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The 'Energy''Solutions'' Arena' is an indoor arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States owned by Larry H. Miller. The arena seats 19,911 for basketball, has 56 luxury suites, and 668 club seats. Opened in 1991, the Arena was known as the 'Delta Center' until EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights, effective November 20, 2006. The EnergySolutions Arena is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz.
In 2006, it became the home of the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze. The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics (during the Olympics, the arena was referred to as the 'Salt Lake Ice Center').

Contents

History

Renaming

John Stockton and Karl Malone Statues

Notable Events

References

External links

History

The Arena was originally imagined as 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished Salt Palace arena, which had 12,616 seats.^[1] Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H. Miller, ground was broken on May 22, 1990, and it was completed on October 4, 1991 in time for late-October basketball games, at a cost of $93 million.^[2]
The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles match against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16, 1991, which the home team lost 4-2.^[3] The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10, 1969.^[4] The Eagles, which were purchased by Miller in 1990, lost nearly a million dollars annually and would not long play in the Delta Center.
The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre-season loss against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks, 101-95.^[5] In addition to sports, the arena was intended to host large music concerts. On October 24, 1991 Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to rock the Delta Center.^[6]

The 1993-95 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments were held at the facility, as was the 1993 NBA All-Star Game.
The arena's roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11, 1999, costing $3,757,000 to repair.^[7]
The facility played host to the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships. The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze, the Arena has also been the home of the WNBA's Utah Starzz from 1997-2002, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991-1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995-1997 both of the International Hockey League. It also is and has been the host of the Utah Basketball League Salt Lake Devils since October 2005, the league's creation.
The movie '' was partially filmed in the arena. It will also host the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, taking the Jon M. Huntsman Center's place as host of the tournament.
Dan Roberts serves as the official EnergySolutions Arena public address voice for the Jazz. He has been the Jazz' home game announcer since before the Arena was built.^[8]

Renaming

Until November 20, 2006, EnergySolutions Arena was known as the 'Delta Center'. Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15-year naming rights contract, which expired on September 30, 2006. The stadium's owner, Larry H. Miller, opted to sell naming rights to EnergySolutions, a low-level nuclear waste disposal company headquartered in Salt Lake City.^[9] The new name was unveiled November 20, prior to the Jazz home game against the Toronto Raptors. Two stickers were placed on the court, covering up the arena's old name with the new one.^[10] The EnergySolutions temporary logos were replaced with official EnergySolutions logos on the court, sometime between the 12-16-06 game vs the Sacramento Kings and the 12-26-06 game vs the Los Angeles Clippers.

Initial fan reactions to the new name have been predominantly negative. Early nicknames for the arena include "The Dump", a jab at EnergySolutions' radioactive and hazardous waste disposal operations.^[11] Other suggestions include The Glow Bowl, Radium Stadium, the Isotope, ChernoBowl, JazzMat (short for Jazzardous Materials), the Big Bang, the Tox Box, The Power House, the Hot Spot, Plutonium Palace, The Fallout Shelter, the Melta Center, and Energy Pollutions Arena.^[12]

John Stockton and Karl Malone Statues

Outside of the arena are statues of two of the greatest players in the history of the Jazz and the NBA. The John Stockton Statue was unveiled on March 30th, 2005. The Karl Malone Statue was unveiled on March 23rd, 2006. The Jazz played games on each of those nights, however both games were lost.

Notable Events

★ Home of the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships

★ The figure skating and short track speed skating competitions were held there during the 2002 Winter Olympics

★ Hosted a sold out Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour concert in 2005. The group performed a two song performance via satelite for the 2005 American Music Awards, with an introduction by Nicole Richie.

★ U2 played a sold out concert here during their Vertigo Tour

★ Will host the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The EnergySolutions Arena also hosts Monster Jam, a monster truck show, which comes to the arena every February.

References

1. Will Delta Center Pack in the Fans? Ticket Sales Say Yes Lex Hemphill
2. Truss erection system scores at Utah arena Richard Sandomir
3. Eagles Disappoint Kurt Kragthorpe
4. Golden Eagles Jazz up Delta Center Dick Rosetta
5. Knicks win to spoil Jazz debut Steve Luhm
6. Elfman makes Delta Center roll in rock-concert debut Lori Butters
7. A REAL TWISTER: 1 Year Later: A Whirlwind of Memories; Salt Lake City recalls devastating tornado that changed lives forever
8. Palace Earsplitting But Not Deafening Patti T Fricks
9. Delta Center's out, EnergySolutions Arena is in ; see also EnergySolutions Arena? It's a mouthful Marjorie Cortez
10. Utah understands Hoffa Mike Koreen
11. Arena's new name a winner, Miller says Mike Gorrell
12. In Utah, the Half-Life of Arena Naming Rights Richard Sandomir Also available from Commercial Alert.

External links

★ Official site