Tsongas Center

Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
Full name	Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
Former names	Tsongas Arena (1998-Oct. 2009)
Address	300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Location	Lowell, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°39′01″N 71°18′48″W / 42.650228°N 71.313248°W
Owner	University of Massachusetts Lowell
Operator	Spectra
Capacity	6,500 (hockey and basketball); 7,800 (concerts); 10,003 (wrestling)
Construction
Broke ground	1996
Opened	January 27, 1998
Construction cost	$24 million (original); $5 million (2010-11 renovations)
Tenants
	UMass Lowell River Hawks (NCAA) (1998–present); Lowell Lock Monsters/Devils (AHL) (1998–2010); Massachusetts Pirates (IFL) (2024–present); PWHL Boston (PWHL) (2024–present)

Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell (formerly Tsongas Arena^[2]) is a multi-purpose facility owned by the University of Massachusetts Lowell and located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The arena was opened on January 27, 1998, and dedicated to the memory of the late Paul Tsongas, prominent Lowell native and U.S. senator. The arena was built with $4 million in funding from both the city and the university, plus another $20 million contributed from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.^[3]

About the arena

The facility is home to the NCAA Division I University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks ice hockey team, which competes in the Hockey East Association and men's basketball team which play for the America East Conference.^[4] It is also home to Boston of the Professional Women's Hockey League.^[5] The facility was also home to the Lowell Lock Monsters and the Lowell Devils ice hockey team, which competed in the American Hockey League from 1998 to 2010. The Devils ended their stay in Lowell due to financial difficulties and the arena's new ownership and moved to Albany, New York, to compete as the Albany Devils.

The Tsongas Center, which seats approximately 6,500 for hockey and 7,800 for concerts and other events, is the site of major concerts and other public events, including job fairs, skating competitions and graduation ceremonies for area high schools, colleges and universities. It also hosts major university events, such as the annual Commencement ceremonies, Open House for prospective students and the Chancellor's Speaker Series. The series debuted in 2012 with bestselling author Stephen King. Also in 2012, the Tsongas Center was the site of a debate between then-incumbent U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren, which drew more than 5,000 people and was covered by more than 100 media outlets, including NBC News and MSNBC.

In 2004, alternative rock pioneers Pixies recorded their live concert DVD and high-definition television special "The Pixies: Come Home Live 2004 World Tour" at the Tsongas Arena. The same year, progressive rock band Yes released a DVD of their 35th anniversary tour performance at the venue titled Songs from Tsongas.

In 2009, the boxing scenes of the 2010 film The Fighter were filmed at the Tsongas Center, with Mark Wahlberg portraying Lowell-born champion boxer Micky Ward and Christian Bale portraying his brother Dicky Eklund.

In 2010, Canadian rapper Drake notably performed a show at the Tsongas Center.^[6]

UMass Lowell and the city of Lowell entered into negotiations in 2009 with the intent to transfer ownership of the arena and the land adjacent to it to the university. In late October 2009, it was reported that the deal had been reached with UMass Lowell committing to major renovations to the facility.^[7] In a ceremony during a game against Boston University on October 30, 2009, the deal transferring ownership to the university was signed. UMass Lowell formally took control of the arena on February 5, 2010, after completing a $1 transaction.^[8]

UMass Lowell has spent more than $5 million to renovate the arena since its acquisition. LED "ribbon" boards were installed in the winter of 2010. A new high-definition video scoreboard and sound system were installed during the summer 2010. A new club seating area was built in conjunction with a new upscale bar. In the summer of 2011, new ice-making equipment was installed, followed by new luxury boxes and press box in 2012.

In March 2017, the arena played host to the second NWHL Isobel Cup finals between the Buffalo Beauts and Boston Pride.

The arena played host to NXT Battleground, a WWE premium live event for its NXT brand, on May 28, 2023.^[9] The arena had previously played host to the Ring of Honor (ROH) pay-per-view Death Before Dishonor on July 23, 2022.

References

^ "ABOUT THE TSONGAS CENTER". Retrieved December 16, 2023.
^ Moran, Lyle (July 18, 2011). "UML's Tsongas Center in world's top 20 venues". The Sun. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
^ Lafleur, Michael (May 20, 2008). "UMass Lowell disputes price it pays for events at Tsongas Arena". Lowell Sun. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
^ "Record Number of Home Games Highlights River Hawks' 2019-20 Slate". UMass Lowell Athletics. July 31, 2019.
^ Ryan, Conor (2024-01-02). "Here's everything you need to know about Boston's new professional hockey team". Boston.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
^ Carter, Lauren (October 27, 2010). "Drake electrifies Lowell". Lowell Sun. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
^ Myers, Jennifer (October 23, 2009). "Lowell closes in on deal to turn Tsongas Arena over to UMass Lowell". Lowell Sun. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
^ Abel, David (February 5, 2010). "UMass Lowell takes control of Tsongas Arena". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
^ Defelice, Robert (March 30, 2023). "Shawn Michaels Announces NXT Battleground 2023 Will Emanate From Lowell, Massachusetts". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

External links

Tsongas Center website

Preceded by Tully Forum	Home of the UMass Lowell River Hawks 1998 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Family Arena	Host of Lockdown 2008	Succeeded by Liacouras Center

[1] "ABOUT THE TSONGAS CENTER". Retrieved December 16, 2023.

