Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Southe ...

. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins ( NCAA), the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fie ...

( AHL), the

( NBL), the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

( NBA), the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

( NHL), the Toronto-Buffalo Royals ( WTT), the

Buffalo Stallions The Buffalo Stallions were a soccer team based out of Buffalo, New York, that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979 to 1984. Their home arena was Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. It was the last professional club for which the Portuguese ...

( MSL), the

Buffalo Bandits The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team in the East Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). They play at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, t ...

(

MILL Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

), the

Buffalo Blizzard The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York. History The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...

( NPSL) and the

Buffalo Stampede The Buffalo Stampede was a basketball team in the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL) that started as a franchise in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) in the 2009 season. The team was originally the NexxNow Buffalo Dragons ( ...

( RHI). It also hosted events such as college basketball, concerts, professional wrestling and boxing. The venue was closed in 1996 after the construction of the venue now known as KeyBank Center, and remained vacant until being demolished in 2009.

History

Planning and construction

The Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was a public works project designed by Green & James to replace the aging Broadway Auditorium and

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of Ni ...

's recently collapsed Peace Bridge Arena. In June 1938, city officials sent a loan and grant application to the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

for funds to build the structure. The approval of the $1.2 million grant was announced in Washington, D.C. on October 7, 1938.Vogel, Mike. "Buffalo's Town Hall". ''The Buffalo News'' (Buffalo), Magazine – page 4, August 1, 1994. Construction at the junction of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing ...

and Main-Hamburg Canal began on November 30, 1939. The Auditorium's construction brought a great deal of activity to downtown Buffalo. On December 31, 1939, ''

Buffalo Evening News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...

'' reporter Nat Gorham wrote:

Opening and reception

Built for $2.7 million, Memorial Auditorium's grand opening celebration took place on October 14, 1940. The dedication event was a luncheon attended by 3,000 people, including the mayors of more than 60 local communities. The building was dedicated as a war memorial to those who had perished in World War I. The arena originally seated 12,280 for ice hockey, with an additional 2,000-3,000 seats in the floor area for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and other events. Memorial Auditorium's first event—a rally for Republican Presidential candidate Wendell Willkie—took place on October 14, 1940. In its first seven months, events such as auto shows, roller skating, circuses and dog shows drew nearly one million spectators. All told, the Auditorium's first year attendance was 1.3 million.

Alterations

An $8.7 million renovation took place after the 1970–71 inauguration of the

Sabres A sabre is a type of sword. Sabre, Sabres, saber, or SABRE may also refer to: Weapons and weapon systems * Sabre (fencing), a sporting sword * Sabre (tank), a modern British armoured reconnaissance vehicle * Chinese sabre or ''dao'', a variety ...

and

Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

franchises, making it a more suitable home for the NHL and NBA. The arena's roof was raised to make room for an upper level that increased the arena's capacity from 10,449 for hockey to over 17,000 for basketball and 15,360 for hockey in 1971–72, to 15,668 for hockey in 1972–73, and to 15,858 for hockey in 1973–74. Other changes to the Aud's original design included: * A new scoreboard, which would be the Aud's final scoreboard upgrade. * A new upper level with stairways, escalators and upper exits. * Repainted and replaced seats. The original gray seats at the top of the lower bowl were painted blue, and all seats in the lower sections were replaced with cushioned seats in the Red and Gold sections. * The removal of exit tunnels in Red sections 6, 7, 14, 15, 22, 23, 30 and 31, and Blue sections 2, 3, 10, 11, 18, 19, 26, 27, 34 and 35. The areas the tunnels occupied were replaced with seats, and the continuous wall that separated the red and blue sections was opened at each stairway. * The removed exit tunnel openings in the wall that separated the red and upper gold sections were closed into a continuous wall between the remaining red exit tunnels. The Aud's seats were mostly made of white ash, but the gold seats were converted to padded cushion seats. From top to bottom (floor level), the seating colors went orange, blue (originally grey), red and gold. In 1974, the city added five seats, increasing capacity for hockey in the 1974–1975 season to 15,863. After the hockey season, the city removed the walls and aisle that separated the upper gold and red seating sections. The 570 gold seats the city installed in the vacant space raised the arena's capacity to 16,433 for hockey and over 18,000 for basketball. In the late 1980s, the Buffalo Common Council and mayor James D. Griffin scaled back plans to renovate the Aud after the Sabres' owners made it clear the franchise's long-term viability depended upon a new arena. A compromise led the city to agree to build a new venue (

Marine Midland Arena KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League ...

) and keep the Aud functional until the new arena was complete. The 1990 renovation added designated handicap-accessible seating areas (lowering the

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 ...

to 16,325 for hockey), new air conditioning and elevators. The money the city borrowed for these improvements was not repaid until 2001, five years after the Aud closed.

Closing and vacancy

The Aud closed in 1996, at which time the Sabres,

Bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

and

Blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...

moved to

. After 1996, the building remained vacant, although members of Studio Arena Theatre used the floor as a surface for painting backgrounds. During the 2001–02 season, Sabres officials and the city moved items from the Aud's main concourse to the new venue, by then renamed

HSBC Arena Jeunesse Arena is an indoor multi-purpose arena, located in the region of Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named for the American cosmetics company Jeunesse Global through a naming rights deal closed in 2017. Before, the spons ...

