Long Beach Sports Arena

The Long Beach Sports Arena is a 11,200 seat multi-purpose arena in Long Beach, California. It is home to the Long Beach Ice Dogs ice hockey team. The Arena was completed in 1962 and was situated at the foot of Long Beach Boulevard near Rainbow Pier, and adjoining the old Long Beach Municipal Auditorium. The site of the auditorium is now occupied by buildings of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, of which the Arena is a part. The Arena has hosted various entertainment and professional and college sporting events, most notably the volleyball events of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. It is also noted as a top venue for hip-hop music concerts, although entertainers such as Frank Sinatra have also headlined here. For basketball, it seats 13,609, and as a concert venue, between 4,550 and 13,500, and for trade shows the arena features 46,000 square feet (4300 m²) of space, with an additional 19,000 square feet (1800 m²) of space in the lobby and 29,000 square feet (2700 m²) in the concourse. Hanging from the arena's 75 foot (23 m) high ceiling is a center-hung scoreboard with four 11 by 15 foot (3 by 5 m) Saco SmartVision video screens.

Related Topics:
Arena - Long Beach, California - Long Beach Ice Dogs - Ice hockey - 1962 - Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center - Volleyball - 1984 Summer Olympic Games - Hip-hop - Frank Sinatra - SmartVision

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Along the exterior wall of the drum-shaped Arena is ?Planet Ocean?, one of environmental artist Wyland's Whaling Walls, which was dedicated on July 9, 1992. At 116,000 square feet (11,000 m²), it is the world's largest mural (according to the Guinness Book of Records). The mural depicts migratory Gray whales and other aquatic life that can be found in the waters off Long Beach. In the lobby is a large scale model of the guided missile cruiser USS Long Beach.

Related Topics:
Wyland's - Whaling Walls - July 9 - 1992 - Mural - Guinness Book of Records - Gray whale - Aquatic - Guided missile cruiser - USS Long Beach

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It was the site of the first National Hockey League game involving an expansion team, as the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers, expansion teams both, played on October 14, 1967. The Kings won, 4-2.

Related Topics:
National Hockey League - Los Angeles Kings - Philadelphia Flyers - October 14 - 1967

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