Renovations, Improved Construction, Hockey and Music Saved the PeoplesBank Arena Following Roof Collapse

The PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut is one of the most prestigious arenas in the country. 

Less than one mile from the Connecticut Convention Center – which will soon host the 2026 ICC Leadership Week + Hearings (April 18–24) – the PeoplesBank Arena opened in January 1975. First known as the Hartford Civic Center (and XL Center for roughly 18 years), the arena has attracted a wide variety of performances from artists in virtually every genre of music. 

Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus are among the musicians who have performed at the PeoplesBank Arena. It’s also home to the Hartford Wolf Pack hockey team, hosts UConn hockey and basketball games, and previously hosted the Hartford Whalers. In fact, legendary hockey player Gordie Howe played his final season with the Whalers during the 1979-1980 season. 

The memories, magic and fun continue to this day, more than 50 years after the arena opened. But the whole thing almost came tumbling down – literally. 

An Unexpected Roof Collapse 

In January 1978, just three years after opening its doors, the arena’s entire roof collapsed. No one was injured; the collapse occurred in the early hours of the morning, long before anyone had arrived. 

Frank Russo, the original general manager for the Hartford Civic Center, was in Florida when he received the news. 

“I got the call, ‘Get your family back here as quickly as possible,’” Russo recalled. “A police cruiser picked me up and brought me down, expecting to see a hole. What I saw was 15 feet of debris.” 

Poor construction led to the arena’s downfall. According to Russo, the space frame roof had cross beams that should have been supported at 30 feet on center. 

“They weren’t,” he said. “They were supported 60 feet on center. So essentially the weight of the roof was collapsing the day it went up.” 

A Rebuild and a New Beginning 

The decision to rebuild was not taken lightly. Given the catastrophic nature of the collapse, as well as the concern that it could happen again, there was a long debate about what to do with the Hartford Civic Center. Ultimately, the intent of the arena was to generate economic activity for Hartford, but that wouldn’t be possible without rebuilding. 

“We worked with the city architect; they made sure that the design was solid [and up to] industry standards,” said Russo. “The protocol after that was at least twice a year we would do a deflection measurement. It was very crude, they didn’t have electronics [back then], but we did measure the four corners of the roof to make sure there was no deflection.” 

Instead of constructing a new roof alone, the renovations included room for 4,000 additional seats. This meant that concerts could now have a maximum capacity of roughly 16,000, basketball games could house about 15,000, and hockey could bring in a little over 14,000 fans. 

The expansion paid off. The Hartford Civic Center reopened in February 1980, and, with the help of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the arena became a go-to destination. 

“We had the Whalers,” said Russo. “We had Gordie Howe and his two sons, Mark and Marty, and for a short time Bobby Hull, so it was a very hot time. We had some spectacular events. The building was doing well, we were doing about 50 concerts a year.”  

The arena even had a neighboring mall (known as the Civic Center Mall) with more than 50 shops and restaurants, though it has since been replaced as commerce moved online. 

Additional Upgrades for PeoplesBank Arena 

While many older sports venues have been demolished for newer stadiums and arenas, the PeoplesBank Arena has maintained its status through additional renovations. After the name change to XL Center in 2007, the arena added a new scoreboard, new jumbotrons and made upgrades to the mechanical system, locker rooms and more, all budgeted at about $35 million. Fanatics added a sportsbook bar and restaurant in 2023. 

XL Center completed a far more extensive $145 million renovation project in 2025, coinciding with the name change to the PeoplesBank Arena. Upgrades included more premium seating, skyboxes, bunker suites, new food and beverage options and improved lighting. 

The 2026 calendar is particularly noteworthy. Upcoming events include Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind & Fire (July 10), the 2026 U.S. Classic – USA Gymnastics (July 17-18), and comedian Nate Bargatze (Aug. 6). 

The 2026 ICC Leadership Week + Hearings will take place at the Connecticut Convention Center from April 18 through April 24. Learn more here.