the 1997 relocation agreement of the Hurricanes (then the Hartford Whalers). Construction began that year and was completed in 1999 with an estimated cost of $158 million, which was largely publicly financed by a Hotel and Restaurant tax. The Hurricanes agreed to pay $60 million of the cost, and the state of North Carolina paid $18 million.

Known as the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena or ESA from 1999 to 2002, it was renamed the RBC Center after an extended search for a corporate sponsor. RBC Bank, the US division of the Royal Bank of Canada, acquired 20-year naming rights for a reported $80 million.

On October 29, 1999, Raleigh, North Carolina experienced its first NHL game when the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the New Jersey Devils on opening night of the ESA. The Carolina Hurricanes were on home ice for a decisive game 7 when they won the Stanley Cup on June 19, 2006 against the Edmonton Oilers, 3–1, bringing North Carolina its first major professional sports championship.

In 2008, the RBC Center renovated its sound system. Clair Brothers Systems installed a combination of JBL line arrays to provide improved audio coverage for all events.

In June 2009, video crews installed a new Daktronics High-Definition scoreboard. It replaced the 10 year-old scoreboard that has been in the arena since opening. This new scoreboard is in full LED and is 4-sided, whereas the old scoreboard was 8-sided and featured alternating static dot-matrix displays (very much outdated for today's standards) and full color video displays. The new board features an octagonal top section with full video capability. In addition there are two rings similar to the ribbon board encircling the bowl. The entire video broadcasting system for RBC Center is being overhauled and upgraded to HD.

It has hosted many notable World Wrestling Entertainment events including SummerSlam 2000, No Mercy 2006 and WWE Over The Limit in 2012.

It hosted the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) men's basketball tournament from 1999–2008, and was a site for Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2004 and 2008 men's NCAA basketball tournaments.

It will host the 2012 USA Summer Olympic Trials in June.

On April 8, 2010, the Hurricanes and the NHL announced that the RBC Center would host the 58th National Hockey League All-Star Game on January 30, 2011.

Notable events

• 2000 - WWF Summerslam 2000
• 2002 - Stanley Cup Finals
• 2004 - NHL Draft
• 2004 & 2007 - PBR Built Ford Tough Series Tour (formerly Bud Light Cup)
• 2005 - Jeopardy! College Championship
• 2006 - WWE No Mercy
• 2006 - Stanley Cup Finals
• 2006 - One Tree Hill (location shoot for a fictional state basketball tourney)
• 2006-2008 - MEAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
• 2007 - NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament first and second round
• 2008 - NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament first and second round
• 2009 - Stanley Cup Playoffs
• 2011 - National Hockey League All-Star game
• 2011 - 2011 WWE Draft
• 2012 - Over the Limit (2012)

References

• NCSU Athletics. RBC Center Retrieved July 12, 2004 from [1].
• RBC Center: History. Retrieved July 12, 2004 from [2].
• The Hockey News. 59.37 (2006): 6.
• Live Sound: Clair Systems Revamps RBC Center Audio with JBL Loudspeakers. Retrieved May 15, 2009 from [3]
• RBC Center Gets New Scoreboard. Retrieved June 7, 2009 from [4]

External links

• Official site
• RBC Center - NC State Athletics