The DCU Center (originally Centrum in Worcester, formerly Worcester's Centrum Centre and commonly Worcester Centrum) is an indoor
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 in downtown
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
. The facility hosts a variety of events, including concerts, sporting events, family shows, conventions, trade-shows and meetings. It is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by
SMG, a private management firm for public assembly facilities.
Ten-year naming rights were purchased in 2004 by
Digital Federal Credit Union
Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a credit union based in Marlborough, Massachusetts. It has over 1,025,000 members and is the largest credit union headquartered in New England as measured by assets, managing over US $9.9 billion. DCU is r ...
(DCU) and went into effect January 2005. DCU's naming rights were later extended to 2025.
History
The Centrum, or officially Centrum in Worcester as it was then known, opened in September 1982 after years of construction delays, with a capacity of roughly 12,000. The first performance on September 1, 1982, was a free concert sponsored by The City of Worcester with Mayor Sara Robertson acting as Master of Ceremonies with the New England Symphony Orchestra performing. The first paid opening event was a
Frank Sinatra concert on September 2, 1982. The arena was expanded to 14,800 seats in 1989 with the addition of the 300-level balconies. The convention center addition was completed along with a renovation of arena infrastructure in 1997. This upgrade resulted in the facility's name change to Worcester's Centrum Centre. The venue received further updates with the DCU naming rights purchase, including new signage both inside and outside the facility, and a new center-hung video scoreboard for the arena bowl.
Sports
Ice hockey
The arena is home to the
Worcester Railers
The Worcester Railers (also called Worcester Railers HC) are a professional ice hockey team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team began play in the 2017–18 ECHL season, and is a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of t ...
which began play in 2017 as a member of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
. The arena was formerly home to the
Worcester Sharks
The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Sharks played t ...
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL) team, owned and operated by its
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
affiliate
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
, which moved its farm team to the west coast in 2015. Prior to this, the venue was home to the
Worcester IceCats
The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois.
History
The IceCats ...
, also of the AHL. The arena also hosted the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic on January 29, 2009. The PlanetUSA All stars defeated Team Canada, 14–11, in the highest-scoring AHL All Star game in history.
Basketball
Worcester has been host to the
Boston Celtics every few years. They also hosted the first and second rounds of the 2005 NCAA men's Division I basketball tournament.
Indoor football
The arena has been home to multiple
indoor football teams. The
Massachusetts Marauders
The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit D ...
of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
played in the arena in the 1994 season, but folded after one year in Massachusetts. The
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.
The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. On April 24, 2007, only four gam ...
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 (GLIF ...
also called the Center home for two seasons, but ceased operations after the 2008 season. In 2018, the
Massachusetts Pirates
The Massachusetts Pirates are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League based in Worcester, Massachusetts, with home games at the DCU Center. The Pirates began play in the 2018 season as a member of the National Arena Lea ...
began their inaugural season in the
National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States.
Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...
, going 11-5 and regular season champions in their first year. They joined the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...
in 2021, and went on to win that year's
United Bowl.
Professional wrestling
On May 17, 1998, it was the host of
WCW
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...
's
WCW Slamboree. On April 27, 2003,
WWE Backlash
WWE Backlash, known as WrestleMania Backlash since 2021, is a professional wrestling event that is produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. It is broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and ...
came to the DCU Center.
In additional several
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
events have taken place at the DCU Center. On December 28, 1998,
Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for m ...
, performing under the name Mankind, won his first WWE Championship during the taping of the January 4, 1999 edition of ''
Monday Night Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...
'' at the Worcester Centrum Centre, defeating
The Rock. On July 12, 2005, it was the host of the July 14, 2005 taping of ''
SmackDown!''. On November 2, 2009, it was the host of ''WWE Raw'' for the first time in nine years. On January 14, 2014, it was the host of the January 17 taping of ''
SmackDown!''. It was the host of ''WWE SmackDown'' when it went live on July 19, 2016, an episode featuring WWE's second ever
brand extension draft.
For the first time
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...
debuted at the DCU Center on January 20, 2012.
