TD Waterhouse Centre
The
Orlando Centroplex is an
indoor arena in
Orlando, Florida. The name of the arena is expected to changed from TD Waterhouse Arena to Orlando Centroplex, as a result of
TD Waterhouse has merger with
Ameritrade to create
TD Ameritrade. It is part of the Orlando Centroplex which is a large sports and entertainment complex. It is home to the
Orlando Magic of the
NBA and the
Orlando Predators of the
Arena Football League. The name of the building changes for Predator games, and becomes "The Jungle". It is also the former home of the
IHL's
Orlando Solar Bears, and also the
RHI's
Orlando Jackels. Completed in
1989 at a cost of $98 million - entirely publicly financed - the
arena seats 17,248 for
basketball and has 26 luxury suites. The naming rights were sold in
2000 to
TD Waterhouse at $7.8 million for five years. It is also used for entertainment events, particularly large rock concerts.
The correct spelling of the arena's name is "TD Waterhouse Centre," not "TD Waterhouse Center". This is not just because TD Waterhouse is a Canadian company. Before the Orlando Arena's naming rights were sold, the other two buildings in the Orlando Centroplexutilized that spelling as well.
The 1990
SEC men's basketball tournament was held here, as was the WWF
Royal Rumble that year.
WCW held its
Bash at the Beach there in 1994.
WWE Armageddon 2003 was also held there. Early rounds of the
NCAA Tournament were held there in the early- to mid-1990s.
In
1991, the facility was voted "Arena of the Year" by Performance Magazine. It was also nominated for "Best Indoor Concert Venue" in the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards.
The 42nd annual
NBA All-Star Game was held at the facility
February 9,
1992.
During the
1993-94 NHL season, the
Tampa Bay Lightning played five of their home games here.
Games One and Two of the
1995 NBA Finals were held at the facility.
In
2004,
Orlando, Florida was selected as one of five cities in the
U.S. to host the
Dew Action Sports Tour, a new extreme sports francise to start in
2005. Titled the
PlayStation Pro, the event was held at the TD Waterhouse Centre from
October 12-
16, 2005. The Dew Action Sports Tour is scheduled to return in
2006.
The facility was the site of the
1992 United States
Figure Skating Nationals.
Beginning around
2002, the
Orlando Magic and the City of
Orlando have been in discussions for a complete refurbishment or demolition of the TD Waterhouse Centre in favor of a new facility. As of
2005, negotiations have stalled. In recent years, arena and city officials had reported revenue losses, and criticized the facility for not being large enough compared to more recently constructed arenas. The
media has offered rumors that the Orlando Magic may relocate to another city, but team officials have denied such claims. The facility currently ranks near the bottom in the
NBA as far as capacity and luxury suites.
On
August 22,
2004, the City of Orlando evicted the
Orlando Seals, a minor league hockey team, from the TD Waterhouse Centre. They were forced to sit out the first season of
Southern Professional Hockey League play for
2004-
2005 as a result. They ultimately moved to
Kissimmee's
Silver Spurs Arena and resumed play in
2005-
2006 as the Florida Seals.