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

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 / 35.80333°N 78.72194°W / 35.80333; -78.72194Coordinates: 35°48′12″N 78°43′19″W / 35.80333°N 78.72194°W / 35.80333; -78.72194
Broke ground	July 22, 1997
Opened	October 29, 1999
Owner	Centennial Authority
Operator	Gale Force Sports & Entertainment
Construction cost	$158 million
Architect	Odell
Capacity	Basketball: 19,722 Ice hockey: 18,680 Concerts: N/A
Tenants
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) (1999-present) NC State Wolfpack (ACC) (Men's Basketball)

One of the main concourses inside the RBC Center.

The RBC Center (originally the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena) is an indoor arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina. 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. The arena neighbors Carter-Finley Stadium, home of Wolfpack Football; the North Carolina State Fairgrounds; and Dorton Arena (on the Fairgrounds).

The arena seats 19,722 for basketball or 18,680 for ice hockey, including 75 luxury suites and 2,000 club seats. The building has three concourses, and includes a 500-seat restaurant. It is the second largest arena in the ACC and the tenth-largest in the NCAA.

[edit] History

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 $20 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, a U.S. bank that is owned by 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 at the arena 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.

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

The arena has hosted many notable World Wrestling Entertainment events including WWF SummerSlam 2000 and WWE No Mercy 2006.

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

The RBC Center will host the 2012 USA Summer Olympic Trials in June.

[edit] Notable events

• 2000 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour
• 2000 WWF Summerslam 2000
• 2001 Britney Spears: Dream Within a Dream Tour
• 2002 Stanley Cup Finals
• 2002 & 2003: PBR Built Ford Tough Series tour (formerly Bud Light Cup)
• 2004 Shania Twain : Up! Tour
• 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship first and second round
• 2004 NHL Draft
• 2004 Usher: The Truth Tour
• 2004 Kelly Clarkson & Clay Aiken: Independent Tour
• 2005 Jeopardy! College Championship
• 2006 WWE No Mercy
• 2006 Ron Francis Retirement and Banner Raising Ceremony
• 2006 Stanley Cup Finals
• 2006 Nickelback: All The Right Reasons Tour
• 2007 Christina Aguilera : Back To Basics Tour
• 2007 Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium Tour
• 2007 One Tree Hill location shoot for a fictional state basketball tourney
• 2007 Beyoncé : The Beyoncé Experience
• 2008 Van Halen : Van Halen World Tour 2008
• 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship first and second round
• 2009 Glen Wesley Retirement and Banner Raising Ceremony
• 2009 Celine Dion : Taking Chances Tour

[edit] 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]

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: RBC Center

• Official site
• Webcam