Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) is a multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

and convention center complex located in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. It was home to the

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 Academic major, majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a ...

Bulldog

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

team from 1966 to 2010. The DECC is located on the waterfront near Duluth's famous

Aerial Lift Bridge The Aerial Lift Bridge, earlier known as the Aerial Bridge or Aerial Ferry Bridge, is a landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span began life in 1905 as the United States' first transporter bridge: Only one other was ever construct ...

DECC Arena

The DECC Arena, originally called the Duluth Arena Auditorium, was built at a cost of $6.5 million, the

portion of the complex houses a 190-by-85 foot

hockey rink An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a competitive team sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette, rinkball, and rink bandy. It is a rectangle with rounded corners and ...

with 5,333 seats, and six

locker room A locker is a small, usually narrow storage compartment. They are commonly found in dedicated cabinets, very often in large numbers, in various public places such as locker rooms, workplaces, elementary schools, middle and high schools, trans ...

s, including the recently remodeled $2 million locker room facility now used by the men and women Bulldog hockey teams. The rink can be converted to allow the DECC Arena to host

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

, dinners, conventions, and shows. The DECC was the site of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

I men's hockey championships in both 1968 and 1981, hosted the 2003 and 2008 Women's

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

. A spacious lobby, where ticket sales originate, separates the Arena from Symphony Hall. Symphony Hall seats 2,400 and plays host to

, symphonies,

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, operas, high school and college graduations, and a variety of other activities.

Pioneer Hall

Pioneer Hall was added in 1976, and contains a hockey rink with smaller seating capability utilizing fold-out

bleacher Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a ro ...

seating. Pioneer Hall is also the home of the Duluth

Curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

Club with eight curling rinks (can be expanded to provide up to 13 curling sheets for major events) and a lounge area. It is the largest curling venue in the United States, and has hosted two World Championships, the US Olympic Trials, and numerous National events. The Duluth Curling Club is the second largest curling club in the United States.

Convention center

In the mid-1990s a $30 million convention center was added, which is the site of numerous social, business and entertainment events, and features the Lake Superior Ballroom, the Harborside Ballroom, and 25 Meeting Rooms.

AMSOIL Arena

The 2008 Minnesota bonding bill included $38 million for the "DECC expansion project". The DECC expansion included a new multi-purpose arena for the UMD men's and women's ice hockey teams, The arena was an increase in

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

by 2,100 from the original DECC Arena and seats 6,600 for ice hockey and 8,500 for concerts. The expansion project also included a new parking ramp and more space for conventions and concerts, which DECC director Dan Russell said will bring more events to the complex. Construction began in September (2008), and the AMSOIL Arena opened on December 30, 2010 for a Men's UMD hockey game against the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

. The new arena was named

AMSOIL AMSOIL Inc. is an American corporation based in Superior, Wisconsin that primarily formulates and packages synthetic lubricants, fuel additives, and filters. Company founder Albert J. Amatuzio developed several synthetic motor oil formulations t ...

Arena.http://arena.decc.org/resources/pdfs/DECC-AMSOIL-Arena-Announcement.pdf

References

External links

Duluth Entertainment Convention Center websiteBulldogs in the NHL
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