Igloo Inherits Sponsor's Name
The NHL's oldest arena has a new name: Mellon Arena.
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed an $18 million, 10-year agreement Monday to rename the Civic Arena after the Pittsburgh-based bank, beginning immediately.
The downtown arena was built in 1961 and is better known throughout the NHL as the Igloo because of its signature curved steel roof.
One of the few pro sports arenas nationally that did not previously have a corporate identity, the arena became the NHL's oldest last season when Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto closed.
The Penguins got the naming rights during owner Mario Lemieux's acquisition of the team in federal bankruptcy court earlier this year.
"This agreement is a very important step to making this franchise financially viable," Lemieux said.
The Sports and Exhibition Authority, which oversees the arena and the city's other stadiums, is expected to approve the name change Tuesday.
Formerly known as Mellon Bank and now called Mellon Financial Corp., the bank gains the exclusive rights to offer financial services such as automatic teller machines and credit card signup booths inside the arena. Mellon also acquires the center ice logo and the building marquee.
Mellon's acquisition probably eliminates it as a primary contender for the naming rights to the new Steelers stadium that will open in 2001. With Mellon unlikely to want the name to two sports facilities in the same city, Heinz apparently becomes the front-runner for the Steelers' naming rights.
PNC Bank, Mellon's chief rival in the Pittsburgh banking industry, already has agreed to spend $30 million over 20 years for naming rights to the Pirates' under-construction ballpark, to be called PNC Park. It also will open in 2001.
The Penguins did not immediately say if the agreement calls for a rebate to Mellon should they move into a new arena. Lemieux is expected to begin pushing next year for an arena with more luxury seating, club boxes and other amenities.
However, it is believed the agreement puts Mellon first in line to acquire the naming rights to any new arena.
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