Continental Airlines Arena
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Continental Airlines Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is home to the New Jersey Devils NHL hockey team and the New Jersey Nets NBA basketball team . The arena also hosts the men's basketball games of Seton Hall University. Official seating capacity as of 2004 is 19,040 for hockey; 20,029 for college basketball; 19,968 for NBA games; and a maximum 20,000 for concerts.
Construction on a new arena across New Jersey state highway 20 (now 120) from Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack began in 1977. Originally named Brendan Byrne Arena (named after the sitting governor of the state, who was also a member of the ownership group seeking to bring an NHL team to the State), the arena opened July 2, 1981, with the first of six concerts by New Jersey rock musician Bruce Springsteen. This was followed by an ice show later that month. Although named after Byrne, many people and some tickets and press releases simply referred to it as Meadowlands Arena.
On October 30, 1981, the Nets, who had played their previous four seasons at the Louis Brown Athletic Center at Rutgers University, made their debut at the arena, losing to the New York Knicks, 103-99. Later that season, on January 31, 1982, the NBA All-Star Game was played at the arena.
In 1982, the Colorado Rockies of the NHL relocated to the Meadowlands and became the New Jersey Devils. Their first regular-season game, on October 5, 1982, resulted in a 3-3 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
College basketball arrived at the arena with the opening rounds of the 1984 NCAA basketball tournament. Seton Hall moved its Big East Conference men's basketball games to the arena for the 1985-1986 season, enhancing a tradition that would soon become rich. The arena hosted the NCAA men's Final Four in 1996, and has played host to numerous regional finals since 1986. It also hosted the 1982-1989 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and 1986 Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournaments.
Other teams that have called the arena home include the New Jersey Rockets of the Major Indoor Soccer League, the New Jersey Rockin Rollers of Roller Hockey International; the New Jersey Red Dogs / Gladiators of the Arena Football League; and the New Jersey Storm of National Lacrosse League. The New York Cosmos also used the arena to host indoor soccer games. The venue also hosted WWE SummerSlam in 1989 and 1997, as well as the King of the Ring tournament in 2001 and WWE No Mercy 2004.
The arena has been a popular site for concerts, due to it having been designed with acoustics in mind and to it having a lesser facility fee for artists than competing venues, such as Madison Square Garden. Bruce Springsteen remains the most popular concert act to perform in the Arena; his appearances have included a 10-night, sold-out run in 1984, an 11-night run in 1992, and a 15-night, sold-out run in 1999. This last feat is commemorated by a large banner hanging from the rafters, next to the banners representing the achievements of the resident sports teams. A 1999 concert by Dave Matthews Band was recorded for a PBS special, and subsequently released as a concert album and DVD under the name Listener Supported.
On January 4, 1996, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority announced a naming rights deal with Continental Airlines under which the airline, with a hub at nearby Newark International Airport, would pay the NJSEA $29 million over 12 years. Many thought this was a political move, since Brendan Byrne was a Democrat and the governor at the time of the deal was Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican. The former governor's son, Tom Byrne, was the state Democratic Party chairman at the time, and publicly voiced his displeasure. The senior Byrne was not upset about it: "I was immortal for 15 years," he said at the time.
The name change to Continental Airlines Arena also caused controversy in April of that year, when the arena hosted the NCAA Final Four. During the CBS coverage of the event, Continental signage was not shown on camera, and the arena was simply referred to as "The Meadowlands". CBS and the NCAA already had airline sponsors for the event before Continental's naming rights deal.
The arena has seen the Devils clinch two Stanley Cup championships before a home crowd. The franchise won its first Cup on June 24, 1995, and then clinched its 3rd title in 9 years on June 9, 2003. The arena also was host to the Los Angeles Lakers winning an NBA Championship by sweeping the Nets on June 11, 2002.
In Fall 2004, the arena unveiled a new alternative configuration for concerts called the Theater at Continental Airlines Arena. The arena's capacity is greatly reduced to under 4,000 simply by the strategic placement of a large number of black drapes.
Plans have been unveiled to downscale the arena in conjunction with several developments, including a new arena for the Nets in Brooklyn, New York, a new arena for the Devils in Newark called Newark Arena, and the creation of a new alternative entertainment and shopping center, Xanadu on the Meadowlands grounds. The relocations of the tenant sports franchises, as well as Xanadu's current construction while the arena is still in use, leaves the arena's future in doubt.
External links
| Current arenas in the National Hockey League | ||
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Centre | BankAtlantic Center | Bell Centre | Continental Airlines Arena | HSBC Arena | Madison Square Garden | Mellon Arena | Nassau Coliseum | Philips Arena | RBC Center | St. Pete Times Forum | Scotiabank Place | TD Banknorth Garden | Verizon Center | Wachovia Center | American Airlines Center | Arrowhead Pond | Gaylord Entertainment Center | GM Place | Glendale Arena | HP Pavilion | Joe Louis Arena | Nationwide Arena | Pengrowth Saddledome | Pepsi Center | Rexall Place | Savvis Center | Staples Center | United Center | Xcel Energy Center | |
| Current arenas in the National Basketball Association | ||
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Centre | AmericanAirlines Arena | Bradley Center | Charlotte Bobcats Arena | Conseco Fieldhouse | Continental Airlines Arena | Madison Square Garden | Palace of Auburn Hills | Philips Arena | Quicken Loans Arena | TD Banknorth Garden | TD Waterhouse Centre | United Center | Verizon Center | Wachovia Center | American Airlines Center | ARCO Arena | AT&T Center | Delta Center | FedExForum | Ford Center | KeyArena | New Orleans Arena | Oakland Arena | Pepsi Center | Rose Garden | Staples Center | Target Center | Toyota Center | US Airways Center | |
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