Sullivan Arena
Encyclopedia
The George M. Sullivan Arena (commonly shortened to the "Sullivan Arena" and often referred to colloquially as "the Sully") is an arena
in Anchorage, Alaska
. The arena opened in 1983 and has a seating capacity
of 8,700 for basketball, 6,251 for hockey.http://www.anchorage.net/541.cfm It is home to the Alaska Aces ECHL
ice hockey
team, the University of Alaska Anchorage
Seawolves hockey team (WCHA
), the Great Alaska Shootout
basketball
tournament, and the Alaska Fighting Championship mixed martial arts
events. In 2007 it became home to the Alaska Wild
of the Indoor Football League
. The Arena is often criticized for its poor acoustics and thus is rarely used for concert acts. It's also used to host local high school and University of Alaska Anchorage graduation ceremonies. Sullivan Arena was also used, in 1984, as the site of Billy Graham
's Alaska Crusade; Graham's Sullivan Arena attendance record still stands over 25 years later.
It is east of Mulcahy Stadium
across a parking lot.
The arena is named after former Anchorage mayor George M. Sullivan
. It is owned by the Municipality of Anchorage and operated by SMG, a nationwide property management company.
For hockey, the Sullivan Arena offers 6,251 seats with a standing room capacity of 6,451. If areas designated for wheel chairs are included, the arena can seat 6,290, plus standing room, during hockey games. The arena is known for its international
-specification (Olympic
-sized) ice rink
(61 m × 30 m / 200 ft × 98.5 ft) instead of the more traditional NHL
specifications (200 ft × 85 ft / 61 m × 25.9 m).
A new arena
for the Seawolves basketball team and the Great Alaska Shootout is currently being planned.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
. The arena opened in 1983 and has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 8,700 for basketball, 6,251 for hockey.http://www.anchorage.net/541.cfm It is home to the Alaska Aces ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team, the University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
Seawolves hockey team (WCHA
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
), the Great Alaska Shootout
Great Alaska Shootout
The Great Alaska Shootout is an annual college basketball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska that features colleges from all over the United States. The University of Alaska Anchorage hosts the tournament every Thanksgiving. Tournament games are played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
tournament, and the Alaska Fighting Championship mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
events. In 2007 it became home to the Alaska Wild
Alaska Wild
The Alaska Wild was a professional indoor football team, a member of the Indoor Football League. The Alaska Wild played their home games in the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska...
of the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
. The Arena is often criticized for its poor acoustics and thus is rarely used for concert acts. It's also used to host local high school and University of Alaska Anchorage graduation ceremonies. Sullivan Arena was also used, in 1984, as the site of Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
's Alaska Crusade; Graham's Sullivan Arena attendance record still stands over 25 years later.
It is east of Mulcahy Stadium
Mulcahy Stadium
Mulcahy Stadium is a 3,500-capacity baseball park in Anchorage, Alaska. Built in 1964, it is home to two teams of the Alaska Baseball League: the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Anchorage Bucs. In addition to the Glacier Pilots and Bucs, high school and American Legion games are played at Mulcahy. The...
across a parking lot.
The arena is named after former Anchorage mayor George M. Sullivan
George M. Sullivan
George Murray Sullivan was an American politician from the state of Alaska who served as the Mayor of Anchorage from 1967 until 1981.-Early life:...
. It is owned by the Municipality of Anchorage and operated by SMG, a nationwide property management company.
For hockey, the Sullivan Arena offers 6,251 seats with a standing room capacity of 6,451. If areas designated for wheel chairs are included, the arena can seat 6,290, plus standing room, during hockey games. The arena is known for its international
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
-specification (Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
-sized) ice rink
Hockey rink
An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a team sport. It is rectangular with rounded corners and surrounded by a wall approximately 40 inches high called the boards.- Name origins :...
(61 m × 30 m / 200 ft × 98.5 ft) instead of the more traditional NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
specifications (200 ft × 85 ft / 61 m × 25.9 m).
A new arena
UAA Community Arena
UAA Community Arena is a 5,600-seat multi-purpose arena in Anchorage, Alaska on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage that is currently in the planning stages. It is scheduled to start construction in 2011 and be completed in 2014. When it opens, it will replace Sullivan Arena as the...
for the Seawolves basketball team and the Great Alaska Shootout is currently being planned.