Buccaneer Arena is a 3,461-seat, with standing room for an additional 700, multi-purpose arena in

Urbandale, Iowa Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines– West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Urbandale was incorporated a ...

, that is home to the

Des Moines Buccaneers The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team has played in the Western Conference since the 2009–10 season. History The Buccaneers began USHL play during the 1980–81 season ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

. Before the Bucs began playing in 1980, the International Hockey League's

Des Moines Oak Leafs The Des Moines Oak Leafs were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Des Moines, Iowa, playing at Des Moines Ice Arena. The Oak Leafs were members of the United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top ...

and

Des Moines Capitols The Des Moines Capitols, were a minor league professional ice hockey team in Des Moines, Iowa, playing at the 95KGGO Arena, Des Moines Ice Arena. They were members of the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League from ...

franchise played here.

Building history

The arena opened on November 12, 1961 as the Des Moines Ice Arena. It was later renamed the Metro Ice Sports Arena before becoming Buccaneer Arena in mid-2004. On September 22, 2005, Buccaneer Arena was renamed 95-KGGO Arena after

Citadel Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...

, owners of

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

KGGO KGGO (94.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a classic rock radio format. The station's studios and offices are in Urbandale, Iowa, with Cumulus Media's other Des Moines stations: KJJY, ...

, purchased the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

to the arena. It is nicknamed the "Madhouse on Hickman" for its location on Hickman Road. In 2008, the arena changed its name back to Buccaneer Arena. In 2020, the arena's roof was damaged during the

August 2020 Midwest derecho The August 2020 Midwest derecho was a powerful derecho affecting the Midwestern United States on August 10–11, 2020, primarily eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. It caused high winds and spawned an outbreak of weak torn ...

Tenants

The arena served as home ice for the Des Moines Buccaneers' ten championship seasons in the 1990s: Anderson Cup regular season champions in 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99; Clark Cup playoff champions in 1992, 1995, 1999, 2006; and Gold Cup Junior A champions in 1992, 1995, 1998. Following the damage to the roof in 2020, the team was forced to start the 2020–21 season at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines. In November 2020, the team announced it would be replacing the old arena as part of a project to turn a vacant department store on Merle Hay Road into a new 3,500-seat arena. Buccaneer Arena completed repairs in January 2021, and the team moved back until the new arena is complete In 2007, the arena hosted the

College Hockey America College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...

championship tournament. The arena has also hosted mixed martial arts.

References

External links

Des Moines Buccaneers
official website
RinkAtlas listing for Buccaneer Arena

Buccaneer Arena seating chart
Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Sports in Des Moines, Iowa Sports venues in Greater Des Moines Sports venues in Iowa Buildings and structures in Polk County, Iowa Tourist attractions in Polk County, Iowa Urbandale, Iowa 1961 establishments in Iowa Sports venues completed in 1961 {{Iowa-stadium-stub