Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
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Wachovia Arena or The Arena | |
| File:WachArenalogo.jpg | |
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| Former names | Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center (1998-2000) First Union Arena (2000-2003) |
|---|---|
| Location | 255 Highland Park Boulvevard Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18703, United States |
| Owner | Luzerne County |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 8,343 (Hockey) 7,950 (Football) 10,000 (Concerts) |
| Surface | Ice, Turf |
| Opened | 1999 |
| Tenants | |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (American Hockey League) (1999-present) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (af2) (2002-present) | |
The Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza is an 8,300-seat multi-purpose arena located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, managed by SMG.
The arena is home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ice-hockey team (American Hockey League) and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (arenafootball2). Built in 1998, the arena was originally named the Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center. In 2000, the naming rights were sold to First Union Bank, making it the First Union Arena until summer 2003 when First Union Bank merged into Wachovia.
Recognition and events
The Wachovia 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 2002-03 and 2003-04, and ran a streak of 144 consecutive sellouts in the building from 2000-2004. The team is consistently among the AHL's leaders in attendance.
Other than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey games and Pioneers football games, other events that occur at the arena include NBA exhibition games, NCAA Division I basketball, circus performances, an annual Christmas-time Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance, professional ice-skating shows, WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown!, professional wrestling live events, concerts, Harlem Globetrotters and the annual graduation ceremonies for nearby King's College, University of Scranton, Luzerne County Community College, and Marywood University. It also was host to the 2007 WWE Draft that was live on Monday Night Raw on June 11, 2007.
For instance, two such concerts performed there include a November 2003 spectacular of ten American Idol finalists and, once, a Cher farewell concert. Elton John has performed in front of a sellout crowd at the arena twice. President George W. Bush spoke at the arena on October 22, 2004, during his campaign for re-election to the presidency of the United States.
Other bands that have played here in the past include: The Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi, Nine Inch Nails, Motley Crue, The Eagles, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow.
The arena held the long-awaited opening for AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour on October 28, 2008.