2012-13 Media Guide - Washington Capitals - NHL.com

Verizon Center
Verizon Center is a 20,000-seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue, owned
and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, in the Penn Quarter neighborhood
of Chinatown in downtown Washington, D.C. The arena is home to the NHL’s Washington
Capitals, the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and the NCAA’s
Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team. Boasting an average of 220 events per year,
Verizon Center is the heart of a $6.84 billion redevelopment that began almost 15 years
ago when the arena was envisioned and built by late owner Abe Pollin and his wife, Irene
Pollin, after previously building the Capital Centre arena in Landover, Md. Since the Pollin’s
realized their vision on Dec. 2, 1997, with the opening of the privately financed new arena in
downtown Washington, 35.9 million people have attended more than 3,027 events.
The surrounding neighborhood throughout the years has been rejuvenated by a plethora
of restaurants, condominiums and businesses, making the Seventh Street corridor an
entertainment destination.
Accrediting the revitalization of the downtown neighborhood to late owner Abe Pollin, and
his wife Irene Pollin, for building Verizon Center(formerly known as MCI Center), the District of
Columbia renamed the street in front of Verizon Center “Abe Pollin Way” in 2007.
In June 2010, Ted Leonsis became the majority owner of Verizon Center and formed
Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The newly formed entity includes ownership of the
NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics
and Verizon Center. Monumental Sports & entertainment also manages Kettler Capitals
Iceplex and the Patriot Center at George Mason University.
As an arena in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C., Verizon Center has hosted a
multitude of high-profile events in its history, ranging from the 1998 Stanley Cup Final to
the NBA (2001) and WNBA (2002, 2007) All-Star games to the 2003 World Figure Skating
Championship, the 2005 ACC Tournament, the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division
I men’s basketball tournament (1998, 2002, 2008) as well as the second and third rounds
(2011), the 2006 Washington Regional Round and the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four men’s hockey
championship. In 2013 the arena will again host the Washington Regional Round of the NCAA
Division I men’s basketball tournament for the second time.
Entertainment at the arena would not be complete without concerts and family shows
ranging from all-time greats to current-day chart-topping artists. In the nearly 15-year
history of the arena some of the artists who have roamed the halls and mastered the stage at
Verizon Center include: U2, Justin Timberlake, The Three Tenors, Barbra Streisand, Bon Jovi,
Prince, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, Beyonce, the Dalai Lama, Keith Urban, Jeff Dunham, Christina
Aguilera, Disney on Ice and WWE.
In terms of history, only two events have taken place each of the past 14 ½ years at Verizon
Center, as well as each of the past 38 plus years dating back to the old Capital Centre arena
making them the longest tenured events between both buildings: the Harlem Globetrotters
(1973) and the Washington International Horse Show (1975).
Located within the arena are 106 luxury suites, a high-definition center-hung scoreboard,
an indoor basketball practice facility and 10 dressing rooms. The arena offers a variety of
concession stands and restaurants with menu choices ranging from pizza at Papa John’s to
donuts at Dunkin Donuts. Additional arena fare includes hot dogs, crab cakes, chicken fingers
and deli sandwiches. Kosher, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are also available.
Other amenities in the arena include the private Owner’s Club, the private Acela Club
restaurant for club members, the Dewar’s 12 Coaches Club, The Player’s Club, The Clubhouse,
Volkswagen Theatre, The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, Team Store and VIDA Fitness and
Bang Salon.
EXECUTIVE SUITES/PARTY PAVILION
A great way to enjoy events at Verizon Center is to entertain some friends and family
or business associates in one of the 106 executive suites. The executive suites feature
between 12 and 24 seats, a private seating area, refrigerator, a flat screen television and a
private restroom. Additional VIP benefits for guests include membership to the Acela Club
restaurant, early and late entry to events and access to premium food catering services by
Levy Restaurants as they watch more than 220 sporting events and concerts held annually
at Verizon Center.
The Captain Morgan Party Pavilion, overlooking the main floor of the arena, is another
exciting option for entertaining up to 99 guests. The party pavilion features a glass-enclosed
suite that can be customized for meetings and hospitality purposes and can be rented on an
event-by-event basis. Entertaining can be broken down into a group of 34, 65 or 99 guests
in the party pavilion. Premium catering and food service options are also offered by Levy
Restaurants.
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