[2] Moran, Lyle (July 18, 2011). "UML's Tsongas Center in world's top 20 venues". The Sun. Retrieved June 10, 2015.

[sun052008-3] Lafleur, Michael (May 20, 2008). "UMass Lowell disputes price it pays for events at Tsongas Arena". Lowell Sun. Retrieved May 20, 2008.

[4] "Record Number of Home Games Highlights River Hawks' 2019-20 Slate". UMass Lowell Athletics. July 31, 2019.

[5] Ryan, Conor (2024-01-02). "Here's everything you need to know about Boston's new professional hockey team". Boston.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-05.

[6] Carter, Lauren (October 27, 2010). "Drake electrifies Lowell". Lowell Sun. Retrieved February 20, 2024.

[7] Myers, Jennifer (October 23, 2009). "Lowell closes in on deal to turn Tsongas Arena over to UMass Lowell". Lowell Sun. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

[8] Abel, David (February 5, 2010). "UMass Lowell takes control of Tsongas Arena". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

[9] Defelice, Robert (March 30, 2023). "Shawn Michaels Announces NXT Battleground 2023 Will Emanate From Lowell, Massachusetts". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

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v t e University of Massachusetts Lowell
Located in: Lowell, Massachusetts
Academics	Kennedy College of Sciences Manning School of Business
Research	Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute Radiation Laboratory
Campus	Allen House Kenneth R. Fox Student Union Middlesex County Training School (West Campus) Wannalancit Mills
Athletics	UMass Lowell River Hawks Men's basketball Women's basketball Men's ice hockey Men's lacrosse Men's soccer Costello Athletic Center LeLacheur Park Tsongas Center America East Conference Hockey East
Student life	Housing Marching band WUML
Chancellors	William T. Hogan Marty Meehan Jacqueline Moloney Julie Chen
Founded: 1894

v t e UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey
Formerly the Lowell Chiefs and Lowell Tech Terriers
Playing venues	Skate 3 (−1980) Tully Forum (1980–1998) Tsongas Center (1998–present)
Head coaches	Richard Morrison 1967–1969 Bill Riley Jr. (1969–1991) Bruce Crowder (1991–1996) Tim Whitehead (1996–2001) Blaise MacDonald (2001–2011) Norm Bazin (2011–present)
Seasons	1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Conference affiliations	ECAC 2 (1968–1983) Hockey East (1984–present)
All-time leaders	Mike Carr (279 Points) Mike Carr (134 Goals) Brian Doyle (74 Wins)
National championships	D-II: 1979 1981 1982
Frozen Four appearances	D-II: 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 D-I: 2013
NCAA Tournament appearances	D-II: 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 D-I: 1988 1994 1996 2012 2013 2014 2016 2017 2022
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC 2 (East): 1979 1981 1982 1983 Hockey East: 2013 2014 2017
Mike Richter winners	Connor Hellebuyck (2014)
University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell, MA

v t e UMass Lowell River Hawks men's basketball
Venues	Tsongas Center (1998–present) Costello Athletic Center (alternate; 1975–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championship in bold

v t e UMass Lowell River Hawks women's basketball
Venues	Costello Athletic Center (1975–present) Tsongas Center (alternate; 1998–present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

v t e Hockey East
Men	Boston College Eagles (Conte Forum) Boston University Terriers (Agganis Arena) Maine Black Bears (Alfond Arena) Merrimack Warriors (Merrimack Athletics Complex) New Hampshire Wildcats (Whittemore Center) Northeastern Huskies (Matthews Arena) Providence Friars (Schneider Arena) UConn Huskies (Toscano Family Ice Forum) UMass Minutemen (Mullins Center) UMass Lowell River Hawks (Tsongas Center) Vermont Catamounts (Gutterson Fieldhouse)
Men's Seasons	1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
Women	Boston College Eagles (Conte Forum) Boston University Terriers (Walter Brown Arena) Holy Cross Crusaders (Hart Center) Maine Black Bears (Alfond Arena) Merrimack Warriors (J. Thom Lawler Rink) New Hampshire Wildcats (Whittemore Center) Northeastern Huskies (Matthews Arena) Providence Friars (Schneider Arena) UConn Huskies (Toscano Family Ice Forum) Vermont Catamounts (Gutterson Fieldhouse)
Related articles	Lamoriello Trophy List of champions: Men / Women Tournament sites: TD Garden

v t e PWHL Boston
Founded in 2023–24 Based in Lowell, Massachusetts
Franchise	Team Draft picks
General Managers	Danielle Marmer (2023–present)
Head coaches	Courtney Kessel (2023–present)
Arenas	Tsongas Center (2024–present)
Seasons	2023–24 2024–25
Leagues	Professional Women's Hockey League (2024–present)