| Capital Centre | |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Harry S Truman Dr Landover, MD 20785 |
| Opened | 1973 |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Demolished | 2002 |
| Owner | Washington Sports & Entertainment (Abe Pollin) |
| Former names | USAir Arena (1993–97) US Airways Arena (1997) |
| Tenants | Washington Bullets/Wizards (1973–97) Washington Capitals (1974–97) Georgetown Hoyas (NCAA) (1980–97) Washington Warthogs (CISL) (1994–1997) Washington Warthogs (1994–97) Washington/Maryland Commandos (AFL) (1987–1990) Washington Wave (MILL) (1987–1989) |
| Capacity | 18,756 (basketball) 18,130 (hockey) |
The Capital Centre (also briefly known as US Airways Arena and USAir Arena) was an indoor arena located in Landover, Maryland; a suburb of Washington, D.C. Completed in 1973, the arena sat 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for hockey. Abe Pollin (born December 3, 1923 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is the current owner of the NBA 's Washington For the BAA team see Washington Capitols. For the ABA team see Washington Caps. Cultural traditions "What is a Hoya?" The University admits that the precise origin of the term "Hoya" is unknown The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The Washington Warthogs were a professional Indoor soccer team in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL from 1994-1997 The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an Indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. The Washington Warthogs were a professional Indoor soccer team in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL from 1994-1997 The Washington Commandos was an Arena football team that operated from 1987 to 1990 The Arena Football League (AFL was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. The Washington Wave were a member of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League and the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1987 The National Lacrosse League (NLL is the league of men's indoor lacrosse in North America. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Hockey is any of a family of Sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a Ball, or a hard round rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck The following is a list of indoor Arenas. Africa Asia Europe Landover is an area of Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D An arena is an enclosed area often circular or oval-shaped designed to showcase Theater, musical performances or sporting events Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Hockey is any of a family of Sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a Ball, or a hard round rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck It was renamed for corporate sponsor US Airways in 1993, but reverted back to its original name of Capital Centre after the airline dropped its naming rights. US Airways Inc is the fifth largest Airline in the United States.
The arena was the home of the Washington Bullets of the NBA from 1973–97, the Washington Capitals of the NHL from 1974–97 and the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team from 1981–97. For the BAA team see Washington Capitols. For the ABA team see Washington Caps. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America Cultural traditions "What is a Hoya?" The University admits that the precise origin of the term "Hoya" is unknown The Washington Wizards were known as the Bullets until 1997, and played the first 5 games of the 1997–98 NBA season at the old arena. The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. All three teams departed for the MCI Center (now Verizon Center) just north of The Mall in D. The Verizon Center (formerly MCI Center until March 5, 2006) is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington D C. when it opened on December 2, 1997. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Capital Centre hosted its first NBA game exactly 24 years earlier on December 2, 1973, with the home team defeating the same visiting team, the Seattle Supersonics. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. The Seattle SuperSonics (also called the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional Basketball team based in Seattle Washington that played During November 1973, the Capital Bullets held their home games at nearby Cole Field House on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. The William P Cole Jr Student Activities Building, more commonly known as Cole Field House, was the home of the University of Maryland basketball teams from The University of Maryland College Park (often referred to as The University of Maryland UMD, UMCP or simply Maryland) is a public research College Park is a city in Prince George's County Maryland, USA.
In 1978 and 1979, the arena hosted games of the NBA Finals, when the Bullets played the Seattle Supersonics.
The ACC men's basketball tournament was held there in 1976, 1981, and 1987. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. The 1980 NBA All-Star Game and 1982 NHL All-Star Game were held there, as was the WWF's Survivor Series 1995. The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. The National Hockey League All-Star Game (Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey is an exhibition Ice hockey game that traditionally marks the midway Survivor Series (1995 was the ninth annual Survivor Series Pay-per-view Professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation
The arena also was home to a few epic NHL Playoff games.
The Washington/Maryland Commandos of the Arena Football League also called the arena home from 1987 to 1990. The Washington Commandos was an Arena football team that operated from 1987 to 1990 The Arena Football League (AFL was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. The Maryland Arrows, Washington Wave and Washington Power lacrosse teams used the arena, as did The Washington Warthogs professional indoor soccer team. The Washington Wave were a member of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League and the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1987 The Washington Power were a member of the National Lacrosse League during the 2001 and 2002 seasons The Washington Warthogs were a professional Indoor soccer team in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL from 1994-1997
The video documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot was created by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn in 1986 in the parking lot outside this venue. Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Heavy Metal Parking Lot is a Video documentary produced by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn in 1986 Jeff Krulik is a director of Independent films and a former Discovery Channel producer It documents the heavy metal fans waiting on May 31, 1986 for a Judas Priest concert (with special guests Dokken). Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. Dokken is an American heavy metal and Hard rock band that was formed in 1978 When the documentary was filmed, the venue was still named the Capital Centre. Footage of past Washington Bullets games held at the Capital Centre were used in the 1979 movie, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh is an American sports/fantasy comedy Film that was released in 1979.
The venue was a longtime favorite of music acts including Marvin Gaye, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen and Kiss. Marvin Pentz Gay Jr, known as Marvin Gaye ( April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Singer-songwriter The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978 Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 (Both volumes of the Kiss retrospective DVDs "Kissology" have included bonus DVDs of late-'70s shows taped at the Capital Centre. Performances by Van Halen and Blue Öyster Cult at the venue have also been released. Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed in New York in 1967 and still active in 2008 )
The Capital Centre was home to several Toys for Tots concerts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates Toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for
The arena was imploded on December 15, 2002 to make way for The Boulevard at the Capital Centre, a town center-style shopping mall. Building implosion is a term in use in the Controlled demolition industry Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Boulevard at the Capital Centre is an open-air shopping center located on the site of the former Capital Centre, which opened in December 1973 and was demolished
Legacy
The Capital Centre was the first indoor arena to have a video replay screen on its center-hung scoreboard. The video screen was known as the "Telscreen" and predated the DiamondVision video screen at Dodger Stadium by seven years. Dodger Stadium is a large outdoor ballpark in Los Angeles California at Chávez Ravine. It was also the first arena to be built with luxury boxes and a computerized turnstile system. Luxury box or luxury suite is the North American term for a special seating section in Arenas Stadiums and other sports venues A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of Gate which allows one person to pass at a time
The Centre also had one of the NBA's most notorious fans, Robin Ficker, who for twelve seasons sat behind the visiting team's bench and heckled opposing players.
External links
- First game in MCI Arena, Sports Illustrated, 2 December 1997
| Preceded by Baltimore Civic Center |
Home of the Washington Bullets 1973 – 1997 |
Succeeded by MCI Center |
| Preceded by first venue |
Home of the Washington Capitals 1974 – 1997 |
Succeeded by MCI Center |
| Preceded by McDonough Gymnasium |
Home of the Georgetown Hoyas 1981 – 1997 |
Succeeded by MCI Center |
| Preceded by Pontiac Silverdome |
Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1980 |
Succeeded by Coliseum at Richfield |
| Preceded by The Forum |
Host of the NHL All-Star Game 1982 |
Succeeded by Nassau Coliseum |
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