 Exterior of the venue (c.2008) | |
| Full name | Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial |
|---|---|
| Former names | Onondaga County War Memorial (1951–1999) Oncenter War Memorial Arena (2000–2019) |
| Address | 515 Montgomery Street |
| Location | Syracuse, New York |
| Owner | Onondaga County |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | 5,800 (ice hockey) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 22, 1949 |
| Opened | September 12, 1951 |
| Renovated | 1994, 2018 |
| Construction cost | $3.7 million |
| Architect | Edgarton & Edgarton |
| Structural engineer | Ammann & Whitney |
| General contractor | W. E. O'Neil Construction Co. |
| Tenants | |
| Syracuse Warriors (AHL) (1951–1954) Syracuse Blazers (EHL/NAHL) (1967–1977) Syracuse Eagles (AHL) (1974–1975) Syracuse Firebirds (AHL) (1979–1980) Syracuse Crunch (AHL) (1994–present) | |
The Upstate Medical University Arena (originally known as Onondaga County War Memorial and later as the Oncenter War Memorial Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Syracuse, New York. It is part of the Oncenter Complex. Designed by Edgarton and Edgarton and built from 1949 through 1951, the structure is significant as an example of a World War I, World War II and Aroostook War commemorative[1] and as "an early and sophisticated example of single-span thin-shell concrete roof construction." It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The Upstate Medical University Arena has been renovated twice, in 1994 and 2018.
Naming rights[]
On December 20, 2019, Onondaga County, Upstate Medical University, and the Syracuse Crunch announced an 11-year sponsorship agreement that includes naming rights of the Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial. The sponsorship also includes health programming and the continuation of Upstate's sponsorship with the Syracuse Crunch.[2]
Tenants[]
The Upstate Medical University Arena is home to the Syracuse Crunch ice hockey team.[3]
Previous teams to call the War Memorial home included the NBA's Syracuse Nationals, the NLL's Syracuse Smash, the Major Arena Soccer League's Syracuse Silver Knights, and several now-defunct American Hockey League teams. The Nationals defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in a deciding seventh game at home to win the 1954–55 NBA Championship. The War Memorial also hosted the NCAA Frozen Four in 1967 and 1971.[4]
The 1977 film Slap Shot included the War Memorial among the various arenas used as shooting locations for in-game action.[5]
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Interior during a Crunch hockey game (2017)
Notable events[]
The American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch have hosted the AHL All-Star Classic twice (1998, 2016) and reached the Calder Cup Finals in 2013 and 2017.
The Oncenter War Memorial Arena was the first professional hockey arena to install LED lighting in 2012, provided by Ephesus Lighting.[6]
On top of the arena's stage are the words, "In memory of our service veterans."
The War Memorial was also used as a vaccination and testing cite during the COVID-19 pandemic.
References[]
- ↑ LaFrank, Kathleen (October 1988). National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Onondaga County War Memorial. State of New York.and Accompanying 21 photos, exterior and interior, from construction through 1988
- ↑ ONONDAGA COUNTY, UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, SYRACUSE CRUNCH ANNOUNCE UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY ARENA AT ONONDAGA COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL. Syracuse Crunch.
- ↑ Onondaga County War Memorial Stadium Renovations Ahead of Syracuse Crunch Season. Local SYR (11 July 2018).
- ↑ "Boston University Championship Teams", Boston University Terriers.
- ↑ "Remembering a Legend", September 28, 2008.
- ↑ How LED lighting in NHL arenas is making game better.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Onondaga County War Memorial |
| Syracuse Crunch | |
|---|---|
| Franchise formerly the Hamilton Canucks - Founded in 1992 Based in Syracuse, New York | |
| People | Julien BriseBois - Benoit Groulx |
| Arenas | Copps Coliseum (1992-1994) - Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial (1994-present) |
| Rivalries | Grand Rapids Griffins - Utica Comets - Rochester Americans - Cleveland Monsters - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |
| Affiliates | NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning - ECHL: Orlando Solar Bears |
| Previous Syracuse AHL teams | Syracuse Stars - Syracuse Warriors - Syracuse Eagles - Syracuse Firebirds |
| Other Syracuse hockey teams | Syracuse Braves - Syracuse Blazers - Syracuse Condors - Syracuse Hornets - Syracuse Jr. Crunch/Syracuse Stars (junior) - Syracuse University Orange (men) - Syracuse University Orange (women) |
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Upstate Medical University Arena. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |