Savvis Center
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The Savvis Center (formerly the Kiel Center) is an arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The center features a range of arena programming, including ice hockey, concerts, ice shows, family shows, and other sporting events. It hosts approximately 175 events per year, drawing nearly 2 million guests annually. Known for the quality of its ice (Savvis was voted 2nd best rink in a poll of NHLers, behind only Montreal), the Savvis Center is respected as one of the louder NHL arenas.
History
The Kiel Center opened in 1994 to replace the Kiel Auditorium, where the college basketball team had played, which was torn down in December 1992. The Blues had played in the St. Louis Arena prior to moving into the Kiel Center in 1994. The building is currently known as Savvis Center, after naming rights were sold in August 2000 to SAVVIS Communications Corporation, a global IP network service provider with dual headquarters in St. Louis and Herndon, Virginia. The Kiel name still bears on the adjoining parking structure.Tenants
It is home to the St. Louis Blues of the NHL, the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the St. Louis Steamers of the Major Indoor Soccer League, and the River City Rage of the National Indoor Football League.
Notable Events
- In January of 2006, The Rolling Stones played live during their Bigger Bang Tour.
- Every March since 1995, the Savvis Center has hosted the men's basketball conference tournament for the Missouri Valley Conference.
- 1997 Conference USA men's basketball tournament
- Bad Blood 1997
- 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional
- Pope John Paul II celebrated a youth day service here on his 1999 visit to St. Louis
- Survivor Series 1998
- NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009
- Women's Final Four in 2001
- No Mercy 2001
- Hosted the Cory Spinks vs. Zab Judah Undisputed Welterweight title fight in 2005.
- It also hosts the annual "Braggin' Rights" basketball game between Illinois and Missouri.
- Host the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January 2006, which was used as the primary means to select the United States Figure Skating team for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- The Savvis Center will host the WWE New Year's Revolution pay-per-view event on January 7, 2007. It will be the first pay-per-view in the state of Missouri in nearly five years.
- The Savvis Center will host the 2007 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament on April 5 and April 7, 2007.
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 Major Indoor Soccer League |
| 1st Mariner Arena > Stockton Arena | Sears Centre | Compuware Sports Arena U.S. Cellular Arena | Wachovia Spectrum | Savvis Center |
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