, including a sign for the "Pour Man's Aud Club" which was reincarnated at the new venue. In 2003, the Sabres filmed a 30-minute infomercial inside the Aud to promote season ticket sales. While the production showed the arena was intact, it was without utilities and the crew had to supply all light and electrical sources. The Aud continued to deteriorate after the 2003 production visit. Water pipes ruptured, moisture began to take its toll and the city's lax monitoring led to graffiti, vandalism and theft of many artifacts. A segment aired during the CBC Television '' Hockey Night in Canada'' broadcast of the

2008 NHL Winter Classic The 2008 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. I ...

showed the arena's seating bowl and floor were virtually untouched. Notably, the advertisements on the boards from the final Sabres game in 1996 against the Hartford Whalers and the scoreboard above center ice remained. The door to the Sabres' penalty box was gone, as it had been presented as a memento to notable Sabres enforcer Rob Ray.

Demolition

The city abandoned its plans to repurpose the Aud as a

Bass Pro Shops BPS Direct, L.L.C, doing business as Bass Pro Shops, is an American privately held retailer which specializes in hunting, fishing, camping, and other related outdoor recreation merchandise. With headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, Bass Pr ...

store on March 29, 2007 when Bass Pro announced it would construct a new building on the site after the auditorium's demolition. In December 2007, the city sold the Aud to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation for $1 in hopes it would lead to asbestos removal and demolition. All salvageable items were to be removed and sold or stored. The sales of these artifacts, especially of seats, would help pay for a memorial to the Aud. The salvaged items include

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

flag holders, limestone eagles, a time capsule as well as a number of blue and orange level seats, which were sold at auction. The city also salvaged ten cylindrical stainless steel "ice tanks" that helped maintain chilly conditions at ice level during hockey season and cooled spectators during warmer weather. In 2007, the city moved them to

Shea's Performing Arts Center Shea's Performing Arts Center (originally Shea's Buffalo) is a theater for touring Broadway musicals and special events in Buffalo, New York. Originally called Shea's Buffalo, it was opened in 1926 to show silent movies. It took one year to bu ...

as part of a $1.5 million overhaul of the landmark theater's heating and cooling system.Linstedt, Sharon. "Shea's to get a cool Aud gift: 10 ice tanks to keep theater comfortable." ''The Buffalo News'' (Buffalo), July 12, 2007 Asbestos removal and other environmental remediation took place in late 2008 and the expected $10 million demolition of the Aud began in January 2009. On February 9, 2009, the "Buffalo Memorial Auditorium" entablature above the main entrance fell and much of the front façade met the same fate soon afterward. The "Farewell Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Ceremony" took place on June 30, 2009 at 1:30 pm when officials opened the copper box time capsule. The structure's final pieces came down in early July 2009. In February 2010, Bass Pro Shops announced that it was no longer pursuing a store in Buffalo, leaving the site vacant.

Legacy

After the Bass Pro Shops decision, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation began to convert the site (known as the Aud Block) into an extension of

Canalside Canalside, formerly known as Canal Side and Erie Canal Harbor, is the recreation of the western terminus of the Erie Canal in Buffalo, New York. Canalside is situated on the Buffalo River, in an area that was historically home to the Seneca peopl ...

with the junction of the old Erie Canal and Main-Hamburg Canal re-dug (although shallower than the original canals) and new bridges. The canals that opened in 2014 are frozen for skating and other winter activities by an underground refrigerant plant housed in a rebuilt sub-basement that was part of Memorial Auditorium. In addition, a marker on the canal ice denotes center ice's former location. Across Main Street at LECOM Harborcenter is the one-of-a-kind Tim Hortons restaurant with a memorial to the Auditorium. A statue of the chain's founder and namesake, who played at the arena during his time with the Buffalo Sabres, occupies the corner of the site facing the restaurant.

Notable events

Basketball

College

Before the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League came to Buffalo, college basketball was Memorial Auditorium's most popular sporting event. On December 11, 1940, the Auditorium hosted its first college basketball game when

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

played the University of Oregon.Northrop, Milt. "College Basketball Breathed Life Into Newborn Aud". ''The Buffalo News'' (Buffalo), page 1D, March 27, 1996. Interest in college basketball grew after World War II, and the first college basketball sellout crowd occurred in the 1946–1947 season when 11,029 spectators saw Canisius lose to Notre Dame. Ten days later, a record 11,891 watched Canisius defeat Niagara 52–44. While the teams were typically from Western New York, including Canisius,

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Approx ...

, St. Bonaventure University, the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

and

Buffalo State College The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of N ...

, other teams such as

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...

took part. Over time, the rivalry among the " Little Three" colleges—Niagara, Canisius, and St. Bonaventure—came to dominate the Auditorium's college basketball schedule. Throughout the 1950s, the three schools were all national powers, and their games at Memorial Auditorium drew strong local and national interest. * The Aud hosted first round games of the

1954 NCAA basketball tournament The 1954 NCAA basketball tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8 and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Ka ...

. * The Auditorium hosted the mens Division I ECAC Upstate Region tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. * In 1991, a visit from Buffalo native

Christian Laettner Christian Donald Laettner (, ; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hi ...

and the national champion

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jame ...

Blue Devils against Canisius drew an Aud collegiate-record crowd of 16,279. * A 1996

Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by ...

article named Memorial Auditorium's all-time all-visitors team: Ed Macauley ( Saint Louis University),

Tom Gola Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all-time. Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball ...

( La Salle University),

Tom Heinsohn Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcast ...

(

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest i ...

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

( West Virginia University),

Willie Somerset Willard F. Somerset (born March 17, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Somerset attended Farrell High School in Farrell, Pennsylvania and later, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvani ...

(

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsb ...

Dave Bing David Bing (born November 24, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player, businessman, and politician who served as the 74th mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 2009 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring a ...

( Syracuse University),

Sonny Dove Lloyd "Sonny" Dove (August 16, 1945 – February 14, 1983) was a Native American professional basketball player. As a star at St. John's University in New York, in his last season of 1967, Dove won the Haggerty Award. That year he was part o ...

( St. John's University) and

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted int ...

(St. Bonaventure University).

National Basketball League

The National Basketball League's Buffalo Bisons were the first professional basketball franchise to call Memorial Auditorium home. The team featured center

Don Otten Donald Frederick Otten (April 18, 1921 – September 18, 1985) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'10" center from Bellefontaine High School (Ohio) and Bowling Green State University, Otten began his professional career in 1946 w ...

and coach Nat Hickey, but on December 27, 1946—only 13 games into their inaugural season—owner Ben Kerner moved them to

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Islan ...

. After the 1949 merger of the National Basketball League and the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

and stops in Milwaukee and St. Louis, the team became the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

National Basketball Association

Professional basketball returned to the Aud in 1970 with the National Basketball Association's

. The Braves were a modest success but often found the competing interests of the Sabres and the Little Three college teams made it difficult to schedule home games. The Braves moved to San Diego in 1978 and then to Los Angeles in 1984, where they are now the Los Angeles Clippers. The NBA retained a presence at the venue by staging an annual series of preseason exhibitions called the NBA Classic: * The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets 105–93 on October 24, 1988 * The New York Knicks defeated the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Centr ...

96–93 on October 14, 1989 * The

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

defeated the Miami Heat 115–107 on October 26, 1989 * The

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

defeated Washington Bullets 104–96 on October 26, 1990 * The

defeated the Sacramento Kings 105–96 on October 27, 1992 * The New York Knicks defeated the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

100–98 on October 17, 1995

World University Games

The basketball events of the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

were held at the venue in July 1993. The United States defeated Canada in the gold medal game 95–90 before a crowd of 11,000.

Hockey

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League's

played 30 seasons at the Memorial Auditorium, beginning with the 1940–41 season. The Bisons won five

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

championships, with the last coming in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

during the franchise's final game. The team folded in 1970 after the National Hockey League awarded Buffalo an expansion team. On May 15, 1973, the

Cincinnati Swords The Cincinnati Swords were an American Hockey League team that played at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1971 to 1974. They were owned by and the affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. History The Sword ...

, then the Sabres' AHL affiliate, played the final game of the 1973 Calder Cup Finals at the Auditorium. The Swords won the Calder Cup with a 5–1 win over the

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Houston Apollos of the Central Hockey League, the o ...

in front of 15,019 fans—the largest playoff crowd in AHL history at the time. The Rochester Americans also played several games at the Aud after they became the Sabres' affiliate, including several during their

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

Calder Cup championship season.

National Hockey League

The

made their Memorial Auditorium debut on October 15, 1970 in a game attended by NHL President

Clarence Campbell Clarence Sutherland Campbell, (July 9, 1905 – June 24, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, then s ...

that began with a ceremonial faceoff between Sabres captain

Floyd Smith Floyd Robert Donald Smith (born May 16, 1935, in Perth, Ontario) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach. Biography Smith grew up in Galt, Ontario, playing junior hockey with the Galt Black Hawks. He made his National H ...

and Montreal Canadiens captain

Jean Béliveau Joseph Jean Arthur Béliveau (August 31, 1931 – December 2, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Montreal Canadiens from 1950 to 1971. Inducted into the Hoc ...

. The Sabres'

Roger Crozier Roger Allan Crozier (March 16, 1942 – January 11, 1996) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals. During h ...

made 53 saves in a 3–0 loss.Kelley, Jim. "All-time Aud Games Stir Lasting Memories". ''The Buffalo News'' (Buffalo), page 5D, March 31, 1996. The arena hosted games three, four, and six of the

1975 Stanley Cup Finals The 1975 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1974–75 season, and the culmination of the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Buffalo Sabres and the defending champion Philad ...

, where the Sabres faced the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wel ...

. Eventually, the Flyers would win their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship in game six at the arena. This was the only Stanley Cup Finals appearance made at the Auditorium. On January 4, 1976, the Sabres played Krylya Sovetov as part of the "

Super Series The Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on the NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league. The exception ...

" of exhibitions between the Soviet Union's two best club teams—

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

and Krylia Sovietov (named "Red Army" and "Soviet Wings" respectively, during the series) and eight of the NHL's top teams. The Sabres' 12–6 victory over the 1974 Soviet league and European Cup champions was the worst defeat ever for a professional Soviet hockey club. Memorial Auditorium hosted the

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

on January 24, 1978. Two members of the Sabres' " French Connection" line—

Gilbert Perreault Gilbert Perreault (born November 13, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability ...

and

Rick Martin Richard Lionel Martin (; ; July 26, 1951March 13, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982. He was most famous for playing on the ...

—played for the Wales Conference. Both had a significant impact: Martin scored a goal with 1:39 remaining in regulation to tie the game at 2–2 and force overtime, and Perreault scored the game-winning goal 3:55 into overtime to defeat the Campbell Conference 3–2. The Edmonton Oilers' Wayne Gretzky made NHL history at the Aud on February 24, 1982, when he scored a

natural hat trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

during the game's final seven minutes to help defeat the Sabres 6–3. Gretzky broke Phil Esposito's record for goals in a season (76) with the hat trick's first goal, his 77th of the season. In March 2009, Gretzky visited Buffalo as the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...

' head coach and recounted his memories of Memorial Auditorium in an interview with ''

'' hockey reporter Mike Harrington: The venue hosted the

1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was give ...

, notable for Eric Lindros being selected first overall by the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...

and refusing to sign with the team. The Sabres occupied the Auditorium through the 1995–96 season, when they moved to nearby Marine Midland Arena, now known as KeyBank Center.

Michael Peca Michael Anthony Peca (born March 26, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, a ...

scored the last in-game goal at the Aud while

Pat LaFontaine Patrick Michael LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent his entire playing career with the league's New York State-based teams. LaFontaine played for ...

put in a ceremonial goal after the 4–1 win over the Hartford Whalers. It was the last arena where the ice sheet fell short of the league-mandated by size (though

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

had irregularly shaped corners).

College

College hockey made its modern debut at Memorial Auditorium on January 23, 1972, when the University at Buffalo Bulls met the

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previous incarnation, which the curr ...

's Ohio State University. Ohio State won the game 5–2.

Roller Hockey International

Roller Hockey International Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey. History League president Dennis Murphy had been involved in th ...

called the Aud home from 1994–1995, winning the league championship in their first season.

Lacrosse

Major Indoor Lacrosse League

The

of Major Indoor Lacrosse League played in the Aud from the

1992 season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

until the arena's closure. Winners of the MILL title in 1992,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, and

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, the Bandits are now a member of the National Lacrosse League and play at KeyBank Center.

Soccer

Major Soccer League

Major Soccer League Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

attracted 11,028 to their home debut at the Aud against the Philadelphia Fever on December 7, 1979. The team played in the venue until 1984. Soccer legend

Eusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (; 25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "O Rei" ("The King"), was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the greatest players o ...

notably finished his career playing for the Stallions in their inaugural season.

National Professional Soccer League

The Aud was home to the

of the National Professional Soccer League from 1992 to 1996.

Tennis

World Team Tennis

In 1974, the Toronto-Buffalo Royals of World Team Tennis called the Aud home for one season.

Figure skating

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean - Dancing on Ice 2011

Ice Capades

The Aud was one of the original venues that hosted

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Olympic and US National Champion figure skaters who had retired from formal competition. Started in 1940, the Ice Capa ...

in 1940.

Ice Follies

Ice Follies The Ice Follies, formerly known as the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies, is a touring ice show featuring elaborate production numbers, similar in concept to Ice Capades. It was founded in 1936 by Eddie and Roy Shipstad, and Oscar Johnson. In later ...

made its debut at the venue in 1941, and continued making regular stops after becoming Disney on Ice in 1981.

SABAH

The annual pageant to benefit the Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped (SABAH) was staged at the venue from 1979 to 1996.

Torvill and Dean

Torvill and Dean, famed Olympic ice dancers, brought their touring show to the Aud on November 8, 1986.

Skate America

The venue was host to the

1990 Skate America The 1990 Skate America was held at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a di ...

competition.

Stars on Ice

Stars on Ice began making regular stops at the venue beginning in 1991.

Combat sports

Professional wrestling

The first sporting event at the venue was a Great Lakes Athletic Club professional wrestling card on October 18, 1940 that was headlined by

Ed Don George Edward Nye "Ed Don" George Jr. (June 3, 1905 – September 18, 1985) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling promoter. A former Olympic freestyle wrestler, George competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and turned ...

defeating

Joe Savoldi Joseph Anthony Savoldi Jr., (born Giuseppe Antonio Savoldi; March 5, 1908 – January 25, 1974) more commonly known by his nickname "Jumping Joe" Savoldi, was an Italian-American professional wrestler, football player, and Special Ops agent f ...

. Great Lakes Athletic Club owner Jack Herman continued booking shows at the venue before selling the promotion in 1947 to Ed Don George, who changed the promotion's name to Upstate Athletic Club. WBEN-TV would regularly broadcast Upstate Athletic Club's cards from the venue in 1948. Don George would later sell the promotion to his matchmaker, Ignacio "Pedro" Martinez, in 1955.

Ilio DiPaolo Ilio DiPaolo (November 7, 1926 – May 10, 1995), was an Italian professional wrestler and restaurateur who lived in the Buffalo, New York area. Professional wrestling career DiPaolo was born in Italy and lived there until he moved to Venezuela i ...

, the son-in-law of Martinez, was the promotion's biggest star.

WGR-TV WGRZ (channel 2) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, and its transmitter is located on Warner Hill Ro ...

broadcast Upstate Athletic Club's cards from the venue in 1956 as ''Wrestling from War Memorial Auditorium''. Martinez would continue booking shows at The Aud until 1968, when he ran into financial trouble and was forced to promote outside the area. He returned in 1970 with his

National Wrestling Federation The original National Wrestling Federation (NWF) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martínez. It ran from 1970 to 1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin. The revive ...

, but the promotion folded in 1974. Jim Crockett Promotions debuted at the venue on July 19, 1980 with a show headlined by Ric Flair and Sweet Ebony Diamond defeating

Greg Valentine Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championships ...

and

The Iron Sheik Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri ( fa, حسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; born March 15, 1942), better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and ...

The Honky Tonk Man Roy Wayne Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

defeated

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

to win the

WWF Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main ros ...

during a '' WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' taping at the venue on June 2, 1987. The inaugural

Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show The Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show was an annual professional wrestling event held between 1996 and 1999 as a tribute to wrestler Ilio DiPaolo and featured talent from World Championship Wrestling as well as appearances from older wrestling stars of th ...

was held at the venue on June 7, 1996 and was headlined by The Giant defeating Sting to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. DiPaolo had died the previous year after being struck by a car. It was the final sporting event at the venue, and set the venue's all-time record for professional wrestling attendance with 14,852.

Boxing

The auditorium hosted many boxing matches, most notably: *

Ezzard Charles Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975), known as the Cincinnati Cobra, was an American professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion. Known for his slick defense and precision, he is often considered the greatest light heavywei ...

defeating Freddie Beshore to retain the NBA Heavyweight Title on August 15, 1950. *

Gene Hatcher Ronald Hatcher Jr. (born June 28, 1959 in Fort Worth, Texas), better known as Gene Hatcher, is a former boxer who was world light welterweight champion. His nickname was "Mad Dog." Amateur career Hatcher was a United States Amateur Champion. In ...

defeating

Johnny Bumphus Johnny 'Bump City' Bumphus (August 17, 1960 – January 31, 2020) was an American professional boxer who held the WBA super lightweight title in 1984 and challenged once for the WBC and IBF welterweight titles in 1987. Amateur career Bumphus ...

to win the WBA Junior Welterweight Title on June 1, 1984. ( ''The Ring'' magazine Upset of the Year) * Livingstone Bramble defeating

Ray Mancini Ray Mancini (born Raymond Michael Mancino; March 4, 1961), best known as "Boom Boom" Mancini, is an American former professional boxer who competed professionally from 1979 to 1992 and who has since worked as an actor and sports commentator. He ...

to win the WBA Lightweight Title on June 1, 1984. *

Héctor Camacho Héctor Luís Camacho Matías (May 24, 1962 – November 24, 2012), commonly known by his nickname "Macho" Camacho, was a Puerto Rican professional boxer and entertainer. Known for his quickness in the ring and flamboyant style, Camacho compet ...

defeating Roque Montoya to win the vacant NABF Lightweight Title on April 29, 1985. *

Tony Tubbs Tony Tubbs (born February 15, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2006, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986. Amateur career As an amateur, Tony Tubbs competed in 253 bouts, compiling a reco ...

defeating Greg Page to win the WBA Heavyweight Title on April 29, 1985.

Mixed martial arts

UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo was held at the Aud on September 8, 1995. It would be the final UFC event in the state before mixed martial arts was banned by New York State in February 1997. UFC would not return to New York State until

UFC 205 ''UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In what was described by UFC president Dana White as ...

in 2016.

Concerts

In addition to sporting events, the auditorium hosted concerts by many famous artists: * Elvis Presley – April 1, 1957 * The Rolling Stones ( American Tour 1966) – June 28, 1966 * Elvis Presley - April 5, 1972 * Led Zeppelin ( North American Tour 1972) – June 10, 1972 * Pink Floyd ( Dark Side of the Moon Tour) – June 22, 1973 * Led Zeppelin ( North American Tour 1973) – July 15, 1973 * Frank Sinatra – October 4, 1974 (released as the album '' The Main Event – Live'') * David Bowie (

Diamond Dogs Tour The Diamond Dogs Tour was a concert tour by English singer-songwriter David Bowie in North America in 1974 to promote the studio album ''Diamond Dogs'' (1974). The first leg of the tour utilized a rock opera-style stage show format with multi ...

) – November 8, 1974 * Yes ( Relayer Tour) – November 21, 1974 * The Rolling Stones ( Tour of the Americas '75) – June 15, 1975 * The Who (

The Who by Numbers Tour The Who by Numbers Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band the Who, in support of their seventh album, ''The Who by Numbers'' (1975). It began on 3 October 1975, ended on 21 October 1976 and consisted of 79 concerts split between Nort ...

) – December 10, 1975 * David Bowie ( Isolar – 1976 Tour) – March 19, 1976 * Elvis Presley April 25, 1976 * Aerosmith Rocks Tour) – July 23, 1976 * Lynyrd Skynyrd ( One More from the Road Tour) – October 29, 1976 * Kiss (

Rock & Roll Over Tour The Rock and Roll Over Tour was a concert tour by the American heavy metal group Kiss. It began November 24, 1976 (shortly after the release of the ''Rock and Roll Over'' album) and ended April 4, 1977. History On February 18, 1977, the band ...

) – December 15, 1976 *

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

( Wind & Wuthering Tour) – February 28, 1977 *

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, a ...

– May 9, 1977 (released as the Grammy-nominated album '' May 1977: Get Shown the Light'') *

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth memb ...

(Reunion Tour) – June 10, 1977 *

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their eponym ...

(

Rumours Tour The Rumours tour was a concert tour by Fleetwood Mac, after the release of the band's eleventh album with the same title in February 1977. Due to the album's success Fleetwood Mac embarked on a world tour taking in North America, Europe, their ...

) – July 2, 1977 *

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

( Foot Loose & Fancy Free Tour) – October 17, 1977 * Kiss ( Alive II Tour) – January 25, 1978 *

( …And Then There Were Three… Tour) – March 29, 1978 *

(Reunion Tour) – July 16, 1978 *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

( World Tour 1978) – October 9, 1978 *

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues-ba ...

( Live Bootleg! Tour) – September 27, 1978 * Yes ( Tormato Tour) – August 29, 1978 * Jethro Tull ( Heavy Horses Tour) – October 16, 1978 * Queen (

Jazz Tour The Jazz Tour was the sixth headlining concert tour by the British rock band Queen, supporting the album '' Jazz''. The tour was memorable for the spectacle created by the band. As James Henke of '' Rolling Stone'' said about the band's Hallow ...

) – November 28, 1978 * Kiss (

Dynasty Tour The Dynasty Tour was a concert tour by the rock band Kiss. Background The Dynasty Tour, also known as "The Return of Kiss", was the first tour to feature the famous flying stunt by Gene Simmons. This was also the first tour to feature Ace Fre ...

) – August 8, 1979 *

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era i ...

( Spirits Having Flown Tour) – September 14, 1979 *

The Jacksons The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

(

Destiny World Tour The Destiny World Tour was the third concert tour by the Jacksons to promote the group's ''Destiny'' album. The tour began on January 22, 1979, with their opening concert in Bremen, West Germany. They visited 3 continents and 14 countries, playin ...

) – October 22, 1979 *

– November 9, 1979 (released as the album '' Road Trips Volume 1 Number 1'') * The Who (

The Who Tour 1979 The Who Tour 1979 was The Who's first concert tour since the death of original drummer Keith Moon. The tour supported their 1978 album '' Who Are You'', and consisted of concerts in Europe and the United States and acknowledged the band's retur ...

) – December 4, 1979 (dedicated to the victims of The Who concert disaster) *

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

( Expect No Quarter Tour) – April 1, 1980 *

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

( Fire It Up Tour) – April 2, 1980 *

(

Tusk Tour The Tusk Tour was a world concert tour by the rock group, Fleetwood Mac. The tour began on October 26, 1979, in Pocatello, Idaho and ended on September 1, 1980, in Hollywood, California. The Live album contained many of the live recordings of so ...

) – May 19, 1980 BouncingTownshend

* Journey ( Departure Tour) – August 14, 1980 *

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...

– September 3, 1980 (released as the album ''

Intensities in 10 Cities ''Intensities in 10 Cities'' is the second live album by the American guitarist Ted Nugent, released in 1981 and consisting of ten songs recorded during the last ten dates of Nugent's 1980 tour. Nugent played two or three new songs every night o ...

'') * Yes ( Drama Tour) – September 17, 1980 *

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...

( Heaven & Hell Tour) – October 13, 1980 *

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

– October 25, 1980 (released as the album '' Buffalo'') * Bruce Springsteen ( The River Tour) – December 4, 1980 * Rush – May 9, 1981 (the cover of the album '' Exit... Stage Left'' was photographed at this show) *

( El Loco-Motion Tour) – June 27, 1981 *

(

Triumph Tour The Triumph Tour was a concert tour by The Jacksons, covering the United States and Canada from July 8 to September 26, 1981. The tour grossed a total of $5.5 million, setting a record breaking four sold out concerts in Inglewood, California, jus ...

) – August 2, 1981 * Electric Light Orchestra (

Time Tour Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to c ...

) – October 10, 1981 *

( Mob Rules Tour) – December 1, 1981 * Ozzy Osbourne (

Diary of a Madman Tour The Diary of a Madman Tour was the second concert tour by English Heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. It was undertaken in support of Osbourne's second album ''Diary of a Madman (album), Diary of a Madman'' and covered Europe, ...

) – April 9, 1982 * Journey ( Escape Tour) – May 1, 1982 *

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

( Blackout Tour) – June 22, 1982 *

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris ...

( The Beast on the Road) – July 3, 1982 *

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

(

Physical Tour The Physical Tour (also known as the Physical Tour of North America and North American Tour '82) was the fifth concert tour by Australian recording artist Olivia Newton-John, in support of her 12th studio album, ''Physical'' (1981). The tour pr ...

) – September 14, 1982 * Judas Priest ( World Vengeance Tour) – October 15, 1982 * Jefferson Starship (Winds of Change Tour) - November 2, 1982 * Phil Collins ( The Hello, I Must Be Going Tour) – February 10, 1983 * Prince (

1999 Tour The 1999 Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince in support of his fifth studio album, ''1999''. It was, up till then, his longest tour of the United States. In addition to Prince and his band, his latest all-girl group, Vani ...

) – February 24, 1983 * Journey (

Frontiers Tour Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band currently consists of guitarist/vocalist Neal Schon (the last original member), keyboardist ...

) – May 22, 1983 *

( Eliminator Tour) – July 31, 1983 *

( World Piece Tour) – August 15, 1983 * David Bowie (

Serious Moonlight Tour The Serious Moonlight Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English musician David Bowie, launched in May 1983 in support of his album '' Let's Dance'' (1983). The tour opened at the Vorst Forest Nationaal, Brussels, on 18 May 1983 and ended in ...

) – September 5, 1983 *

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

(

Texas Flood Tour The Texas Flood World Tour was a concert tour in North America and Western Europe, undertaken by American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble in 1983 and 1984. The band had released their debut album, '' Texas Flood'', a week ...

) – October 19, 1983 *

(

Born Again Tour The Born Again Tour was a concert tour by in support of Black Sabbath's ''Born Again'' album. Both the album and the tour were the only ones of Black Sabbath's to feature former Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan on lead vocals. Ex-Electric Ligh ...

) – October 27, 1983 *

( Mama Tour) – December 3, 1983 * Ozzy Osbourne ( Bark at the Moon Tour) – January 28, 1984 *

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

(

Synchronicity Tour The Synchronicity Tour was a 1983–1984 concert tour by The Police to promote their fifth album, ''Synchronicity''. It kicked off on July 23, 1983 in Chicago and was concluded on March 4, 1984 in Melbourne. It touched three continents for a to ...

) – February 22, 1984 *

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead guit ...

(

1984 Tour The 1984 Tour was a concert tour by hard rock band Van Halen in support of their sixth studio album ''1984''. Background The stage set which was named "Metropolis" was described as the largest production ever taken on the road by a rock band, wh ...

) – March 22, 1984 *

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

(

An Innocent Man Tour The An Innocent Man Tour was a 1984 concert tour by singer-songwriter Billy Joel. The tour began on January 18 in Providence, Rhode Island (which went on despite a snow storm) and ended on July 5 with the last of seven shows at Madison Square Ga ...

) – March 28, 1984 * Yes ( 9012Live Tour) – May 9, 1984 *

( Love at First Sting World Tour) – June 2, 1984 * Bruce Springsteen (

Born in the U.S.A. Tour The Born in the U.S.A. Tour was the supporting concert tour of Bruce Springsteen's ''Born in the U.S.A.'' album. It was his longest and most successful tour to date. It featured a physically transformed Springsteen; after two years of bodybuild ...

) – September 24, 1984 and September 25, 1984 * Prince (

Purple Rain Tour The Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince and The Revolution following up on the success of his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain'' and his 1984 film '' Purple Rain''. According to '' Spin'', the tour sold over ...

) – December 17, 1984 and December 18, 1984 *

(

World Slavery Tour The World Slavery Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their fifth album, ''Powerslave'', beginning in Warsaw, Poland on 9 August 1984 and ending in Irvine, California on 5 July 1985. Background The tour w ...

) – January 7, 1985 * Roger Waters ( The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking Tour)) – March 21, 1985 Zappa-buffalo-ny

* Foreigner-May 10, 1985 * Robert Plant ( The Shaken 'N' Stirred Tour) – July 19, 1985 * Mötley Crüe (

Theatre of Pain Tour Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

) – October 11, 1985 *

Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...

( World Infestation Tour) – September 29, 1985 * Judas Priest ( Fuel for Life Tour) – July 27, 1986 * David Lee Roth ( Eat 'Em and Smile Tour) – September 30, 1986 *

Neil Young & Crazy Horse Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

- October 4, 1986 * Journey (

Raised on Radio Tour The Raised on Radio Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Journey. The tour was the last with lead singer Steve Perry. Session players Randy Jackson and Mike Baird played bass and drums, respectively, as Ross Valory and Steve Smit ...

) – October 18, 1986 *

( Dancing Undercover World Tour) – January 3, 1987 *

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such quit t ...

(

Slippery When Wet Tour Slipperiness is when a surface has a low coefficient of friction, allowing objects to glide across the surface. People walking on slippery surfaces are likely to slip or fall. A surface can for example be slippery due to it being wet, or due to ...

) – March 28, 1987 *

(

Somewhere on Tour Somewhere on Tour was a concert tour by heavy metal band Iron Maiden, from 10 September 1986 to 21 May 1987, supporting their album '' Somewhere in Time''. The band performed across the globe, in countries including Poland, Italy, the United S ...

) – April 10, 1987 * Roger Waters ( Radio K.A.O.S. Tour) – August 20, 1987 * U2 (

The Joshua Tree Tour The Joshua Tree Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place during 1987, in support of their album ''The Joshua Tree''. The tour was depicted by the video and live album '' Live from Paris'' and in the 1988 studio/live ...

) – October 7, 1987 *

(

Permanent Vacation Tour The Permanent Vacation Tour, by American hard rock band Aerosmith, lasted from October 1987 to September 1988. It supported the band's commercially successful comeback album '' Permanent Vacation'', released in September 1987. Background The to ...

) – October 17, 1987 *

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- most p ...

(

Third Stage Tour Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

) – October 31, 1987 * Mötley Crüe ( Girls, Girls, Girls Tour) – August 2, 1987 * Yes ( Big Generator Tour) – December 4, 1987 *

Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), ...

(Hysteria Tour) - February 3, 1988 * Judas Priest ( Mercenaries of Metal Tour) – August 11, 1988 * Ozzy Osbourne ( No Rest for the Wicked Tour) – November 29, 1988 *

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

(

Damaged Justice Damaged Justice was the fourth concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It began on September 11, 1988, and ended on October 8, 1989. The name is believed to be inspired either by the cover of its fourth studio album '' ...And J ...

