Maverik Center
2002 Olympic ice hockey venue in West Valley City.
The Maverik Center, first called the E Center, is a 12,600-seat indoor arena in West Valley City, Utah. It hosted ice hockey and ice sledge hockey during the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. West Valley City owns the venue, and Centennial Management Group runs it.
Quick Facts
- Former names
- E Center (1997–2010)
- Address
- 3200 South Decker Lake Drive
- Location
- West Valley City, Utah, U.S.
- Groundbreaking
- 22 March 1996
- Opened
- 22 September 1997
- Owner
- City of West Valley City
- Operator
- Centennial Management Group, Inc.
- Architect
- HOK Sport; Valentiner
- Crane
- Brunjes
- Onyon
Facts from the source article.
History
Just one month after Salt Lake City won the 2002 Winter Olympics bid in July 1995, the organizing committee took up West Valley City’s offer to construct a new ice hockey venue. The committee loaned the city $7 million for the project and planned to lease the arena during the games. Construction began on March 22, 1996, and wrapped up in September 1997. The facility, then called the E Center, was formally dedicated on September 19, 1997. Its first event, a live WCW Monday Nitro on September 22, 1997, is remembered as the night Bill Goldberg made his in-ring debut. In 2010, a multi-year naming rights deal with Maverik, Inc. turned it into the Maverik Center. The partnership brought an adventure-themed design, a Maverik concession stand, and exclusive sales of Maverik products.
Tenants
The Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League are the primary tenants. The Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL played at the arena from 2005 to 2026, replacing an earlier AHL Grizzlies franchise. The Stars, the Utah Jazz's G League affiliate, moved there in 2022 from the Lifetime Activities Center. In 2026, arena football returned with the Utah Great8s of the International Arena League. During the 2002 Olympics, the arena held 8,400 spectators plus press across 31 sessions over six days, selling 96.7% of tickets. The 2002 Paralympics hosted sled hockey there. In July 2024, Salt Lake City–Utah won the 2034 Winter Olympics; Maverik Center is expected to host figure skating and short track speed skating.
Concerts
Prince performed the inaugural concert on October 4, 1997. On November 2, 1998, Phish played Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Depeche Mode performed three times: July 23, 2001 (Exciter Tour), November 12, 2005 (Touring the Angel), and August 25, 2009 (Tour of the Universe) before a crowd of 6,601; the 2009 show was recorded for their live albums project Recording the Universe. One Direction and Sam Smith performed in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
More in Olympic Ice Hockey Venues
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