Boxing
On February 11, 1983,
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; May 23, 1954 – March 13, 2021) was an American professional boxer and film actor. He competed in boxing from 1973 to 1987 and reigned as the undisputed champion of the middleweight divi ...
retained his
WBC,
WBA and ''
The Ring''
Middleweight titles against English boxer
Tony Sibson at the arena. It was Hagler's 60th professional fight and his 56th win overall. The fight was the only time Hagler fought at the arena and was the last of 36 he fought in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Collegiate
The
College of the Holy Cross uses the facility as an alternate location for anticipated larger attendance home games for men's basketball and men's ice hockey.
Music
During the 1980s, the arena became an alternate stop for touring musical acts, offering them a small venue that could draw from both the Boston and Providence concert markets simultaneously. The old
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (lat ...
had poor acoustics and lacked air conditioning, prompting promoters to schedule Boston area shows at the arena. This practice continues today as the arena is an alternative to the larger
TD Garden
TD Garden is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after its sponsor, TD Bank, a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Ontario. It opened in 1995 as a replacement for the original Boston Garden and has been k ...
.
The impact was also felt immediately thirty-five miles south at the Providence Civic Center. Within six months of The Centrum's opening, Providence's WPRI Channel 12 news ran a two-part story by reporter Brian Rooney citing a situation the week prior with the KISS band as a prime example of how the newly built Centrum was cutting deeply into the Providence Civic Center's vital concert business.
Shortly after the Centrum's September 1982 opening, RI promoter Frank J. Russo scheduled KISS on their Creatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary Tour for a January 23, 1983 show at their usual area stop – the Providence Civic Center. He also scheduled a show the night prior at the new Centrum. The Centrum KISS date sold thousands more tickets than the Civic Center KISS date, which petered out at 2,000 sales. Russo canceled the Providence show and publicly offered to trade Centrum KISS show tickets for Civic Center KISS show tickets in lieu of refunds, throwing in a free bus ride up and back. On January 22, 1983, hundreds of fans departed from Sabin Street in front of the Providence Civic Center, headed up on chartered buses to the competing venue. (After this, for the next four tours in a row, only the Centrum got area bookings from KISS; they did not attempt to play the Providence Civic Center again until 1988.) On January 27, 1988, KISS paused in the middle of their Crazy Nights tour concert at the arena and filmed most of the footage for a music video supporting their impending "Turn On The Night" single. The video was directed by
Marty Callner who laid tracks inside the security barrier in front of the stage for a moving camera to film up at lead singer Paul Stanley dancing up a stage ramp while lip-synching the lyrics and featured a dolly shot running down the center aisle showing the crowd. "Turn On the Night" only charted in the UK, where it reached #41.
Rooney reported the new Centrum was "thriving," and already "doing double the business expected" despite the recession. Worcester Centrum Director Antonio Tavares told Rooney, in a shot at his competition down south, "You can no longer sit and wait for the phone to ring and expect acts to be calling you, especially unique types of events, and say 'Hey, we're interested in playing the Providence Civic Center.' That doesn't happen anymore." Rooney showed footage of a tennis match, a tractor pull, and KISS playing to underline the variety of events hosted by the new Centrum after only a few months of operation.
From August 13 to August 24, 1987, in an effort to thank their local fans for years of support and allow wide availability of tickets,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
played an unprecedented nine-show run on their
Third Stage tour. Starting with a three-night booking, as each show neared selling out another night was added. This successful, well-reviewed tour stop prompted a good-natured ad parody on rock radio station
WBCN, "Now appearing at the Centrum, Boston on Ice!", a reference to themed
ice shows
An ice show is an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work ...
.
The arena played host to what some fans consider to be the greatest two-night stand in the history of The
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...
, in December 1998. Fresh off their May release of ''
Before These Crowded Streets'', they played some of the more diverse concerts in their history.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Bela may refer to:
Places Asia
*Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India
*Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India
*Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara
* Bela, Dang, in Nepal
*Bela, Janakpur ...
joined DMB for these shows opening both nights and even sitting in on much of sets for both nights.
The venue has hosted 16 concerts of the band
Phish. On December 31, 1993, they played their first concert at the Centrum, complete with a stage decorated like an aquarium (featured for the 1993 New Years run). Footage from this show was featured in the band's only official music video, "
Down with Disease
"Down with Disease" is a 1994 song by American band Phish. It is the second track from their 1994 album '' Hoist'' and was released as their fifth promotional single by Elektra Records. The song is a funk rock song written by Phish guitarist an ...
", whose jam debuted that night.