Tour) - March 13, 1989 *

(

Out of Order Tour The Out of Order Tour was a 1988–89 worldwide tour held by British singer Rod Stewart to promote his album at that time, '' Out of Order''. The tour visited the Americas. It began on July 1, 1988 on San Juan, Puerto Rico and ended on August ...

) – June 16, 1989 *

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternat ...

( Green Tour) – September 12, 1989 * Gloria Estefan (Get On Your Feet Tour) - November 24, 1989 * Mötley Crüe ( Dr. Feelgood World Tour '89–'90) – December 19, 1989 *

( Recycler Tour) – February 1, 1991 * Yes ( Union Tour) – April 26, 1991 * Queensrÿche ( Building Empires Tour) – June 8, 1991 *

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

( I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour) – August 1, 1991 * Gloria Estefan (Into The Light Tour) - September 13, 1991 *

(

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour The For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour (often abbreviated as the F.U.C.K. Tour or simply The Fuck Tour) was a concert tour by American rock band Van Halen in support of their studio album '' For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge''. It was one of the band' ...

) – October 20, 1991 * Paula Abdul (

Under My Spell Tour Under may refer to: * "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013 * "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009 *Bülent Ünder (born 1949), Turkish footballer *Cengiz Ünder (born 1997), Turkish footballer *Marie Under (1883–1980), Estonian poet * Under (restaurant) ...

) – November 24, 1991 *

(

Wherever We May Roam Tour Wherever We May Roam (mentioned by band members in interviews as Wherever I May Roam) was a concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their eponymous fifth studio album (commonly known as ''The Black Album''). It beg ...

) – December 3, 1991 * Ozzy Osbourne ( No More Tours Tour) – November 5, 1992 *

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

( Humpin' Around the World Tour) – January 7, 1993 *

( Adrenalize World Tour) – March 19, 1993 * Elton John ( The One Tour) – April 25, 1993 * Garth Brooks ( World Tour (1993–94)) – March 18, 1994 and March 19, 1994 *

( Antenna World Tour) – May 28, 1994 * Nine Inch Nails (

Self Destruct Tour The Self Destruct Tour was a concert tour in support of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails' album ''The Downward Spiral'', which took place in early 1994, running until mid-1996, and was broken into eight legs. Overview The tour was filmed fo ...

) – November 29, 1994 *

( A Spanner in the Works Tour) – February 20, 1996 *

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it s ...

(Ballbreaker Tour) - August 3, 1996 * Gloria Estefan (Evolution Tour) - August 31, 1996

Special features

Tributes

The

retired the numbers of all three members of The French Connection –

(11) in 1990,

René Robert René Paul Robert (December 31, 1948 – June 22, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Col ...

(14) in 1995, and

(7) in 1995. The number of Tim Horton (2) was retired in 1996. Banners for all four individuals were hung in the rafters of Memorial Auditorium, and later moved to the rafters of

after the venue closed. Championship banners were hung at the venue for the

(1975, 1980 and 1981 Division Champions & 1975 and 1980

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the ruler ...

Champions),

(1992 and 1993 World Champions), and the

(1994 World Champions). Banners were also hung to recognize postseason appearances by the Canisius Golden Griffins basketball team, and commemorating the venue hosting the

1993 World University Games The 1993 Summer Universiade, also known as XVII Summer Universiade or World University Games Buffalo '93, took place in Buffalo, New York, United States. Sports * * * * * * * * * * * * Venues *Athletics – University at Buffalo Sta ...

. Only banners for the Sabres and Bandits were relocated to

after the venue's closure.

Eateries

At the time of its closing in 1996, the Aud's concessions included: * The Aud Club, an upscale bar and restaurant with a private entrance that was also rented out for banquets and social functions. It was designed by Philip Amigone, the architect of the

Chez Ami Supper Club The Chez Ami, known as the Chez Ami Supper Club, was located at 311 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, NY and first opened its door in 1934. It is considered one of the first supper clubs in the nation and had the first rotating bar in the United States ...

. * The Pour Man's Aud Club, an affordable eatery in the venue's lobby. Delaware North handled all concessions for the venue through its Sportservice subsidiary. The company's founder,

Louis Jacobs Louis Jacobs (17 July 1920 – 1 July 2006) was a leading writer and theologian. He was the rabbi of the New London Synagogue in the United Kingdom. He was also the focus in the early 1960s of what became known as "The Jacobs Affair" in the ...

, was the original operating manager of Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

Transportation access

The venue was served by Auditorium station of Buffalo Metro Rail, which still stands and now services both KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter.

References

External links

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
on

BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profes ...

History

Planning and construction

Opening and reception

Alterations

Closing and vacancy

Demolition

Legacy

Notable events

Basketball

College

National Basketball League

National Basketball Association

World University Games

Hockey

American Hockey League

National Hockey League

College

Roller Hockey International

Lacrosse

Major Indoor Lacrosse League

Soccer

Major Soccer League

National Professional Soccer League

Tennis

World Team Tennis

Figure skating

Ice Capades

Ice Follies

SABAH

Torvill and Dean

Skate America

Stars on Ice

Combat sports

Professional wrestling

Boxing

Mixed martial arts

Concerts

Special features

Tributes

Eateries

Transportation access

See also

References

External links