The Dort Financial Center (originally IMA Sports Arena and formerly Perani Arena and Event Center) is a sports, entertainment and convention venue located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It opened in 1969 and is the home of the

Flint Firebirds The Flint Firebirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. The team plays home games at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center, and operates as a member of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team began play for the ...

who play in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

Facilities

Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center - Exterior

The main

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 spectato ...

of the complex, the largest exhibit hall of complex, features of space and can accommodate 4,021 for

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

and 6,069 for

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 variety an ...

, plus 400 in standing room. The second arena in the complex features of space. Both arenas are frequently used for trade shows, hockey games and other sports. In addition, the main arena is used for concerts. Initially named the IMA, an acronym for the Industrial Mutual Association. Being the second such complex in Flint, MI called the IMA, The IMA Auditorium was turned into part of the AutoWorld complex. The complex was named for

Bob Perani Robert "Bob" F. Perani (August 7, 1942 – April 15, 2012) was a professional ice hockey goaltender for the Flint Generals in the International Hockey League. He was also the founder of Perani's Hockey World sports retail chain in 1976, and owne ...

, owner of

Perani's Hockey World Perani's Hockey World is a retail chain founded by Bob Perani in 1976. They specialize in ice hockey. Indoor, outdoor and street hockey, and also lacrosse. With a main office in Flint, Michigan, Perani's has 19 stores in North America, with 9 loca ...

, a sports equipment retailer in Flint. Perani's Hockey World paid for naming rights to the complex. Bob Perani was a goalie for the

Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center. The Generals won two league championship ...

from 1969 to 1974. His jersey, #1, is one of only five numbers retired by the team. In 2020, the Dort Financial Center underwent renovations and updating. Renovations included updated seating in the main arena, as well as LED ribbon panels that would encircle the entire arena. The updated black leather seats, as well as the LED panels, were both acquired from

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena built in 1988 and located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Sho ...

before it was demolished. The renovations gave the arena a uniform seating appearance, while the LED panels are capable of displaying advertisements and sports scoreboards simultaneously. Dort Financial Center 2022

Tenants

Current

On January 13, 2015, the

Plymouth Whalers The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated to Flint, Michigan. History The Wha ...

of the

announced they would relocate to Flint and play at Dort Federal Event Center, with OHL approval. That team is now known as the

. Local high schools and colleges use the arena for their commencement ceremonies. Dort Financial Center is also usually the first stop for the

Shrine Circus The Shrine Circus is a circus founded in Detroit, Michigan on Woodward Avenue in 1906. It travels to roughly 120 cities per year in the United States and a separate unit travels to about 40 in Canada. It is affiliated with the former Ancient A ...

every year. The arena also holds the General RV Show every year.

Former

Previous tenants of the arena include the

IHL hockey team from 1969 to 1985, the Flint Spirits hockey team from 1985 to 1990, the

Flint Bulldogs The Flint Bulldogs were a professional hockey team in Flint, Michigan, from 1991 to 1993. They were a part of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL) and played their home games at the IMA Sports Arena. They compiled an overall record of 47–66–7 ( ...

hockey team from 1991 to 1993, the

Flint Fuze The Flint Fuze were a professional basketball team located in Flint, Michigan, United States, in 2001. They were a part of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and played their home games at the IMA Sports Arena. Former National Basketb ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team from 2001 to 2002 and the Flint Flames indoor football team which only lasted the 2000 season. The most recent iteration of the Flint Generals moved into the arena in 1993 and departed in 2010. From 2010 through 2015, the arena was the home of the

Michigan Warriors The Michigan Warriors were a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. The Warriors played in the North American Hockey League's North Division. Previously known as the Marquette Rangers, the Warriors played their home games ...

of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternat ...

. From 2015 to 2016, the arena was also home to

Waza Flo The Waza FC (also known as Detroit Waza) is an American professional arena soccer team based in Metro Detroit competing as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The team's nickname, "Waza", is both a Japanese word that mean ...

of the

Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...

. The Michigan Pirates of the

Continental Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLI ...

(formerly based in

Port Huron Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

) played their first and second-round playoff games at the Perani Arena, hoping Flint would be a potential relocation site. After the Pirates folded, Perani Arena was home to the CIFL expansion team Flint Phantoms for the 2008 season.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 43, 0, 40, N, 83, 38, 31, W, type:landmark_region:US-MI, display=title Basketball venues in Michigan Buildings and structures in Flint, Michigan Convention centers in Michigan Indoor arenas in Michigan Indoor ice hockey venues in Michigan Indoor soccer venues in Michigan Event venues established in 1969 Sports venues in Michigan Tourist attractions in Flint, Michigan 1969 establishments in Michigan Sports venues completed in 1969