Location | One Independence Way Danbury, Connecticut |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°23′42″N73°27′01″W / 41.3951°N 73.4503°W |
Public transit | Danbury HARTransit: 2, 7 |
Owner | Diamond Properties |
Capacity | 3,000 (Boxing/MMA) 2,340 (Concerts) 2,000 (Hockey w/500 SRO) [1] |
Construction | |
Opened | 1999 |
Renovated | 2004 |
Tenants | |
Danbury Trashers (UHL) (2004–2006) New England Stars (NEHL) (2006–2007) Danbury Mad Hatters (EPHL) (2008–2009) Danbury Whalers (FHL) (2010–2015) Danbury Titans (FHL) (2015–2017) Connecticut Whale (PHF) (2019–2022) Danbury Colonials/Jr Hat Tricks (NA3HL) (2019–2024) Danbury Hat Tricks (FPHL) (2019–present) Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NAHL) (2020–present) Spice City FC (MASL2) (2024–present) | |
Website | |
www |
The Danbury Ice Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Danbury, Connecticut. It was built in 1999 with renovation and expansion in 2004, and has a seating capacity of about 3,000. [2] [3]
The Danbury Arena was the home of the Danbury Trashers of the United Hockey League from 2004 to 2006, and the New England Stars of the North Eastern Hockey League in 2006–07. In 2008, the Danbury Mad Hatters of the Eastern Professional Hockey League signed a lease with the arena [4] and played one season before the league folded.
On December 27, 2009, the newly formed Federal Hockey League (FHL) announced that the Danbury Arena would be home to the Danbury Whalers. [5] On April 3, 2015, the Danbury Ice Arena did not want to renew their contract with the Danbury Whalers and gave them a notice to evict by April 17, leaving the last remaining team from the inaugural FHL season homeless. [6] After initially announcing the Stateline Whalers to begin playing in nearby Brewster, New York, the Whalers organization was dissolved and a new group started the Danbury Titans in the FHL to play the 2015–16 season. The Titans also ceased operations in 2017.
In 2019, the Hall family, [7] who had owned the arena for 18 years, sold the arena to Diamond Properties. [8] The new management, with Herm Sorcher from the previous FHL organizations acting as managing director, brought in three new tenants for the 2019–20 season: the Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation, the Danbury Colonials of the junior North American 3 Hockey League, and another FHL (since rebranded as Federal Prospects Hockey League) team in the Danbury Hat Tricks. [9]
Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately 50 miles (80 km) northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest city in Connecticut. Located within the heart of the Housatonic Valley region, the city is a commercial hub of western Connecticut, an outer-ring commuter suburb of New York City, and an historic summer colony of the New York metropolitan area and New England.
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1997.
The Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) was a low-level professional ice hockey league. The league was developed by Curtis Russell, Tim Kolpien, Igor Mrotchek, and Jim Riggs, the former commissioner of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League in 2007.
The Danbury Mad Hatters were a professional ice hockey team based in Danbury, Connecticut at the 3,050-seat Danbury Ice Arena. The Mad Hatters were a member of the Eastern Professional Hockey League.
The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. Don Kirnan is the league's commissioner. The league also occasionally branded itself as the Federal Professional Hockey League from 2015 to 2018 until it began using the name Federal Prospects Hockey League and completing the rebrand in 2019.
The Danbury Whalers were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League that began play in the 2010–11 season. Based in Danbury, Connecticut, the Whalers played at the Danbury Ice Arena, located in CityCenter Danbury. Their name comes from the Hartford Whalers, who were a professional ice hockey team based in Connecticut and played in Hartford from 1975 to 1997 before relocating to North Carolina as the Carolina Hurricanes.
Professional ice hockey in Connecticut has a rich tradition dating from the mid-1920s. Most of these teams were NHL minor league affiliates located in New Haven, though with the closure of the New Haven Coliseum, minor league affiliates now exist only exist in Hartford and Bridgeport. Hartford had its own Major league team, the Whalers team that existed in Hartford from 1974-97. Independent hockey leagues teams have also been gaining a foothold in Danbury starting in 2004.
The Dayton Demonz were a professional ice hockey team based in Dayton, Ohio, in the Federal Hockey League. After the Dayton Gems of the Central Hockey League ceased operations, the Demonz were created as an expansion team in the FHL. The team played their home games at the Hara Arena in nearby Trotwood. The team was originally known as the Dayton Devils before changing names prior to their inaugural season. The Demonz were an affiliate of the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets.
The Port Huron Prowlers are a minor professional ice hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Port Huron, Michigan, the Prowlers play their home games at the McMorran Arena.
The Connecticut Whale were a professional ice hockey team based in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Simsbury, Connecticut at the International Skating Center of Connecticut. The team was established in 2015 as one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which became the PHF in 2021. Their name and colors paid homage to the Hartford Whalers, a former NHL and WHA franchise based in Connecticut. The team folded along with the PHF in 2023 as part of the creation of a new, unified women's league, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
The Brewster Bulldogs were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League playing in Brewster, New York. The team played in the 2015–16 FHL season.
The 2014–15 Federal Hockey League season was the fifth season of the Federal Hockey League. The Watertown Wolves won the season championship in their first year under new ownership.
The 2015–16 Federal Hockey League season is the sixth season of the Federal Hockey League. The regular season lasted from November 6, 2015 to April 3, 2016. The Port Huron Prowlers would win the league championship by sweeping the Danbury Titans.
The Dayton Demolition was a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League based in Dayton, Ohio and played their home games at Hara Arena. The team was known as the Berkshire Battalion in North Adams, Massachusetts before it relocated to Dayton in July 2015 to replace the defunct Dayton Demonz after failing to come to an arena agreement.
The Danbury Titans were a professional ice hockey team based in Danbury, Connecticut. Replacing the Danbury Whalers, the team was founded as an expansion team in the Federal Hockey League. They played their home games at the Danbury Ice Arena.
The 2016–17 Federal Hockey League season is the seventh season of the Federal Hockey League. The regular season ran from October 28, 2016 to April 2, 2017, with an unbalanced 56-game schedule between the seven teams. The Danville Dashers won their first Commissioner's Cup.
The 2017–18 Federal Hockey League season was the eighth season of the Federal Hockey League. The regular season ran from October 20, 2017, to April 7, 2018, originally scheduled for 52 games for each of the six teams. The Watertown Wolves won the playoff championship, their second championship in the league.
The Danbury Hat Tricks are a professional ice hockey team based in Danbury, Connecticut. The team is a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League and plays at the Danbury Ice Arena.
The Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks are a USA Hockey-sanctioned junior ice hockey organization based in Danbury, Connecticut. The organization has junior teams in the Tier II North American Hockey League and the Tier III North American 3 Hockey League, both of which play home games at the Danbury Ice Arena.