Blue Arena facts for kids
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Exterior of venue (c.2008)
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| Former names | Budweiser Events Center (2003–2023) |
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| Address | 5290 Arena Circle |
| Location | Loveland, Colorado, U.S. |
| Owner | Larimer County |
| Operator | OVG360 |
| Capacity | 7,500 Sports capacity
Basketball: 6,000
Hockey: 5,300 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 26, 2002 |
| Opened | September 20, 2003 |
| Construction cost | $28 million ($45.6 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect |
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| Structural engineer | KL&A, Inc. |
| Services engineer |
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| General contractor | Neenan Construction |
| Main contractors | Delta Construction |
| Tenants | |
| Colorado Eagles (CHL/ECHL/AHL) (2003–present) Colorado Chill (NWBL) (2004–2006) Colorado Lightning (PASL) (2008–2009) Colorado Ice/Crush (IFL) (2009–2017) Denver Dream/Denver Rush (LFL/X League) (2017–2019, 2022–present) Colorado Spartans (NAL) (2024) |
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The Blue Arena is a cool building in Loveland, Colorado, where many exciting events happen! It's about 55 kilometers (or 34 miles) northeast of Denver. This arena has special luxury suites and club seats. It also has 6,800 general admission seats for everyone.
The arena is part of The Ranch Events Complex. Larimer County, Colorado owns this complex. A company called OVG360 helps manage the arena and ticket sales. The Blue Arena is the home of the AHL Colorado Eagles ice hockey team. It used to be home to other sports teams too. These included the Colorado Lightning indoor soccer team and the Colorado Chill women's basketball team. The Denver Dream women's football team also played here. From 2007 to 2017, the Colorado Ice/Crush indoor football team called it home. The Colorado Spartans indoor football team also played here in 2024.
About Blue Arena: A Fun Place for Events
The Blue Arena is a multi-purpose venue. This means it can host many different kinds of events. You can watch sports games, concerts, and family shows here. It's a busy spot for entertainment in the area.
How Blue Arena Started
Construction of the arena finished quickly. The doors opened for the very first event on September 20, 2003. It was a sold-out hockey game! The Colorado Avalanche played against the Florida Panthers.
The Colorado Eagles hockey team set a special record here. They sold out 145 regular-season games in a row. This happened on January 12, 2008. If you include playoff games, they sold out 181 games in a row. That's every single game for their first four and a half years!
The arena had a different name before. It was called the Budweiser Events Center. That name changed in October 2023. Blue Federal Credit Union then got the naming rights. That's why it's now called the Blue Arena!
Exciting Events and Shows
The Blue Arena has hosted many big events. The Colorado Eagles hosted two All-Star Games here. They had the 2009 Central Hockey League All-Star Game. Later, they hosted the 2013 ECHL All-Star Game.
Many famous musicians have performed at the arena. These include Widespread Panic, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Yes, and ZZ Top. Funny comedians like Ron White, Carlos Mencia, Gabriel Iglesias, and Larry the Cable Guy have also made people laugh here.
The arena is also a great place for family fun. Shows like Cirque Du Soleil, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Disney on Ice have visited. Kids also loved seeing The Wiggles and Sesame Street Live. The amazing The Harlem Globetrotters have also shown off their basketball skills here.
The Blue Arena has also hosted important college sports. It was a host for the 2022 NCAA Hockey Frozen Four Regional round. It will also host this event again in 2026.
