The Harding Mazzotti Arena (formerly called the Glens Falls Civic Center and Cool Insuring Arena) is a 4,794-seat multi-purpose arena located in downtown Glens Falls, New York, that is the home of the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Built in 1979, it was originally the home of the Adirondack Red Wings, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
- Venue
- Harding Mazzotti Arena
- Town
- New York, US
- Capacity
- 4,794
The Harding Mazzotti Arena (formerly called the Glens Falls Civic Center and Cool Insuring Arena) is a 4,794-seat multi-purpose arena located in downtown Glens Falls, New York, that is the home of the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Built in 1979, it was originally the home of the Adirondack Red Wings, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. In preparation for the incoming Adirondack Red Wings, the Glens Falls Civic Center was completed in 1979. The building was constructed on a vacant lot just south of the city's center as part of the city's "Urban Renewal Era". The Red Wings played in the Civic Center for 20 seasons in the AHL. During their time, they won 4 Calder Cup championships, and saw dozens of players move up to the NHL. In 1999, the parent club in Detroit pulled the team out of the arena, citing declining attendance as the reason for the sudden departure. The Adirondack IceHawks were the next tenants of the building, after moving operations from Winston-Salem to Glens Falls. In 2004, the team was bought by ESPN's Steve Levy and Barry Melrose and rebranded as the Frostbite, who played through the 2005-06 season. The arena then sat without a hockey team for nearly 3 years. For the 2007-08 AHL season and 2008-09 AHL season, the nearby Albany River Rats played four home games in Glens Falls in order to gauge the community's interest in whether an American Hockey League franchise could relocate to Glens Falls. City government officials and arena management were looking into the possibility of acquiring a franchise to play in the Civic Center. On February 12, 2009, the Civic Center was announced to be a potential temporary home to the Philadelphia Phantoms AHL team, who would leave Philadelphia following the 2009 season due to the demolition of the Wachovia Spectrum. That team, the Adirondack Phantoms, would play for five seasons at the Civic Center before moving to the PPL Center in 2014, becoming the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. However, AHL hockey stayed in Glens