Cincinnati Gardens

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Cincinnati Gardens
Location 2250 Seymour Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45212
Opened February 22, 1949
Owner Gerry Robinson
Operator Cincinnati Gardens
Surface Concrete (ice floor)
Construction cost $32 Million
Tenants Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (AHL) (1997-2005)
Cincinnati Mohawks (AHL/IHL) (1949-1958)
Cincinnati Swords (AHL) (1971-1974)
Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL/IHL) (1990-1997)
Cincinnati Royals (NBA) (1957-1972)
Xavier University basketball (NCAA) (big games=1949-1979,
exclusivley=1983-2000)
Cincinnati Slammers (CBA) (1984-1987)
Cincinnati Silverbacks (NPSL) (1995-1998)
Capacity 10,108

The Cincinnati Gardens is an indoor sports and entertainment arena located in Cincinnati, Ohio that opened in 1949. The 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) brick and limestone building, whose entrance is decorated with six three-dimensional carved athletic figures, was modeled after Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by the same architects and engineers who designed and built the more famous arena a quarter century earlier. When it opened, its seating capacity of 11,000 made it the seventh largest indoor arena in the United States.

The Cincinnati Gardens' first event was an exhibition hockey game. It has been the home of six league championship hockey teams, and most recently was the home of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League, but it also has been host to numerous other sporting events, concerts, stage shows, circuses, and political rallies.

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[edit] Sporting events

The interior of the Cincinnati Gardens
The interior of the Cincinnati Gardens

The Cincinnati Gardens has been known primarily as a venue for hockey, basketball, and boxing.

[edit] Hockey

The Gardens' first event was an exhibition hockey game on February 22, 1949 between the Dallas Texans of the United States Hockey League and their parent National Hockey League team, the Montreal Canadiens. Several of the Texans' players would soon seed the first professional hockey team in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Mohawks, who played at the Gardens from 1949 through 1958--three seasons in the AHL and six in the International Hockey League. Three NHL Hall of Famers played for the Mohawks — Harry Howell, Buddy O'Connor, and Clint Smith — and from 1952 through 1957, the team won an IHL record five consecutive Turner Cup championships.

The Cincinnati Swords played in the AHL as an affiliate of the NHL Buffalo Sabres from 1971 through 1974 and won the Calder Cup as AHL champions in 1973.

The Cincinnati Wings played the 1963-64 season at the Gardens, relocating from Indianapolis (where they were known as the Capitols) after their home arena, the Fairgrounds Coliseum, was heavily damaged in an explosion on Halloween Night, 1963.

The Cincinnati Cyclones played in the East Coast Hockey League for two seasons and the IHL for five seasons at the Cincinnati Gardens. When the Cyclones moved to U.S. Bank Arena in 1997, the AHL returned to the building for the third time with the creation of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, an affiliate of the NHL Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who played in the building until 2005.

[edit] Basketball

The Gardens was home to the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association (now the Sacramento Kings) from 1957 through 1972. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson played for the Royals from 1960 through 1970. The arena hosted the NBA All-Star Game in January, 1966 and Royals' guard Adrian Smith was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

College basketball, including 42 "Crosstown Shootout" games between the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, has been played at the Gardens since its first week in 1949. The arena has served as the home court for both schools at various times, lastly for Xavier from 1983 until their move to the on-campus Cintas Center in 2000.

From 1984 through 1987, the Cincinnati Slammers of the Continental Basketball Association played their home games at the Gardens.

[edit] Boxing

The Gardens has hosted a number of boxing matches, particularly several featuring prominent local fighters. Eventual Heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer Ezzard Charles of Cincinnati defeated Joey Maxim in a heavyweight title contender fight on February 28, 1949 in the arena's first week. Cincinnatian Wallace "Bud" Smith defended his World Lightweight Crown there on October 19, 1955. Numerous Golden Gloves competitions have drawn as many as 10,000 fans, and a "Super Brawl Sunday" event was held in 2002.

[edit] Other sports

Other sports hosted at the Gardens have included:

[edit] Political events

Political events have drawn the largest crowds in the Gardens' history including:

[edit] Concerts

Numerous concert acts have appeared at the Cincinnati Gardens, most notably The Beatles on August 27, 1964. Others include:

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Rochester War Memorial		 Home of the
Cincinnati Royals
1957 – 1972		 Succeeded by
Municipal Auditorium
Preceded by
Kiel Auditorium		 Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
1966		 Succeeded by
Cow Palace