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The Wachovia Center (formerly known as the CoreStates Center and the First Union Center) is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the home arena of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL and the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. The arena was completed in 1996 on what was once the site of John F. Kennedy Stadium at a cost of $206 million, largely privately financed (though the city and state helped to pay for the local infrastructure). The building lies at the southeast corner of the South Philadelphia sports complex, which includes Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and the arena's predecessor, The Spectrum.
The arena seats 21,600 for basketball and 19,519 for hockey. It has 126 luxury suites and 1,880 club seats. The arena was originally named for CoreStates Bank, which agreed to pay $40 million over 21 years for the naming rights, with additional terms to be settled later for an additional eight year period at the end of the contract. The naming rights were taken by First Union Bank in a merger in 1998 and then by Wachovia Bank in a 2003 merger with First Union. While under the First Union name, it was affectionately referred to as the "F.U. Center" by Philadelphians. Due to this, a name alteration was considered, the "First Union National Center." However, this was met with much derision from fans and athletes who played in the facility, such as former Philadelphia Flyers forward Brantt Myhres, who said the name change would make the building sound like a "circus venue."
Because of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and later in the season, the unavailability of ice at the Wachovia Spectrum caused by other events at that venue, the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, played selected games in the arena, including the entire 2004-05 Phantoms playoff schedule, including a record 20,103 in the Calder Cup clinching Game 4. This was repeated for the first two games of the 2005-06 season.
Notable Events
- 1996 World Cup of Hockey, 1996 (three games)
- WWF In Your House #10, 1996
- NHL Stanley Cup Finals, 1997
- AHL All-Star Classic, 1999
- WrestleMania XV, 1999
- WWF Unforgiven, 2000
- Republican National Convention, 2000
- NCAA Tournament, East Regional, 2001 (won by Duke University)
- NBA Finals, 2001
- NBA All-Star Game, 2002
- WWE Royal Rumble, 2004
- AHL Calder Cup Finals, 2005
- NCAA Tournament, first and second rounds, 2006
- WWE Survivor Series, 2006 (to take place November 26, 2006.)
Teams
The Wachovia Center is home to the:
- Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL
- Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA
- Philadelphia Wings of the NLL
- Philadelphia Soul of the AFL (Sunday home games only)
- The men's basketball team of Villanova University plays some of its high-profile home games here instead of at its much smaller on campus arena, The Pavilion.
Trivia
The arena was the site of and was used as the site of the Republican Convention that nominated Senator Arnold Vinick for President on the TV show The West Wing in the 2004-05 season.
Indoor arenas in the United States | Basketball venues in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | Indoor lacrosse venues in the United States | Sports venues in Philadelphia | Arena football venues | Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia 76ers | National Hockey League venues | National Basketball Association venues | WrestleMania venues | Professional wrestling venues | NBA All-Star Game Venues
"Wachovia Center"