On November 29, 1997, Phish played their longest song in band history, a 58-minute version of "Runaway Jim". The concert performed nearly a year later, on November 27, 1998, was later released as a live album, entitled ''
Live Phish Volume 6
''Live Phish Vol. 6'' was recorded live on the first night of a three night stand at the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1998.
The show is best known for its repeated relapses into the classic Surfaris favorite " ...
''. On December 27–28, 2010, they returned for a pair of concerts, the group's 11th and 12th appearances at the venue and its first public performances there in over seven years, performing one of the most well received renditions of "
Harry Hood" since reuniting in 2009. They would return for two more concerts on June 7–8, 2012, notable for being that Summer tour's opening concerts. Phish would again return amidst their acclaimed Fall 2013 tour for two concerts on October 25–26, 2013.
The arena played host to The
Up in Smoke Tour
The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 which was headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, also featuring artists and disc jockeys Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Chilldrin of d ...
on July 20–21, 2000. The show featured many famous rappers and hip hop artists, including
Ice Cube,
Eminem,
Proof,
Snoop Dogg,
Dr. Dre,
Nate Dogg,
Kurupt
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg Po ...
,
D12
D12 (an initialism for The Dirty Dozen) was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of ''de facto'' leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swift ...
,
MC Ren
Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), better known by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the record label Villain Entertainment.
MC Ren ...
,
Westside Connection
Westside Connection was an American hip-hop supergroup formed by Mack 10, WC and Ice Cube. The group's debut album, '' Bow Down'', reached the number 2 position on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996, going platinum that year.
Biography
Westside ...
,
Mel-Man,
Tha Eastsidaz
Tha Eastsidaz is a hip hop trio consisting of Snoop Dogg, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc. Their first appearance was on Tommy Boy Records' ''The Ride: Music from Dimension'' with Crooked Eye Q on a Battlecat-produced song called "Feels So Good" in 19 ...
,
Doggy's Angels,
Devin The Dude
Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray".
Early life
Devin Copel ...
,
Warren G
Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and ...
,
TQ,
Truth Hurts,
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
and
The D.O.C. The July 20 show was filmed and later released as a live DVD.
The arena played host to The
Tattoo the Earth
Tattoo the Earth was a concert tour from 2000 to 2002 in the United States. Scott Alderman, the festival's creator, believed that the tour would help "catch the vibe" between the musical artists and the body artists, saying in a prepared statem ...
Tour on October 5–7, 2001, and October 12–14, 2002. The show featured performances by
Slipknot,
Slayer,
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lo ...
,
Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
,
Hed PE,
Mudvayne
Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...
,
downset.
Downset (usually stylized as downset.) is an American rap metal band from Los Angeles, California. Originally called Social Justice, the band's music blends influences from rap music, rap, funk, hardcore punk, and Heavy metal music, metal with ...
,
Hatebreed
Hatebreed is an American hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album '' Satisfaction is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universal Records ...
,
Full Devil Jacket
Full Devil Jacket is an American alternative metal/nu metal band from Jackson, Tennessee.
Formation and success
Musicians Josh Brown (musician), Josh Brown, Mike Reaves, Kevin Bebout, and Keith Foster all met at Josh Brown's brother's tattoo shop ...
, Famous,
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...
,
U.P.O.
U.P.O. was an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1997. The band's line-up originally included Shawn Albro (lead vocals), Chris Weber (guitar), Ben Shirley (bass) and Tommy Holt (drums). Shirley and Holt left and were repl ...
,
Nothingface, PPM,
Cold
Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
, Relative Ash,
Systematic,
Six Feet Under,
Candiria
Candiria are an American progressive metal band from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1992, the band was part of the second wave of New York hardcore, but subsequently expanded its performance to also play jazz, hip hop and progressive rock.
The ...
,
Lamb of God,
God Forbid
God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996.
History Early career (1999-2004)
Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...
,
Darkest Hour,
Unearth
Unearth is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released seven studio albums.
History Early career (1998–2002)
Unearth was formed by Trevor Phipps, Buz McGrath, Ken Susi, Mike Rudberg, an ...
,
All That Remains,
Dropkick Murphys,
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick ...
,
Tiger Army
Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studi ...
,
Converge
Converge may refer to:
* Converge (band), American hardcore punk band
* Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body
* Limit (mathematics)
* Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines
*CONVERGE CFD s ...
,
The Unseen,
Reach the Sky
Reach the Sky was an American hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
History
Reach the Sky formed in 1997, and they released two EPs in 1999; their debut full-length, ''So Far From Home'', followed on Victory Records late ...
,
Stretch Arm Strong
Stretch Arm Strong (Also known as Stretch Armstrong) is a hardcore punk band from Columbia, South Carolina, and the flagship band for We Put Out Records. They were primarily active from 1992 to 2005. Several of the band members are outspoken ...
,
Kill Your Idols
Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split w ...
and
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Initially called Hell's Half-Acre, the band's name comes from Ted Nugent's introduction to "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" on the '' Double Live Gonzo'' album.
Following the initial ...
. It also featured 42 tattoo artists from Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Malaysia, Manitoba, Spain, Switzerland and the US.
On October 29, 2016, Parachute Concerts and area based Veteran Independent Promoter Ed Atamian brought the nostalgic Rap R&B throwback 'I Love The 90's Tour' to the arena. Featuring Salt N Pepa ft. DJ Spinderella, Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Young MC, Color Me Badd, All 4 One. The show sold thousands of tickets. Its success hearkens back to the venues and Worcester's strong performance with Urban concerts since the early 1990s.
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
natives
Aerosmith have performed at the DCU Center 13 times over the course of their career, including a few New Year's Eve shows.
Other events
The arena features annual appearances of the top family shows including
Sesame Street Live
''Sesame Street Live'' is a live touring show based on the children's television show ''Sesame Street'' produced by Feld Entertainment.
History
The VEE Corporation was started in March 1980 by founder Vincent Egan, who had an idea to produce a ...
,
Disney on Ice,
Harlem Globetrotters and
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, ...
, among others.
The
Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...
(PBR) has hosted a
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the elite series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 to 2017.
The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002 with the Mohegan Sun Invitational in Uncasville, Connecticu ...
bull riding
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.
American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...
event at the arena every year from the event's inception in 1998. The Built Ford Tough Series was known as the Bud Light Cup until the 2002 season.
On January 29–30, 2011, the Massachusetts International 28th Auto Show was held at the arena.
On June 11, 2014,
Worcester Technical High School held their graduation at the DCU Center, notable for the commencement address by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
.
On November 18, 2015, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
held a rally at the DCU Center for a campaign stop. Secret Service agents screened attendees before the event. A crowd of over 10,000 was in attendance.
On August 23–25, 2019, a
Super Smash Bros. tournament titled Shine 2019 was held at the DCU Center. Over 1,600 competitors attended the tournament and the livestream had over 30,000 concurrent viewers on the final day.
Expansion, convention center
![DCU Center Convention Center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/DCU_Center_Convention_Center.JPG)
The facility expanded in 1997 with the opening of an attached convention center that features panoramic views of downtown Worcester.
[ The complex added of exhibit space, 11 meeting rooms, a ballroom (the largest in Central Massachusetts) and a kitchen. The facility's 100,000-plus square feet of exhibit space is filled by consumer shows, trade shows, conventions, conferences, and other public and private functions year-round. An additional headquarters hotel for the facility, the Hilton Garden, opened in October 2006, doubling the number of rooms previously available in the facility's other headquarters hotel, the former Crowne Plaza that closed in 2009.
]
Renovations
It was announced on June 3, 2009, that the DCU Center would undergo a series of major renovations. There were to be three or four phases to the renovations, scheduled to avoid the Worcester Sharks AHL season. Work on the arena was expected to last three to four summers. Some of the major improvements were a new electrical system, new ice chillers, and a completely new ice floor all of which are original to the arena which opened in 1982. Other improvements to the arena during phase 1 will include a new dasher board system and a new seamless glass system, which are often found in new arenas.
During the summer of 2012, phase 2 of the renovations began. These included a new glass wall on the Foster Street side of the building; major improvements to heating, ventilation and cooling systems; upgrades to restrooms and concessions; and a new dehumidification system. In 2018/2019, a plan of $37 million renovations were announced for the next four years.
References
External links
*
City's Visitor website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dcu Center
1982 establishments in Massachusetts
American football venues in Massachusetts
Arena football venues
Basketball in Worcester, Massachusetts
College ice hockey venues in the United States
Convention centers in Massachusetts
Indoor ice hockey venues in Massachusetts
Sports venues completed in 1982
Sports venues in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester IceCats
Worcester Railers
Worcester Sharks